This Python 2.7 module (and stand-alone mini app) shows how to use zlib module to emulate "MS"-ZIP compression in a cabinet. It can span cabinet sets, too!
Actually, a cabinet extractor is not implemented: but take a look at my CabArk C# project.
- PyCabArc.py the main Python module (rev. 0.31)
- _checksum.c source for a PYD providing cabinet checksum calculation
- _checksum.bat simple batch to build the PYD with Visual C++
- README.MD this file
- gpl.txt GPL v2 license file: it applies to this package
A CAB folder's uncompressed stream is processed in 32 KiB blocks (the last one can be smaller).
Each CAB folder gets a new ZSTREAM, with zlib set to emit raw Deflate blocks.
Each block is then compressed with a Z_SYNC_FLUSH deflate call plus a Z_FINISH call (from a cloned compressor object) to mark the end of the ZSTREAM: so the last Deflate sub-block is marked as final but the compression history is saved, like MS spec formally requires (Cabarc 5.2 and the Windows shell, however, can extract a stream built with many Z_SYNC_FLUSH calls and a single Z_FINISH at folder's end).
Since a raw compressed block MUST never exceed 32768+12 bytes, when such a block is found, we emit it uncompressed, requiring exactly 32775 bytes ('CK' + block type 01 + block length 0x8000 + 1 complement 0x7FFF + raw data).
Moreover, it seems that assigning less memory to the zlib deflater (memlevel=6 instead of 8, the default), provides better compression ratio at a reasonable expense of speed.
The generated cabinet will then be successfully extracted by CABARC and other tools supporting cabinet files (Windows Shell, extract, WinZip, WinRAR, cabextract, 7-zip, etc.).
NOTE THAT SOME OF THESE TOOLS REQUIRE CFDATA CHECKSUMS TO WORK PROPERLY!
Current version supports having more folders, even with different compression type. Quantum compression is not supported.
LZX is implemented with the MSCompression library, that actually doesn't work properly.
from PyCabArc import *
cab = Cabinet('a.cab','w') # an optional 3rd argument sets max cabinet size
cab.AddHeader()
cab.AddFolder()
cab.Add('cabarc.doc')
cab.AddWild('C:/Windows/INF/*.*')
cab.AddFolder(0) # specify 0 to store only
cab.AddWild('C:/My Documents/MP3/*.mp3')
cab.Flush()
cab.Close()
Mini app samples:
PyCabArc.py -P * a.cab /usr/python/lib/*.pyo
PyCabArc.py -r -m mszip:1 -d 1400000 -l "INF Cabinet #" infcab#.cab c:\windows\inf
- 05.11.2004 v0.1 single-pass, single-cabinet creator (w/"MS"-ZIP)
- 06.11.2004 v0.1... added command line; experiments with cabinet sets begin
- 19.11.2004 v0.2 cabinet sets work well (at least, I hope!): temporary files are used to store CFDATAs for each cabinet unit
- 20.11.2004 some retouch to last version (and recursion added)
- 21.11.2004 v0.21 introduced new (more efficient) compression technique
- 22.11.2004 v0.22 a few error checks, and other minor additions
- 25.11.2004 v0.23 ability to read an external file list
- 18.07.2005 v0.24 removed bug for compressed blocks > 32780 byte
- 23.07.2005 v0.25 removed item duplication bug
- 09.09.2012 v0.26a LZX experiments with MSCompression.dll
- 11.09.2012 v0.27a changed the -m switch for LZX (similar to MS Cabarc) moved to the logging interface for debugging added compression levels to -m mszip:1..9 added elapsed seconds to statistics
- 12.09.2012 v0.28a if a folder is on the cmdline, adds its files in non-recursive mode gracefully exits if there aren't files to add it won't try anymore to compress 0 length input, nor to write zero CFDATA no more division by 0 error for empty CAB in stats
- 15.09.2012 v0.29 encodes items to UTF-8 as needed gets DOS file perms in Win32 hidden -D switch to explicitly turn DEBUG log on average speed in stats
- 29.10.2012 v.0.30 finally fixed a severe bug with MS-ZIP blocks >32780 bytes converted to dumb add mode (permit duplicated items) reverted zlib to a faster approach in time/ratio/mem balancing
- 01.11.2012 v.0.31 implemented checksum algorithm in pure Python (w/ ctypes)
- 08.01.2013 v.0.32 fixed import of Checksum function implemented an LZX2 class with Jeff's CabLzxDll
- 11.12.2013 v.0.33 works again with -m NONE always marks last CFDATA Deflated sub-block as final