Mathematica Import/Export Format

ZIP (.zip)

Registered MIME type: application/zip
Popular data compression and archival format.
Used to reduce storage space and transfer times.
Binary format.
Can contain multiple files.
Supports a variety of compression methods.
Published by Phil Katz in 1989.

Import and Export fully support the ZIP format.

Import and Export can work with general ZIP archives as well as with specific application formats consisting of multiple related files.

IMPORT AND EXPORT

When importing from a ZIP archive that constitutes a supported multi-file Import format, the converter for this format will be used.

Import["file.zip"] gives full path specifications for all files in a general ZIP file.

Export["file.zip", "fn"->expr] exports expr to a file and compresses it as a ZIP archive, inferring the file format from the file extension of "fn".

Export["file.zip", {"fn₁"->expr₁, "fn₂"->expr₂, ...}] exports multiple expressions to a ZIP file archive.

Import["file.zip"] returns an expression of the form {"fn₁", "fn₂", ...}.

Import["file.zip", "fn"] extracts "fn" from the archive and imports it.

Import["file.zip", elem] imports the specified element from a ZIP file.

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

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

Import["file", "ZIP"] or Import["file", {"ZIP", elem, ...}] imports any file as a ZIP archive.

Export["file.zip", expr, elem] creates a ZIP archive by treating expr as specifying element elem.

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

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

Export["file.zip", {elem₁->expr₁, elem₂->expr₂, ...}, "Rules"] uses rules to specify the elements to be exported.

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

ImportString and ExportString support ZIP compression.

ELEMENTS

General Import elements:

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

The following can be used to select or specify individual files in a ZIP archive:

	"FileNames"	list of filenames representing the contents of a ZIP archive
	"filename"	a single file
	"filename","format"	a single file, taken to be in the specified format
	"filename","format", elem	element elem from the specified file

Import by default uses the "FileNames" element for the ZIP format.

Import["file.zip", "fn"] extracts and imports file "fn".

File names can include relative or absolute directory specifications and the abbreviated string patterns supported by StringMatchQ.

Import["file.zip", "*"] imports an entire archive.

Import["file.zip", "dir/*.jpg"] imports all JPEG files from subdirectory dir.

Export["file.zip", {"file₁.gif"->"expr₁", "file₂.txt"->"expr₂"}, "Rules" ]creates a ZIP archive containing a GIF and a Text file.

Export["file", {expr₁, expr₂}, {"ZIP", {{"file₁", "GIF"}, {"file₂", "Text"}}}] is equivalent to the above.