Easy Zip File (V. 3.0 )
Create a New Zip File
What is a ' Zip File' ?
A zip file can be thought as a virtual briefcase containing many files and folders. As well the files within the zip file are compressed. This means that the storage space required for the files is cut in half in a typical case, and the files are also easier to transport over a network...
Adding Files and Folders
The first step required to make a zip file with this program is to place the files and any folders you wish into the 'briefcase'. This can be done by either pressing the ADD FILES button or the ADD FOLDER button, or the files can be added by using the DRAG AND DROP technique.
The ADD FILES BUTTON brings up a familiar windows file selection box. You can select one file at a time to open and add to the zip file, or you can hold down the CTRL KEY, usually found at the very bottom left of your keyboard, and then click on one file after another to select multiple files at the same time, or hold down the SHIFT key to select files in rows or columns. You should try not to move the mouse sideways or up and down when clicking on files to select therm, or windows will make copies of the files and drop them into the same folder.
The ADD FOLDER button brings up a folder selection box and you can click on a folder to add the folder, and all the files and folders it contains to the zip file. You can use the properties menu to uncheck the check box that adds the folders inside other folders if you do not want all the folders the folder contains. Remember this setting because in the future if a folder only has other folders in it, and this checkbox is not checked, it will seem that nothing is happening when you try to add the folder since it has no files, and only folders, and at some point in the past, you disallowed adding the folders inside of other folders by unchecking this checkbox. Note that a folder can contain a large number of files and other folders which can also contain files, and a zip file is limited to around two billion bytes in size. (A Gzipped tar ball is much faster and much more efficient than a Zip file for really large compressed files with many thousands of files and a very large size.)
Using the POPUP MENU to Remove files from the Zip file
If you click on the white grid area with the right side mouse button a pop up menu will appear. There are two selections on the menu : SELECT ALL highlights all the files in the Zip file grid. REMOVE removes all the files that are highlighted in the Zip file grid.
You can select files to Remove by clicking them to highlight them and then right clicking and selecting REMOVE from the pop up menu.
You can select multiple files to remove by holding down either the CTRL key while clicking files one at a time to highlight multiple files, or by holding down the SHIFT key, clicking the first file in a series, and then moving to the last file in the series, and once again pressing the SHIFT key and clicking the last file in the series. Right click on one of the highlighted files and choose REMOVE from the pop up menu to remove the highlighted files from the Zip File grid. Note that you can release the CTRL or SHIFT key to perform operations such as moving the scroll bar, but you must not click a file again until you have once again depressed the key or your previous selections will be lost.
Using the UNDO and RESET buttons to remove files from the grid
If you wish to cancel the last file, folder, or series of files and folders that you added to the grid, press the UNDO button to remove the file or files. Pressing the UNDO button repeatedly will eventually clear the grid.
The RESET button will completely clear the grid so that you can start adding files and folders to the zip file from the beginning.
Using the ZIP BUTTON to create the zip file
When you have added all the files and folders that you wish to include in the zip file, you can proceed to step two and actually create the zip file by pressing the ZIP button.
A standard Windows save box will appear. Here you will need to give your zip file a name (for example ' pictures august 2002 '). The name of the zip file is typed in the edit box indicated by the title 'Filename'. You will also have to use the drop down navigator scroll box and the explorer window to select a folder where you will be saving the zip file.
When you have named the zip file and you have chosen a folder in which to save it on your drive, press the SAVE button on the selection box to begin creating the zip file. You will notice a blue thermometer bar begin to move along the bottom of the zip program window and when the thermometer has reached the end of the pipe the zip file will be complete and a message box will appear to indicate that the zip was created. You can then close the program, using the EXIT button, or press the RESET button to clear the grid and begin creating another zip file, as described above.
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