ZIP File Information

ZIP files, or ZIP archives, are files that contain one or more other files that are stored inside of the ZIP. The files inside of ZIP files are typically stored in a compressed form that reduces the size of the original file(s) to save on amount of disk space needed. Search and Replace is able to search through ZIP files created using the PKZIP standard.

Important Note:

ZIP functionality is only available for Searches. To do replacements on files inside of ZIP files, extract the files to a temporary path using a ZIP utility such as our Directory Toolkit and then re-archive when you are finished. Also note that while you may use the context viewer on search results in ZIPs, edits you make via the context viewer will not be saved back to the original ZIP.

To enable ZIP searches, click on the ‘Search ZIPs’ button or use the Flags Menu. When enabled, all ZIP files created with PKZIP or compatible utilities present in the search path(s) will be examined and any files meeting file mask and filter criteria are temporarily extracted to the extract path specified under Search Options and searched.

Additional Notes:

  • Do not specify ‘*.zip’ in the file mask field to search ZIP files. Enabling ZIP search mode automatically searches files ending with the .zip file name extension will be searched. The file mask does apply to files inside the .zip. For example, if your mask is *.txt, only .txt files in your zip(s) will be searched.

  • Searching ZIP files requires extra processing and may slow down your search so you may wish to turn if off when you do not need it.

  • Search and Replace does not search “password” encrypted files in ZIP files, e.g., files stored with the PKZIP -s switch.

About ZIP Functions