Compression actions

To compress (or zip) a file, use the ZIP files action and specify a path to archive. If the archive already exists, the action will add the selected files.

The following example uses a variable to specify the path to archive. Best compression ensures maximum file size reduction, and a password adds a layer of security to the archive.

The Unzip files action works similarly, requiring a path to archive and a destination folder. The following example uses the Include mask option to only unzip files with the extensions .txt and .xlsx.

ZIP files

Compress one or more files or folders into a ZIP archive.

Input parameters

Argument	Optional	Accepts	Default Value	Description
Archive path	No	File		The full path of ZIP file to create. If the file already exists, this action adds the new zipped files and/or to the existing ZIP file. If the ZIP file already contains a file or folder with the same name, it overwrites it.
File(s) to zip	No	List of FileSystemObject		The full path of the file(s) or folder(s) to include in the ZIP file
Compression level	N/A	None, Best speed, Best balance of speed and compression, Best compression	Best balance of speed and compression	The level of compression to use. The higher the compression the smaller the file, though it takes longer to create or access
Password	Yes	Direct encrypted input or Text value		The password to use for protecting the ZIP. Leave this attribute blank to create a non password-protected ZIP
Archive comment	Yes	Text value		The comment to include in the ZIP file as a file property

Variables produced

Argument	Type	Description
ZipFile	File	The ZIP file created by this action

Exceptions

Exception	Description
File or folder doesn't exist	Indicates that the specified file or folder doesn't exist
File or folder name is invalid	Indicates that the file or folder name is invalid
Archive already exists but it isn't a valid ZIP archive	Indicates that the archive already exists but it isn't a valid ZIP archive
Failed to zip files	Indicates a problem zipping the files

Unzip files

Uncompress one or more files or folders contained in a ZIP archive.

Input parameters

Argument	Optional	Accepts	Default Value	Description
Archive path	No	File		The full path of a ZIP file to extract
Destination folder	No	Folder		The full path of the folder to extract the archive to. This action overwrites files in the folder with the same name as a file in the archive
Password	Yes	Direct encrypted input or Text value		The password, if any, that is used for this archive. If the ZIP file isn't password-protected, leave this blank
Include mask	Yes	Text value		The filter to limit the files extracted to the files entered here. This parameter allows wild cards, for example '.txt' or 'document?.doc' (without the quotes). To allow multiple file filters, separate the choices with a semi-colon, for instance, '.txt;*.exe'
Exclude mask	Yes	Text value		The filter to limit the files extracted by excluding the file entered here. This parameter allows wild cards, for example, '.txt' or 'document?.doc' (without the quotes). To allow multiple file filters, separate the choices with a semi-colon, for instance, '.txt;*.exe'

Variables produced

This action doesn't produce any variables.

Exceptions

Exception	Description
Can't create destination folder	Indicates that the destination folder couldn't be created
Archive not found	Indicates that the archive doesn't exist
Archive isn't a valid ZIP file	Indicates that the archive isn't a valid ZIP file
Failed to unzip files	Indicates a problem unzipping the files