(DataFlex) ZIP a Visual Studio Project and Exclude Build Artifacts

See more Zip Examples

This example demonstrates how to create a ZIP archive of a Visual Studio project directory while excluding files and directories commonly created during builds.

This is useful when archiving or sharing source code without including compiled binaries, intermediate build output, debug symbols, cache files, or generated package folders.

The example excludes common Visual Studio build artifacts such as:

• bin directories
• obj directories
• .vs directories
• *.exe, *.dll, *.pdb, and related output files
• Temporary and cache files

Chilkat ActiveX Downloads ActiveX for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows

Use ChilkatAx-win32.pkg

Procedure Test
    Boolean iSuccess
    Handle hoZip
    Variant vSaExcludes
    Handle hoSaExcludes
    Boolean iRecurse
    String sTemp1

    Move False To iSuccess

    Get Create (RefClass(cComChilkatZip)) To hoZip
    If (Not(IsComObjectCreated(hoZip))) Begin
        Send CreateComObject of hoZip
    End

    // Create a new, empty Zip object.
    // The .zip file is not created until WriteZip or WriteZipAndClose is called.
    Get ComNewZip Of hoZip "VisualStudioProject.zip" To iSuccess
    If (iSuccess = False) Begin
        Get ComLastErrorText Of hoZip To sTemp1
        Showln sTemp1
        Procedure_Return
    End

    // When the ZIP is extracted, all files will be placed beneath
    // the "MyProject/" directory.
    // 
    // For example:
    // 
    //     src/main.cpp
    // 
    // Will be stored in the ZIP as:
    // 
    //     MyProject/src/main.cpp
    // 
    Set ComPathPrefix Of hoZip To "MyProject/"

    // We will add files from this Visual Studio project directory:
    // 
    //     c:/projects/MyProject
    // 
    // The goal is to ZIP the source project without the files generated
    // by Visual Studio builds.

    // ------------------------------------------------------------
    // Exclude directories commonly created by Visual Studio builds.
    // 
    // Any directory having one of these names will be skipped entirely,
    // including all files and subdirectories beneath it.
    Send ComExcludeDir To hoZip "bin"
    Send ComExcludeDir To hoZip "obj"
    Send ComExcludeDir To hoZip ".vs"
    Send ComExcludeDir To hoZip "packages"

    // ------------------------------------------------------------
    // Create a StringArray containing wildcard exclusion patterns
    // for generated files and temporary artifacts.
    Get Create (RefClass(cComCkStringArray)) To hoSaExcludes
    If (Not(IsComObjectCreated(hoSaExcludes))) Begin
        Send CreateComObject of hoSaExcludes
    End

    // Exclude common compiled output files.
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.exe" To iSuccess
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.dll" To iSuccess
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.pdb" To iSuccess
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.ilk" To iSuccess
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.lib" To iSuccess
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.obj" To iSuccess

    // Exclude NuGet package files.
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.nupkg" To iSuccess

    // Exclude temporary, cache, and user-specific files.
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.cache" To iSuccess
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.tmp" To iSuccess
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.user" To iSuccess
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.suo" To iSuccess
    Get ComAppend Of hoSaExcludes "*.log" To iSuccess

    // Apply the wildcard exclusion patterns to the Zip object.
    Get pvComObject of hoSaExcludes to vSaExcludes
    Send ComSetExclusions To hoZip vSaExcludes

    // ------------------------------------------------------------
    // Recursively add references to the project files.
    // 
    // AppendFiles does not immediately read or compress the files.
    // It adds file references to the Zip object. The referenced files
    // are read and compressed later when WriteZipAndClose is called.
    Move True To iRecurse

    Get ComAppendFiles Of hoZip "c:/projects/MyProject/*" iRecurse To iSuccess
    If (iSuccess = False) Begin
        Get ComLastErrorText Of hoZip To sTemp1
        Showln sTemp1
        Procedure_Return
    End

    // ------------------------------------------------------------
    // Write the ZIP archive and close it.
    // 
    // This is where the referenced source files are actually read,
    // compressed as needed, and written to the final .zip archive.
    Get ComWriteZipAndClose Of hoZip To iSuccess
    If (iSuccess = False) Begin
        Get ComLastErrorText Of hoZip To sTemp1
        Showln sTemp1
        Procedure_Return
    End

    Showln "Visual Studio project ZIP created successfully."


End_Procedure