My Tar Package Script

A flexible bash script wrapper for tar that simplifies archive creation and extraction with support for multiple compression formats, selective file handling, and skip lists.

Features

🗜️ Multiple Compression Formats: Support for GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, and LZIP
📋 Selective Archiving: Include only specific files/directories using a package list
🚫 Skip List: Exclude files/directories from archiving
📁 Custom Working Directory: Specify source/destination directories
✅ Validation: Comprehensive error checking and validation
🎨 Colored Output: User-friendly colored console output
🧪 Well-Tested: Comprehensive pytest test suite

Installation

Clone or download this repository:

git clone https://github.com/JohnBlue-git/MyTarPackageScript.git
cd MyTarPackageScript

Make the script executable:

chmod +x my_tar.sh

(Optional) Add to your PATH for system-wide access:

sudo ln -s $(pwd)/my_tar.sh /usr/local/bin/my_tar

Usage

Basic Syntax

./my_tar.sh [OPTIONS] <archive.tar>

Command-Line Options

Option	Description	Required	Default
`--mode=MODE`	Operation mode: `create` or `extract`	✅ Yes	-
`--dir=PATH`	Working directory for source/destination	❌ No	Current directory
`--comp=TYPE`	Compression type: `GZ`, `BZ2`, `XZ`, or `LZ`	❌ No	None
`--select=FILE`	Text file with list of files/dirs to include	❌ No	All files
`--skip=FILE`	Text file with list of files/dirs to exclude	❌ No	None
`--help`	Display help message	❌ No	-

Compression Types

Type	Extension	Description	Speed	Ratio
`GZ`	`.tar.gz`	GZIP compression	Fast	Good
`BZ2`	`.tar.bz2`	BZIP2 compression	Medium	Better
`XZ`	`.tar.xz`	XZ compression	Slow	Best
`LZ`	`.tar.lz`	LZIP compression	Medium	Very Good

Examples

1. Create a Simple Archive

Create an uncompressed tar archive of the current directory:

./my_tar.sh --mode=create archive.tar

2. Create with Compression

Create a GZIP compressed archive:

./my_tar.sh --mode=create --comp=GZ archive.tar.gz
# Output: archive.tar.gz

Create with BZIP2 compression:

./my_tar.sh --mode=create --comp=BZ2 archive.tar.bz2
# Output: archive.tar.bz2

3. Extract Archives

Extract an uncompressed archive:

./my_tar.sh --mode=extract archive.tar

Extract a compressed archive:

./my_tar.sh --mode=extract archive.tar.gz

Extract to a specific directory:

./my_tar.sh --dir=/path/to/destination --mode=extract archive.tar.gz

4. Selective Archiving with Package List

Create package_list.txt:

default
develop
release
default.xml
develop.xml
release.xml

Create archive with only selected files:

./my_tar.sh --mode=create --comp=GZ --select=package_list.txt archive.tar.gz

5. Exclude Files with Skip List

Create skip_list.txt:

non_existed.xml
non_existed
*.log
temp/

Create archive excluding specified files:

./my_tar.sh --mode=create --comp=GZ --skip=skip_list.txt archive.tar.gz

6. Combine Select and Skip Lists

Archive only selected files but exclude specific ones:

./my_tar.sh --mode=create --comp=XZ \
    --select=package_list.txt \
    --skip=skip_list.txt \
    archive.tar

7. Custom Working Directory

Archive from a specific directory:

./my_tar.sh --dir=/path/to/source --mode=create --comp=GZ archive.tar.gz

Extract to a specific directory:

./my_tar.sh --dir=/path/to/destination --mode=extract archive.tar.gz

8. Complete Example

# Create a compressed archive from /data/project
# Include only files listed in package_list.txt
# Exclude files listed in skip_list.txt
./my_tar.sh \
    --dir=/data/project \
    --mode=create \
    --comp=XZ \
    --select=package_list.txt \
    --skip=skip_list.txt \
    backup_2026.tar.xz

Configuration Files

Package List Format

The package list file (--select) contains file and directory names to include, one per line:

# Files
default.xml
develop.xml
release.xml

# Directories
default
develop
release

# Patterns (if your implementation supports wildcards)
*.conf
config/

Skip List Format

The skip list file (--skip) contains file and directory names to exclude, one per line:

# Specific files
debug.log
temp.txt

# Directories
temp/
cache/
node_modules/

# Patterns
*.tmp
*.bak
.git/

Notes on List Files

Lines starting with # are treated as comments (if your script supports it)
Empty lines are ignored
File/directory names are relative to the working directory
Non-existent files in skip list are safely ignored

Testing

This project includes a comprehensive pytest test suite to ensure reliability.

Setup Testing Environment

Install Python 3 (if not already installed)
Install test dependencies:

pip install -r requirements-test.txt

Or install manually:

pip install pytest pytest-cov pytest-xdist

Running Tests

Quick Start with run_tests.sh

The easiest way to run tests is using the provided test runner script:

# Make it executable first (one time only)
chmod +x run_tests.sh

# Run tests
./run_tests.sh

This script will:

✅ Check if pytest is installed
📦 Automatically install test dependencies if needed (from requirements-test.txt)
🔧 Make my_tar.sh executable if needed
🧪 Run all tests with verbose output
✨ Display colored, formatted results
📊 Show pass/fail summary

Example output:

======================================
My Tar Package Script - Test Runner
======================================

🧪 Running tests...

tests/test_my_tar.py::TestMyTar::test_script_exists PASSED
tests/test_my_tar.py::TestMyTar::test_create_simple_archive PASSED
...
18 passed in 0.67s

✅ All tests passed!

Manual Test Execution

Run all tests:

pytest

Run with verbose output:

pytest -v

Run with coverage report:

pytest --cov=. --cov-report=html --cov-report=term

Run specific test:

pytest tests/test_my_tar.py::TestMyTar::test_create_simple_archive -v

Run tests in parallel (faster):

pytest -n auto

Test Coverage

The test suite covers:

✅ Archive creation (compressed and uncompressed)
✅ Archive extraction (compressed and uncompressed)
✅ All compression formats (GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZ)
✅ Selective file inclusion with --select
✅ File exclusion with --skip
✅ Combined select and skip lists
✅ Custom working directories with --dir parameter
✅ Error handling (invalid parameters, missing files)
✅ Edge cases (empty lists, non-existent files)

Note: Tests use the existing ./files/ directory structure to ensure real-world functionality. The directory contains:

default/, develop/, release/ directories
default.xml, develop.xml, release.xml files
Matches the structure defined in package_list.txt

Requirements

System Requirements

Bash: Version 4.0 or higher
tar: GNU tar (usually pre-installed on Linux)
Compression Tools (optional, for compression support):
- gzip - for GZ compression
- bzip2 - for BZ2 compression
- xz - for XZ compression
- lzip - for LZ compression

Install Compression Tools

On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get install gzip bzip2 xz-utils lzip

On CentOS/RHEL:

sudo yum install gzip bzip2 xz lzip

On macOS:

brew install gzip bzip2 xz lzip

Python Requirements (for testing)

Python 3.7 or higher
pytest >= 7.0.0
pytest-cov >= 4.0.0 (optional, for coverage)
pytest-xdist >= 3.0.0 (optional, for parallel testing)

Basic Tar Usage Reference

This section provides a quick reference for native tar commands. The my_tar.sh script wraps these commands to provide a simpler, more consistent interface.

Basic Archive Operations

Uncompressed Tar

# Create archive
tar -cpvf archive.tar file1 file2 directory/

# Extract archive
tar -xpvf archive.tar

Flags:

-c = create archive
-x = extract archive
-p = preserve permissions
-v = verbose output
-f = specify filename

Compressed Archives

Gzip Compression (.tar.gz)

# Create compressed archive
tar -cpzvf archive.tar.gz file1 file2 directory/

# Extract compressed archive
tar -xpzvf archive.tar.gz

Additional flag: -z = gzip compression

Bzip2 Compression (.tar.bz2)

# Create compressed archive
tar -cpjvf archive.tar.bz2 file1 file2 directory/

# Extract compressed archive
tar -xpjvf archive.tar.bz2

Additional flag: -j = bzip2 compression

XZ Compression (.tar.xz)

# Create compressed archive
tar -cpJvf archive.tar.xz file1 file2 directory/

# Extract compressed archive
tar -xpJvf archive.tar.xz

Additional flag: -J = xz compression

Lzip Compression (.tar.lz)

# Create compressed archive
tar -cpvf --lzip archive.tar.lz file1 file2 directory/

# Extract compressed archive
tar -xpvf --lzip archive.tar.lz

Additional flag: --lzip = lzip compression

Working with Directories

Specify source and destination directories:

# Create archive from specific directory
tar -C /source/directory -cpvf backup.tar project/ report.txt

# Extract to specific directory
tar -C /output/directory -xpvf archive.tar

Additional flag: -C = change to directory

Selective File Inclusion

Include only files listed in a text file:

# Create archive with file list
tar -cpvf archive.tar -T package_list.txt --ignore-failed-read

Additional flags:

-T = read file list from file
--ignore-failed-read = continue if files don't exist

Example package_list.txt:

default
develop
release
default.xml
develop.xml
release.xml

Excluding Files

Exclude specific files or patterns:

# Exclude single file
tar -cpvf archive.tar --exclude='non_existed.xml' .

# Exclude multiple files
tar -cpvf archive.tar --exclude='non_existed.xml' --exclude='non_existed' .

# Exclude using brace expansion (bash)
tar -cpvf archive.tar --exclude={'non_existed.xml','non_existed'} .

# Exclude patterns
tar -cpvf archive.tar --exclude='*.log' --exclude='temp/*' .

Additional flag: --exclude=PATTERN = exclude files matching pattern

My Tar Script vs Native Tar

The my_tar.sh script provides several advantages over native tar:

Feature	Native Tar	my_tar.sh
Compression auto-detection	Manual flags	Automatic from extension
Skip list file	Multiple `--exclude`	Single `--skip=file.txt`
Select list file	`-T` with specific syntax	Simple `--select=file.txt`
Working directory	`-C` flag (can be confusing)	Clear `--dir=PATH`
Error handling	Basic	Comprehensive validation
User feedback	Minimal	Colored, informative output

Example comparison:

Native tar:

cd /source/directory
tar -cpzvf /output/archive.tar.gz -T package_list.txt --exclude='debug.log' .

my_tar.sh:

./my_tar.sh --dir=/source/directory --mode=create --comp=GZ \
    --select=package_list.txt --skip=skip_list.txt \
    /output/archive.tar

Common Tar Options

Option	Description
`-c`	Create a new archive
`-x`	Extract files from archive
`-t`	List archive contents
`-v`	Verbose output
`-f FILE`	Use archive file
`-p`	Preserve permissions
`-z`	Gzip compression
`-j`	Bzip2 compression
`-J`	XZ compression
`--lzip`	Lzip compression
`-C DIR`	Change to directory
`-T FILE`	Get names to extract/create from file
`--exclude=PATTERN`	Exclude files matching pattern
`--ignore-failed-read`	Don't exit on unreadable files

Project Structure

MyTarPackageScript/
├── my_tar.sh              # Main script
├── package_list.txt       # Example package list
├── skip_list.txt          # Example skip list
├── README.md              # This file
├── requirements-test.txt  # Test dependencies
├── pytest.ini             # Pytest configuration
├── files/                 # Example files directory
│   ├── default.xml
│   ├── develop.xml
│   ├── release.xml
│   ├── default/
│   ├── develop/
│   └── release/
└── tests/                 # Test suite
    ├── conftest.py        # Pytest configuration
    └── test_my_tar.py     # Main test file

Acknowledgments

Built on top of GNU tar
Inspired by common backup and archiving needs
Test suite powered by pytest

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
files		files
tests		tests
.gitignore		.gitignore
README.md		README.md
my_tar.sh		my_tar.sh
package_list.txt		package_list.txt
pytest.ini		pytest.ini
requirements-test.txt		requirements-test.txt
run_tests.sh		run_tests.sh
skip_list.txt		skip_list.txt

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