Archive Handling

Browsing archives

Browsing archives is as easy as double-clicking on them. If the archive type is supported Krusader will let you browse the archive as if it was a directory - with few exceptions:

  • You can't bookmark a location in the archive.

  • If you leave an archive the "go-back" action (back arrow) will not take you back inside the archive but to the directory where it is located.

  • Not all functions are supported by all archive types. (i.e.: you can't delete files in ace or rar archives)

  • The permissions you have inside the archive are the same as the permissions you have for the archive.

  • The command line (if visible) will not follow you inside the archive but will point to the archive directory.

  • Before any action is performed on files/directories inside the archive they must be extracted. The archive will be repacked when you leave it or when Krusader detects that extracted files have changed.

  • Packing and un-packing are blocking operations that display a progress dialog.

Unpack files

There are 2 ways to extract files from archives:

If you want to unpack a whole archive(s), browse to the archive location, mark the archive(s) and select File->Unpack or Ctrl+U. Krusader will ask you where to put the extracted files, the default location is the inactive panel directory. If you don't cancel the operation, Krusader will try to unpack all the selected files in the active panel. The archive type is detected using mimetype magic (or in plain English: automatically) and if an unpacker can't be found an error message will be displayed.

If you only want to extract part of the archive, then browse the archive and copy the files you want to extract to their new location just as you would copy "normal" files. Note that unpacking from a browsed archive takes more time (file by file unpack) compared to unpacking a whole archive with the first method.

Packing files

If you want to create a new archive, then mark the files and directories you want to pack in the active panel and select File->Pack or Ctrl+D. A dialog will pop-up prompting you to select the archive name and location, you select the packer by selecting one of the supported extensions.

To add files to an existing archives, open the archive and copy the files into the archive in the same way you copy files into a "normal" directory.

Testing archives

Krusader will not handle corrupted archives since it may result in data loss. If you got an error message when handling an archive or if you suspect that there something wrong with the archive you should test it. To test an archive browse to the archive location, mark the archive and select File->Test Archive or Ctrl+T. Krusader will inform you if the archive passed or failed the test.