Unzipping archive from Ruby (Mac and Windows)

fredo6 · 8 Nov 2010, 11:54

I am not sure this has not been covered elsewhere in the forum, but here is what I found for unzipping archives from Ruby.

On Mac, it seems that there is a unzipcommand embedded.

Here is a simple code snippet


#Extract all files and sub-folders from an archive file to a destination folder
#Status is returned true if successful, false otherwise

def unzip_on_mac(archive, destination_folder)
  return false unless FileTest.exist?(archive)
  status = system "unzip -o \"#{archive}/*\" -d \"#{destination_folder}\""
end

A few notes

the internal double quotes are needed when archive or folder names include spaces
the flag -o is required to overwrite existing files if any
the operation is quite fast

On Windows, it is more complex. It seems that all versions of Windows include a built-in facility for zipping and unzipping, but I did not find a way to invoke it from the command line. Also, the command Extract seems to work only for .cab files, not for .zip files. So you have to rely on an external zip program.

if Winzip is installed, then its location should be
zip_program= "C:/Program Files/Winzip/Winzip32" (or 'Program Files (x86)')
Then the command to execute is simple


def unzip_with_winzip(archive, destination_folder)
  system "#{zip_program} -min -e -o \"#{archive}\" \"#{destination_folder}\""
end

Note that:

-min is to avoid the nasty black screen popup
-e is just form extracting
-o is for overwriting all files if already present at destination

we could similarly find typical location and command line parameters for other popular unzip programs(like 7zip or wintar)
If none of them are present or can be located, then it is possible to download a small unzip.exe, which is just the part for unzipping of winzip (it is free and distributable). Its interest is that it is standalone (no dll dependency). It can be put in a SU plugin subfolder that is controlled and known.
rename it unzip.exe
in that case, assuming you put the path of the exe in variable zip_program, the command is


def unzip_with_unzip(archive, destination_folder)
  system "#{zip_program} \"#{archive}\" -d \"#{destination_folder}\""
end

Note: this unzip program can be downloaded by users with a text extension, and then it is possible to rename it from Ruby, via File.rename

Finally, on a related subject, I found that if urlpath contains the shortcut to a file attachment on Sketchucation (obtained via copy shortcut), then you can easily invoke the dialog box for download:


  urlpath = "http://forums.sketchucation.com/download/file.php?id=58102"
  wdlg = UI;;WebDialog.new
  wdlg.set_url urlpath
  wdlg.show

The issue there is that you have no idea where the user has decided to put the file, or whether s/he has chosen to 'run' the file instead of saving.

So I guess we'll need good ideas on how to download a remote file from the web, whether from Ruby or via a program launchable from the command line, without the many hassles of installing big side libraries (like net/http).

Fredo

thomthom · 8 Nov 2010, 12:39

If the user has install
@unknownuser said:

The issue there is that you have no idea where the user has decided to put the file, or whether s/he has chosen to 'run' the file instead of saving.

So I guess we'll need good ideas on how to download a remote file from the web, whether from Ruby or via a program launchable from the command line, without the many hassles of installing big side libraries (like net/http).

Webdialog - use XMLHttpRequest object to download the file. Though, if you try to download from SCF you need to be logged in, don't you?

Jim · 8 Nov 2010, 13:49

TBD's Dezip works great on SketchUp on Windows. I use it in a prototype plugin installer on my machine.

GitHub - TBD/OpenSUP: Open SketchUp Projects

Open SketchUp Projects. Contribute to TBD/OpenSUP development by creating an account on GitHub.

GitHub (github.com)

tbd · 8 Nov 2010, 14:01

by default, on Mac, you cannot view .zip files as directories
and searching for installed programs to unzip is ugly and hard to debug/support.

a port of Dezip to Mac would be nice to have

jeff hammond · 8 Nov 2010, 14:01

not sure if this matters or not on what you're hoping to accomplish but just a heads up..

when unarchiving on mac, there will be an extra folder..

let's say i have a su plugin which consists of MyRuby.rb & an accompanying folder named MyRuby

i compress those into a zip called Archive.zip

when i unzip that, the structure will be:

Archive (folder)

MyRuby.rb
MyRuby

i think this is why many people end up with suPlugin install problems on mac because the instructions are always 'unzip in the plugin folder' which, of course, won't work due to that extra folder.

[which can get more confusing when the .zip is named the same thing as the accompanying folder as it often is because you end up with two folders sharing the same name]

tfdesign · 8 Nov 2010, 16:32

@unknownuser said:

by default, on Mac, you cannot view .zip files as directories

I should think so too! How many PC's get infected by zips opening without permission? My sister has already had to reinstall her Windows OS because of similar mishaps (she is one of so many who could really know more about what they are doing!)

@unknownuser said:

and searching for installed programs to unzip is ugly and hard to debug/support.

a port of Dezip to Mac would be nice to have

Really? Perhaps I didn't understand you? I just right click on a zipped download and a contextual menu appears with a list of options to choose from (including the built-in dearchiving software, which is activated by double clicking a zipped file anyway). I hardly call that ugly.

As for a decent zip utility, I thoroughly recommend Betterzip

BetterZip 5 - MacItBetter

BetterZip: the most advanced zip and rar archiver for file compression, encryption. BetterZip makes it easy to work with zip, rar, 7-zip, tar, and xz files and it helps with opening winmail.dat files on your Mac.

(macitbetter.com)

thomthom · 8 Nov 2010, 17:02

@tfdesign said:

How many PC's get infected by zips opening without permission?

None. Opening up a zip is like opening up a folder - you don't execute any code.

@tfdesign said:

Really? Perhaps I didn't understand you? I just right click on a zipped download and a contextual menu appears with a list of options to choose from (including the built-in dearchiving software, which is activated by double clicking a zipped file anyway). I hardly call that ugly.

We're talking about unzipping via SketchUp Ruby in order to make installing and updating plugins easier. What he referred to as ugly was relying and detecting third party zipping software to do so.

fredo6 · 8 Nov 2010, 17:44

@thomthom said:

Though, if you try to download from SCF you need to be logged in, don't you?

Tom,

Very good remark, full of good sense.

Do you know if there is a way to specify the login on the flyin a request to a page (like http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=29230&hilit=plugin#p254673 )?

fredo

thomthom · 8 Nov 2010, 17:47

You could maybe send a POST message with XMLHttpRequest with login information to SCF's login page. ...though I'm not sure if doing that via XMLHttpRequest will give you a persistent session...

tfdesign · 8 Nov 2010, 17:54

@thomthom said:

@tfdesign said:

How many PC's get infected by zips opening without permission?

None. Opening up a zip is like opening up a folder - you don't execute any code.

That's not what I meant, but nevermind. I understand the context now

@thomthom said:

@tfdesign said:

Really? Perhaps I didn't understand you? I just right click on a zipped download and a contextual menu appears with a list of options to choose from (including the built-in dearchiving software, which is activated by double clicking a zipped file anyway). I hardly call that ugly.

We're talking about unzipping via SketchUp Ruby in order to make installing and updating plugins easier. What he referred to as ugly was relying and detecting third party zipping software to do so.

Okay It is different, but then I hardly use PC's any more, so I'm just used to the Mac way.

fredo6 · 8 Nov 2010, 20:27

@thomthom said:

You could maybe send a POST message with XMLHttpRequest with login information to SCF's login page. ...though I'm not sure if doing that via XMLHttpRequest will give you a persistent session...

Would anybody know:

either the inline syntax in the request (if this is supported), like
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=29230&hilit=plugin#p254673 &user=Fredo6&pwd=mypwd
or the post syntax for the SCF login page?

Thanks

Fredo

Dan Rathbun · 8 Nov 2010, 20:35

What URL do you see if you hover over the SCF Login link.
(I have autologin set in my SCF cookie so I never go thru the login.)

jeff hammond · 8 Nov 2010, 20:44

@dan rathbun said:

What URL do you see if you hover over the SCF Login link.
(I have autologin set in my SCF cookie so I never go thru the login.)

the log in page at scf is this url:

http://forums.sketchucation.com/ucp.php?mode=login

thomthom · 8 Nov 2010, 20:44

It would not be part of the URL - as that would be a GET.

The HTML source for the login:


<form method="post" action="./ucp.php?mode=login" class="headerspace" style="border;dashed 2px #ca0016;margin;auto auto 10px auto;padding;0 10px 10px 10px;width;97%;">
	<p style="font-weight;bold;margin;11px 0 0 0;float;right;padding;3px 5px;"><img src="http://sketchucation.com/forums/styles/prosilver/imageset/help.gif" height="22" width="23" alt="" style="margin-right;5px;" /><a href="http://www.sketchucation.com/scf-contact-page2/" style="font-size;1.1em;">Problems with registering / logging in?</a></p>
	<h3><a href="./ucp.php?mode=login">Login</a>&nbsp; &bull; &nbsp;<a href="./ucp.php?mode=register">Register</a></h3>
		<fieldset class="quick-login">
			<label for="username">Username;</label>&nbsp;<input type="text" name="username" id="username" size="10" class="inputbox" title="Username" />  
			<label for="password">Password;</label>&nbsp;<input type="password" name="password" id="password" size="10" class="inputbox" title="Password" />
			
				| <label for="autologin">Log me on automatically each visit <input type="checkbox" name="autologin" id="autologin" /></label>
			
			<input type="submit" name="login" value="Login" class="button2" />
		</fieldset>
	</form>

The important stuff here is:
<form method="post" action="./ucp.php?mode=login"

This means the POST request must be made to http ://forums.sketchucation.com/ucp.php?mode=login
and you need to set the arguments, "username", "password" and quite possible "login" (login as very often the website software checks the value of the submit button to detect if a form has been used - but that depends on the software)

Dan Rathbun · 8 Nov 2010, 20:46

The form fieldnames on the SCF login page are:
username
password

But there is also a "sid" (security ID) involved. The Admins may not want spambots being able to auto login. Ask Coen.

thomthom · 8 Nov 2010, 20:47

@dan rathbun said:

What URL do you see if you hover over the SCF Login link.
(I have autologin set in my SCF cookie so I never go thru the login.)

HTML forms' submit buttons doesn't display the target URL info. One has to look at the source code.

Dan Rathbun · 8 Nov 2010, 20:49

@thomthom said:

One has to look at the source code.

I know (and I did,) it was a hint. But you cut and pasted the code before I could.

tbd · 8 Nov 2010, 21:41

Fredo6: what do you want to do with SCF download ? maybe we can create a backend that suits your needs better thank going through forum software

fredo6 · 8 Nov 2010, 21:57

@unknownuser said:

Fredo6: what do you want to do with SCF download ? maybe we can create a backend that suits your needs better thank going through forum software

I am investiogating 2 things:

1) Scan the SCF page where a plugin is.
That's sorted out with WebDialog and this will allow to check the current version and date of the plugin. This of course requires some strict syntax convention, for instance in the title, so that it is easy and discriminant to parse the info.
At least, this will tell whether the plugin is up to date or not

2) Download the file (zip or rb) to the local disk in the right place.
I assume that with some syntax convention, it will be possible to locate the URL address of the file.
For this however, this requires that the user is logged in to SCF (as ThomThom judiciously noticed).
Then, if the file URL is obtained, I can:

either invoke the download dialog box via WebDialog
or find out another way to download it
Not sure there is an easy way

Fred

fredo6 · 8 Nov 2010, 22:01

I was WRONG about the Mac unzipping as folder.

But I found out that there is an embedded unzip command, which can be invoked via the Ruby system call system.
see main post for details

I have no clue if this is present on all Macs.

Fredo

PS: just taking the opportunity that I have a Mac at hand to make a few tests about this question of plugin installation, as I usually prefer to release scripts for both environments and users.