Mathematica Import/Export Format

BZIP2 (.bz2)

MIME type: application/x-bzip2.
BZIP2 compression method and file format.
General-purpose lossless compression method.
Occasionally used for archiving data on Unix systems and for exchanging files on the internet.
Binary format.
Compresses data using a combination of the Burrows-Wheeler transform and Huffman entropy coding.
Stores a single file.
Typically used in combination with TAR.
Developed and maintained by Julian Seward.
Introduced in 1996, released as version 1.0 in 2000.

Import and Export support the BZIP2 format version 1.0.

IMPORT AND EXPORT

Import["file.ext.bz2"] uncompresses and imports a BZIP2 compressed archive.

Export["file.ext.bz2", expr] exports any expression expr to a BZIP2 compressed file whose format is implied by the file name extension .ext.

Import["file.bz2"] uncompresses file.bz2 and imports file, automatically inferring the format from the file contents.

Import["file.bz2", "format"] uncompresses a BZIP2 file and imports it as "format".

Since Mathematica can automatically recognize all common file compression and archive formats, it is never necessary to specify "BZIP2" as a format in the second argument of Import.

Import["file.ext.bz2", elem] imports the specified element from file.ext file.

Import["file.ext.bz2", {elem, sub_a, sub_b, ...}] imports a subelement.

Import["file.ext.bz2", {{elem₁, elem₂, ...}}] imports multiple elements.

The import format can be explicitly specified with Import["file.bz2", {"format", elems₁, elems₂, ...}].

Export["file.ext.bz2", expr, elem] creates a BZIP2 compressed .ext file by treating expr as specifying element elem.

Export["file.ext.bz2", {expr₁, expr₂, ...}, {{elem₁, elem₂, ...}}] treats each expr_i as specifying the corresponding elem_i.

Export["file.ext.bz2", expr, opt₁->val₁, ...] exports expr with the specified option elements taken to have the specified values.

The export format and BZIP2 compression method can be explicitly specified with Export[ "file", exprs, {"BZIP2", "format", elems}].

See the reference pages for full general information on Import and Export.

ImportString and ExportString can handle BZIP2 compressed data.

ELEMENTS

The BZIP2 format itself does not support Import or Export elements.

Import elements of the BZIP2-compressed file:

	"Elements"	elements and options available in this file
	"Rules"	full rules for each element and option
	"Options"	rules for options, properties, and settings

Import["file.ext.bz2", "Elements"] returns the names of elements available in file.ext, effectively unpacking the compressed archive before importing the enclosed file.