Compressing folders in Windows using Python.

Hi,
I'm trying to zip a particular fiolder and place the zipped folder into
a target folder using python. I have used the following command in
'ubuntu'.

zip_command = 'zip -qr %s %s' % (target, ' '.join(source))

I execute this using os.command(zip_command). It works fine...

But when I run this script in Windows XP, I get an error while
executing the above zip command. What command is there to zip files in
Windows? Or is there any other problem ?

re: Compressing folders in Windows using Python.

On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 04:07:11 -0800, sri2097 wrote:
[color=blue]
> Hi,
> I'm trying to zip a particular fiolder and place the zipped folder into
> a target folder using python. I have used the following command in
> 'ubuntu'.
>
> zip_command = 'zip -qr %s %s' % (target, ' '.join(source))
>
> I execute this using os.command(zip_command). It works fine...
>
> But when I run this script in Windows XP, I get an error while
> executing the above zip command.[/color]

Would you like to tell us what error you get?

No no, I'll just guess... your disk is full... am I close?

*wink*
[color=blue]
> What command is there to zip files in Windows? Or is there any other problem ?[/color]

What happens if you call up a Windows command prompt and type zip at the
prompt?



--
Steven.

re: Compressing folders in Windows using Python.

Steven D'Aprano wrote:[color=blue][color=green]
>> But when I run this script in Windows XP, I get an error while
>> executing the above zip command.[/color]
>
> Would you like to tell us what error you get?[/color]

I presume the error he's seeing is something along the line of:

"zip: Bad command or filename."

That's basically because there is no commandline builtin for zipping up
files on Windows, and I don't know of WinZIP or any of the InfoZIP derived
GUIs installing a command-line zipper.

What might help you though (and keep you platform-independent):

http://www.python.org/doc/2.4.2/lib/module-zipfile.html

--- Heiko.

re: Compressing folders in Windows using Python.

Heiko Wundram wrote:[color=blue]
> That's basically because there is no commandline builtin for zipping up
> files on Windows, and I don't know of WinZIP or any of the InfoZIP derived
> GUIs installing a command-line zipper.[/color]

btw. the zip command isn't builtin on Unix either. It's only available if
you installed the corresponding InfoZIP package(s). I know pretty much
every Linux-distribution comes preinstalled with it (because of stuff like
ark, a KDE-frontend for archivers, requiring it), but you shouldn't rely on
that either.

--- Heiko.

re: Compressing folders in Windows using Python.

Heiko Wundram wrote:[color=blue]
> Steven D'Aprano wrote:
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>>But when I run this script in Windows XP, I get an error while
>>>executing the above zip command.[/color]
>>
>>Would you like to tell us what error you get?[/color]
>
>
> I presume the error he's seeing is something along the line of:
>
> "zip: Bad command or filename."
>
> That's basically because there is no commandline builtin for zipping up
> files on Windows, and I don't know of WinZIP or any of the InfoZIP derived
> GUIs installing a command-line zipper.
>
> What might help you though (and keep you platform-independent):
>
> http://www.python.org/doc/2.4.2/lib/module-zipfile.html
>
> --- Heiko.[/color]

Go and get something like 7-ZIP and put a path environment variable in.

re: Compressing folders in Windows using Python.

sri2097 wrote:[color=blue]
> Hi,
> I'm trying to zip a particular fiolder and place the zipped folder into
> a target folder using python. I have used the following command in
> 'ubuntu'.
>
> zip_command = 'zip -qr %s %s' % (target, ' '.join(source))
>
> I execute this using os.command(zip_command). It works fine...
>
> But when I run this script in Windows XP, I get an error while
> executing the above zip command. What command is there to zip files in
> Windows? Or is there any other problem ?[/color]

zip is not a built-in command for windows.
You might use winzip or something else, there is
a bunch of different compression tools available.

ciao - chris

--
Christian Tismer :^) <mailto:tismer@stackless.com>
tismerysoft GmbH : Have a break! Take a ride on Python's
Johannes-Niemeyer-Weg 9A : *Starship* http://starship.python.net/
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re: Compressing folders in Windows using Python.

Christian Tismer wrote:[color=blue]
> sri2097 wrote:[color=green]
> > Hi,
> > I'm trying to zip a particular fiolder and place the zipped folder into
> > a target folder using python. I have used the following command in
> > 'ubuntu'.
> >
> > zip_command = 'zip -qr %s %s' % (target, ' '.join(source))
> >
> > I execute this using os.command(zip_command). It works fine...
> >
> > But when I run this script in Windows XP, I get an error while
> > executing the above zip command. What command is there to zip files in
> > Windows? Or is there any other problem ?[/color]
>
> zip is not a built-in command for windows.
> You might use winzip or something else, there is
> a bunch of different compression tools available.
>
> ciao - chris
>[/color]

Something else to watch for -- Spaces in filenames. Uncommon on
unix/linux, but very common on windows. Put some double-quotes around
the filenames in your zip_command:

zip_command = 'zip -qr "%s" "%s"' % (target, ' '.join(source))


AFAIK there are built-in zip modules available in Python? They might be
a better alternative to calling an external zip command?

(Winzip btw, has a seperate download for a command-line capable version
of the compressor)

cheers,

--Tim

[color=blue]
> --
> Christian Tismer :^) <mailto:tismer@stackless.com>
> tismerysoft GmbH : Have a break! Take a ride on Python's
> Johannes-Niemeyer-Weg 9A : *Starship* http://starship.python.net/
> 14109 Berlin : PGP key -> http://wwwkeys.pgp.net/
> work +49 30 802 86 56 mobile +49 173 24 18 776 fax +49 30 80 90 57 05
> PGP 0x57F3BF04 9064 F4E1 D754 C2FF 1619 305B C09C 5A3B 57F3 BF04
> whom do you want to sponsor today? http://www.stackless.com/[/color]