Easy Zip File (V. 3.0 )
Unzip Help
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...
Opening a zip file...
You can select a Zip file to unzip in two ways. Using the OPEN button will bring up a file selection box. You can also drag and drop a zip file onto the white grid space in the bottom half of the program window. Currently the program suppoerts the opening of 'ZIP' files, TAR files, and GZ (Gzipped) files. (For a description of dragging and dropping files if you are unfamiliar with the concept, click the help button on the Zip file page).
Using the mouse to select files
Once you have opened a zip file, the files contained within the zip file will be displayed in the white grid area. The files are automatically highlighted to show that they have been selected. All highlighted files will be unzipped (copied from the zip file to your disk drive). To unzip the entire zip file leave the files highlighted. To unzip only selected files from the zip file use the SHIFT or CONTROL keys and click the file names on the grid to select and unselect the files you wish to unzip so that only they are highlighted. If you hold down the CTRL key while clicking files, you can highlight files one at a time. If you hold down the SHIFT key you can select groups of files (all those between the first and the last file name that you select). If you CLICK FILES with the MOUSE without holding down the CTRL or SHIFT key this will launch the computer program which is registered to handle such files and the zip file program will unzip the file you have clicked and send it to this computer program.
You can use the SELECT ALL button to quickly select all the files within the Zip file, or you can use the UNSELECT button to quickly deselect all the files in the Zip file (only selected (highlighted files on a colored background) will be unzipped by the program.
If you click the Zip Window using the RIGHT SIDE MOUSE BUTTON (instead of the usual left side button) you will bring up a pop up menu. You can OPEN a file (which will launch the appropriate program on your computer) or you can open the file using NOTEPAD, WORDPAD, or QUICKVIEW (if installed). If the file is a picture, you can view with the built in image viewer, or you can launch the thumbnail viewer to preview all the images in the file by selecting IMAGE BROWSER from the popup list.
The Queue Function
If you select the properties button, you can make this program the default program that your computer will use to open zip files. When a zip file is clicked with the mouse, or when it is downloaded from the internet, your computer will send it to this program. If you are downloading from the internet, the QUEUE function can be useful, for as each file arrives, it is lined up on the QUEUE list. Similarly if you click more than one zip file with your mouse, they will be lined up on the QUEUE list, waiting for processing. Keep in mind that if you download zip files from the internet, and send them to this program, and then you close down your web browser, the temporary copies of these files created by your web browser will be erased, and the items on the QUEUE will no longer be valid. Keep the browser open until you are finished processing files to prevent this from happening.
The image above shows the new interface incorporating the QUEUE, which is empty. Beside the drop down QUEUE list, is the Clear Button (CLR), which can be used to clear one item from the Queue, if the item is displayed, or can be used to clear the entire QUEUE, if The QUEUE Waiting message is displayed.There are times when you might want to download a zip file from the internet, and both open it to unzip the file, as well as saving the zip file. Normally web browsers give you a choice between the two, and for this reason an optional SAVE button has been included in the interface, so that the user can both Open the zip file and have the option of saving a copy of the zip file as well.
When items have arrived and are waiting on the QUEUE, you will see the Message 'Queue Waiting', as in the image above, and clicking the drop down list will display the items waiting on the Queue. Clicking one of the items will load it into the window to be processed. If you have a zip file open, and you did not unzip the zip file, and you click an item on the Queue, the previous zip file will be moved to the Queue. This might not be what you wanted, and you can prevent this by using the reset button to clear the item, before selecting an item from the Queue.
The Filter Button
The Filter Button allows you to filter the types of files you wish to view in the Zip file window. For example, you may have a large zip file, with many different types of files, but you may be searching for one certain HTML file. Using the Filter Button you can alter the display so that only HTML files are showing, making the file display less cluttered.
Pressing the Filter button will bring up the Filter Window. You can use the checkboxes on the left to restrict the display to only certain file types (only those file types present in the zip file will be available for selection). You can also enter a search pattern in the box on the right. For example, you might be looking for a certain file that begins with the letters CE.
The TREE button
Pressing the TREE button provides another optional means of viewing the contents of a zip file, in this case bringing up an 'Explorer' view which displays the Folder structure of the Zip file. This could be useful if you are looking for a certain folder within the zip file and the files this folder contains. A search function is included to assist in locating either a particular folder or a particular file.
The UNZIP Button
When you press the Unzip button all the highlighted (selected) files in the white grid area will be unzipped. First a folder selection box will appear and you must choose which folder on your drive you would like the program to use when it copies the files from the zip file to your disk drive. YOU MUST DOUBLE CLICK THE FOLDER so that it opens and its name is displayed in the text line at the top of the selection box. You can also type a folder name in here to create a new folder in which to unzip the zip file. At least one file must be highlighted blue for the Unzip Button to become enabled. When you have selected a folder the Unzip operation will begin, and when the blue bar at the bottom of the window has covered the width of program screen the operation will be complete. If you use 'My Computer' to open the folder you selected you will find the files copied from the zip file you have just unzipped.
If you use the Properties menu to set Easy Zip File as your default Zip Program, when you click a zip file in My Computer or Windows Explorer, it will automatically start the Easy Zip File Program. If you then click the ADD UPDATE tab the zip file will automatically be transferred to this page for updating. If you click the SELF EXTRACTING ZIP tab, the file will be transfered to this page where you will be able to convert the zip file to the kind of zip file that can automatically unzip itself. Similarly, you can also use the SELF EXTRACT tab to convert a self extracting zip file to a normal zip file, and then if you switch to the UNZIP tab, the converted zip file will be automatically transferred to this page ready to be unzipped.Security issues
It has been discovered that certain Zip files can contain a SECURITY THREAT, in that during the UNZIPPING process the zip file can be instructed to write files outside the folder which you have selected (potentially overwriting windows system files, etc). If the program discovers a zip file that contains this security threat, you will be alerted, and you will have the option of aborting the unzipping of the zip file, unzipping only those files that do not pose the security threat, or ignoring the message and proceeding with the unzipping process. If you choose to ignore the warning, you should ensure that on the properties menu you leave unchecked the box that permits overwriting of files, so that you can monitor the performance of the program and ensure that your critical system files remain safe (the program will warn you every time it tries to overwrite a file on your disk). The BATCH UNZIP feature does not overwrite files, and thus does not pose a security threat to your computer system files.
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