Full support for zip and rar files

Ideas for improvements and requests for new features in XnView MP

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osiris2258
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:18 pm

Full support for zip and rar files

Post by osiris2258 »

The behavior of zip and rar files as no different than folders is the one and only reason I am still using ACDSee. In ACDSee, a zip or rar is 100% identical to a regular folder for the purpose of browsing. Editing the files inside works differently (mostly, you can't, although in the newer versions they have gotten some features to work), but I am not concerned with this. What I need to be able to do is browse around these files with all features enabled, such as being able to go to the next and previous file, use a slideshow, and other strictly viewing oriented functions. Many things are distributed as large numbers of image files inside a zip or rar file so as to distribute a single file instead of a large number of separate files, and not being able to view these types of pseudo-folders is an extremely large problem, since about 80% of what I use a program like XnView to look at is in this format.

The way the archive add-on for XnView currently works is in no way shape or form a suitable or useful replacement for the way ACDSee handles these files. The lack of ability to use standard methods for moving around inside these files is crippling. Only when they are treated exactly the same way as folders, natively or via an add-on, will XnView be usable as my full time image software.
jharper
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:26 pm

Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by jharper »

+1
This would be great.
wdw89
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2014 11:54 am

Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by wdw89 »

I also want this feature for a long time.
typhoon71
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2013 7:51 am

Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by typhoon71 »

I'd like to have this implemented too.
Right now XnView is nearly perfect for my needs, but the support for archives is not as good as I'd like it. Virtual folders for archives, like seens in acdsee, would make it fully perfect.
What we ask is the ability to browse like they were folders, with no different behaviour at all, not editing abilities (for me not of primary interest).
Right now one has to unzip all fiarchives in separate folders, which is inefficient, and no good for backups or data desaster scenario.
A builtin virtual archive directory support would really be a improvement for XnView, not just eyecandy (there's our pics for that ;)...
midomoi
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 31, 2014 5:57 am

Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by midomoi »

+1 for this.
I hope this will get more attention in the near term.
Thumbs up :wink:
osiris2258
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:18 pm

Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by osiris2258 »

I continue to be unable to use XN View because this functionality is missing. I have hundreds, if not thousands, of files that I go through in the average year, as well as huge numbers of saved files, that simply cannot be worked with using XN View because they are large numbers of images and scanned pages distributed via zips or rars. I would really like to be able to leave ACDSee behind, but without this capability, it is simply not practical.
Marsu42
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 6:55 am

Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by Marsu42 »

Btw this would xnview also a very suitable viewer for .cbr and .cbz ebooks that are simply an archive of scanned images.
obelisk
Posts: 464
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:54 am

Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by obelisk »

Would not bother. XnView is a viewer, not a handler of everything in the world. Nobody stores jpgs in a zip/rar because it ends up 99-101% of original size. What do you expect XV to do when you edit a file that's in a rar? Just because ACDSee is a bloated poc doesn't mean everything else has to copy it.
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XnTriq
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Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by XnTriq »

obelisk wrote:Nobody stores jpgs in a zip/rar because it ends up 99-101% of original size.
Dropbox, Gallery2/Gallery3, jAlbum, Photobucket, Picasa, SmugMug, Snapfish, TYPO3, ASOASF
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JohnFredC
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Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by JohnFredC »

IMO there is a convenience associated with using ZIP (or other compression-based archiver) to package a group of images, esp. for non-technical users.

Even if the size of the archive > the sum of the image sizes (frequent case when packing jpgs, for instance), not everyone is (or needs to be) concerned about the size of the archive.
John
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XnTriq
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Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by XnTriq »

Marsu42 wrote:Btw this would xnview also a very suitable viewer for .cbr and .cbz ebooks that are simply an archive of scanned images.
You can tell XnView Classic to treat files with certain extensions as text by editing xnview.ini:

Code: Select all

TxtExt=txt c c++ cc h cpp pas js css php ini
I'd like to have the same functionality for archive formats:

Code: Select all

7zExt=cb7
CabExt=
RarExt=cbr
ZipExt=cbz curxptheme docx jar oxps potx pptx svgz wmz xlsx xpi xps
TarExt=cbt
osiris2258
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:18 pm

Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by osiris2258 »

First of all, as was pointed out, this is the standard format for distributing digital comics, so saying no one uses it is grossly inaccurate. Also as was pointed out, the reason for this is not size, it is convenience. Instead of keeping tack of 100 individual image files, you keep track of a single zip. Not just for comic books, but for many people, like myself, who work with nontechnical individuals, this is how large groups of image files are distributed. I need to be work with these to do my job.

Before you say "why not just unzip them?", it's because I have to vet files and do what I need to do (none of which requires unzipping) and pass the relevant ones on to the clients or the next relevant person in this format and without alteration. In many cases, if the files contain scanned legal documents, I am not able to unzip the files because it renders them useless (because this changes the access or modified date and thus the legal standing date of the files).

My point is, this is neither an obscure case nor a case of simple convenience (Although it certainly is that too). This is an absolutely indispensable capability for me, and a very useful capability for many others. I am stuck with the only software I know of that can do this (ACDSEE),no matter how much I hate it and love XnView otherwise, so long as XnView doesn't do this.
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Peter2
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Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by Peter2 »

obelisk wrote:...Nobody stores jpgs in a zip/rar because it ends up 99-101% of original size....
Besides the packaging of files mentioned above you can use ZIP for Email - it keeps its filedate and other data when downloading and it does not integrate in the mail body. You can save similar files (same filename) in different ZIPs (like folder).

Sometimes it is rather useful to use ZIPs...
XnViewMP 1.6.5 German, XnConvert 1.99, Win 10
flink
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2015 6:56 pm

Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by flink »

obelisk wrote:Would not bother. XnView is a viewer, not a handler of everything in the world. Nobody stores jpgs in a zip/rar because it ends up 99-101% of original size. What do you expect XV to do when you edit a file that's in a rar? Just because ACDSee is a bloated poc doesn't mean everything else has to copy it.

Have you ever heard of USENET (aka, "News Groups" [Not google groups])? 99% of images are distributed via USENET are held in a compressed-file container. Whether or not any actual compression occurred is not relevant. Compression programs can store the files without compression, which might not be something you're familiar with if you are not old enough to remember using DOS or you are not a Linux user.
osiris2258
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:18 pm

Re: Full support for zip and rar files

Post by osiris2258 »

flink wrote:Have you ever heard of USENET (aka, "News Groups" [Not google groups])? 99% of images are distributed via USENET are held in a compressed-file container. Whether or not any actual compression occurred is not relevant. Compression programs can store the files without compression, which might not be something you're familiar with if you are not old enough to remember using DOS or you are not a Linux user.
There are many places where this functionality is needed. It is essential to my use of the software. I cannot use xnview as a replacement for ACDSee without this feature, so unless and until it is added I am stuck, and I really don't want to be stuck.
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