Making a folder compressed

[Pavel]

Hello.

I am trying to make a folder compressed and failing miserably. Below
are three ways that I tried to make it compressed, all of them compile
and run w/o any problems, but the folder is still not-compressed.
(using NTFS, win2k)

// some folder
string path = @"C:\TEMP\";

// try #1
File.SetAttributes(path, FileAttributes.Compressed);

// try #2
File.SetAttributes(path, File.GetAttributes(path) |
FileAttributes.Compressed);

// try #3
DirectoryInfo di = new DirectoryInfo(path);
di.Attributes = di.Attributes | FileAttributes.Compressed;

What am I doing wrong?
(I did not work before with the FlagsAttribute enums, so I could be
doing something completely wrong, but I tried to find how to do it, and
those seem to be the proper ways)

Thanks,

Pavel

 

[Willy Denoyette [MVP]]

Hello.

I am trying to make a folder compressed and failing miserably. Below
are three ways that I tried to make it compressed, all of them compile
and run w/o any problems, but the folder is still not-compressed.
(using NTFS, win2k)

// some folder
string path = @"C:\TEMP\";

// try #1
File.SetAttributes(path, FileAttributes.Compressed);

// try #2
File.SetAttributes(path, File.GetAttributes(path) |
FileAttributes.Compressed);

// try #3
DirectoryInfo di = new DirectoryInfo(path);
di.Attributes = di.Attributes | FileAttributes.Compressed;

What am I doing wrong?

Nothing, you can't set this attribute using Directory.Attributes you can
only get the attribute.
The documentation should indicate which attributes can be set and which
cannot but fails to do so.
Here are those that can't be set.
Directory, Encrypted, Compressed, ReparsePoint, SparseFile, OffLine and
Temporary.
All others can be set.

You can use the System.Management and the WMI class win32_directory to
compress a folder.

string dirName = "c:\\\\someFolder";
string objPath = "Win32_Directory.Name=" + "\"" + dirName + "\"";
using (ManagementObject dir= new ManagementObject(objPath))
{
ManagementBaseObject outParams = dir.InvokeMethod("Compress", null,
null);
uint ret = (uint)(outParams.Properties["ReturnValue"].Value);
if(ret == 0)
Console.WriteLine("Success");
else Console.WriteLine("Failed with error code: {0}", ret);
}

Willy.

 

[Dan Bass]

I believe you cannot set a file attribute to be compressed, it's a property
that is readonly. For example, a text file would not be compressed, where as
a Zip file would be.

If you want to compress code, then you have to manually zip it up, then
remove the folder.

See this: http://www.icsharpcode.net/OpenSource/SharpZipLib/Default.aspx

Good luck.
Dan.

 

[Pavel]

Thanx for your reply Willy. The code worked for me, I am currently
running a test to see whether there is a benefit (for my program) to
compress the folder.

pavel

 

[Willy Denoyette [MVP]]

Well, you can always un-compress using the uncompress command:

ManagementBaseObject outParams = dir.InvokeMethod("Uncompress", null,
null);

Willy.