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B4X Requires Chilkat v11.0.0+

Append Text Data to an Existing ZIP Entry Using ZipEntry.AppendString

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This example demonstrates how to use the ZipEntry.AppendString method to append text data to an existing ZIP entry.

The example opens an existing ZIP archive, locates a text file entry, and appends additional text to the end of the file contents.

An important concept demonstrated by this example is that appending data to a ZIP entry transforms the entry into an in-memory Data Entry (EntryType = 2).

For example:

  • If the entry is a mapped entry from an opened ZIP archive (EntryType = 0), the compressed entry is first inflated into memory.
  • If the entry is a referenced filesystem file (EntryType = 1), the file contents are first loaded into memory.

The new text is then appended to the uncompressed in-memory data, and the entry becomes a Data Entry.

After the ZIP archive is rewritten, the modified entry again becomes a mapped entry stored within the ZIP archive.

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B4X
Dim success As Boolean = False

Dim zip As ChilkatZip
zip.Initialize("zip")

'  ------------------------------------------------------------
'  Open an existing ZIP archive.
success = zip.OpenZip("c:/temp/notes.zip")
If success = False Then
    Log(zip.LastErrorText)
    Return
End If


'  Locate a text file entry within the ZIP archive.
Dim entry As ChilkatZipEntry
entry.Initialize("entry")

success = zip.EntryOf("notes/readme.txt", entry)

If success <> False Then

    '  --------------------------------------------------------
    '  At this point, the entry is a mapped entry because it
    '  originates from an opened ZIP archive.
    '  
    '      EntryType = 0
    '  
    Log("Initial EntryType = " & entry.EntryType)

    '  Append additional text to the ZIP entry.
    '  
    '  The existing compressed ZIP entry is first inflated
    '  into memory. The new text is then appended.
    '  
    '  After AppendString is called, the entry becomes
    '  an in-memory Data Entry:
    '  
    '      EntryType = 2
    '  
    success = entry.AppendString(Chr(13) & Chr(10) & "Additional notes added later.", "utf-8")

    If success = False Then
        Log(zip.LastErrorText)
        Return
    End If


    Log("EntryType after AppendString = " & entry.EntryType)

    '  --------------------------------------------------------
    '  Write the modified ZIP archive to a different file.
    '  
    '  Changing zip.FileName causes the ZIP archive to be
    '  written to a new output file rather than overwriting
    '  the original ZIP archive.
    '  
    zip.FileName = "qa_output/updatedExample.zip"

    '  Rewrite the ZIP archive.
    '  
    '  The modified in-memory entry is compressed and written
    '  into the new ZIP archive.
    '  
    success = zip.WriteZip
    If success = False Then
        Log(zip.LastErrorText)
        Return
    End If


    '  After rewriting the ZIP archive, the entry again becomes
    '  a mapped entry:
    '  
    '      EntryType = 0
    '  
    Log("EntryType after WriteZip = " & entry.EntryType)
End If


zip.CloseZip

Log("ZIP entry updated successfully.")