Extracting self-executing zip files
lazarus / 5-Lazarus Extra Components

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Caravelle · 2014-01-06 23:58

Hi

Can some kind soul please advise a comparative beginner with Lazarus
how I would go about dealing with some awkward compressed files.  I
have no choice about the format, which seems unnecessarily over-
complicated to me.  There are 4 zip files, downloaded from the
internet, which contain .mdb files and I am seeking a one-click
solution to the process of extracting the mdbs, reading the 7 tables
contained in the mdbs and converting them to one sqlite table.  I have
got the process of converting the mdb tables to sqlite all sorted out,
the problem is extracting the 4 zip files to reveal the mdbs.

The current long-winded process I am trying to avoid is this: download
each of the 4 zip files; doubleclick on them to open them in Windows
File Explorer.  Each one reveals a single .exe file.  When
doubleclicked the .exe files open (after an unnecessary security
warning) in WinRAR with a dialog to select the location to extract to
and finally I click the "Extract" button.  Perhaps I should add that
the filenames are always the same, the location they should be
extracted to is always the same, and the tedious process has to be
endured twice a week.  It must be possible to automate it somehow. 
Please?    No point in discussing why the zips unzip into self-
executing archives which then have to be un-archived, in my opinion it
would be quicker to download the mdbs without any compression at all
but as I said, I have no choice, that's how they are provided.

Many thanks

Caravelle

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BigChimp · 2014-01-07 10:46

$(fpcdir)\packages\paszlib\examples\extractodt.pas should get you
started on extracting zip files (whether self extracting or regular).

See also
http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/paszlib#TZipper

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Caravelle · 2014-01-07 18:40

Thank you, I shall start there.   I had been searching/Googling for
hours, I found several components that promised to unzip but none
mentioned self-executables in the description.  One looked promising
but every time I clicked the URL to download it I got some pdf utility
instead.  There comes a time when you just have to give up and ask for
help !

Thanks again

Caravelle

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Caravelle · 2014-01-07 20:09

Hi again

It's taken a while to find the file you referred to, in the end I
found it by using the search tool in Explorer.  The full path is:
C:\lazarus\fpc\2.62\source\packages\paszlib\examples\

Cheers

Caravelle

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Caravelle · 2014-01-07 21:45

All solved, thanks.  This works nicely:

Code: [Select]procedure TForm1.Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  UnZipper := TUnZipper.create;
  UnZipper.FileName := 'C:\Users\Michael\Downloads\PB_airl.zip';
  UnZipper.OutputPath := 'C:\PlaneBase\Unzip';
  UnZipper.Examine;
  UnZipper.UnzipAllFiles;
  UnZipper.FileName := 'C:\PlaneBase\Unzip\PB_airl.exe';
  UnZipper.OutputPath := 'C:\PlaneBase\Unzip';
  UnZipper.Examine;
  UnZipper.UnzipAllFiles;
  UnZipper.Free;
end;
All I have to do now is arrange things so that the program cycles
through the various files, that shouldn't be a problem.

Many thanks again.

Caravelle