Need to extract batch of .lha archives into folders

Foebane · 01 February 2018, 08:59

On ClassicWB, how do I extract a whole folder of .lha archives (and sometimes .lzh archives) into a target folder, so that the contents of each archive are in a folder named after the archive? I would prefer to use the Shell, but I don't know the switches used.

I emulate ClassicWB with WinUAE and could extract the files easily on the Windows side, but I've found issues with character code pages when I do it that way.

malko · 01 February 2018, 09:38

I remember it's not difficult at all but it's a long time I did not wrote a script on the Amiga (startup-sequence excluded

).
Have a look here for a first step.

thomas · 01 February 2018, 09:45

Code:

list #?.lha lformat="lha x %n %m/" >ram:script
execute ram:script

Foebane · 01 February 2018, 09:53

I recently took a whole bunch of .lha archives and extracted them into folders with 7-Zip on the Windows side, then simply ran WinUAE and copied them over onto Amiga hard drives. There's no real harm in doing it that way, if the characters are plain ASCII 32-127, right?

I had trouble with a few of them that used specialised characters in the filenames in the contents that showed up one way in Windows and entirely differently on Amiga, and once transferred to Amiga, those files disappeared.

I'm really after a simple solution: extract on Windows and only extract (with DOpus) on Amiga IF this ASCII problem occurs.

It seems the only thing I have to do is to download the .lhas again and scrutinise the filenames in the contents, looking for unusual characters.

Foebane · 01 February 2018, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomas

Code:

list #?.lha lformat="lha x %n %m/" >ram:script
execute ram:script

I think I see how that works, Thomas. Does LHA work with .lzx's too? Can I simply replace #?.lha with #?.lzx ?

Daedalus · 01 February 2018, 10:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foebane

I'm really after a simple solution: extract on Windows and only extract (with DOpus) on Amiga IF this ASCII problem occurs.

You've also got another issue to contend with in that approach - you're losing all your Amiga file attributes as soon as you unpack them on a foreign filesystem. Most software will probably be fine without them, but some software might make use of the protection bits, comments etc., and will have problems if they're missing.

The Shell commands posted by thomas look like they're just what you need to extract all the archives on the Amiga side - that's the approach I would recommend.

Foebane · 01 February 2018, 10:18

They're only Demoscene prods, Daedalus, I doubt the attributes would make much difference.

Besides, a lot of the files I download are .exes and uncompressed anyway, and those attributes are already lost.

meynaf · 01 February 2018, 10:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foebane

I think I see how that works, Thomas. Does LHA work with .lzx's too? Can I simply replace #?.lha with #?.lzx ?

LHA does not work with LZX archives, it's the other way around : LZX can extract LHA.
If you want to extract both with a single command, you can do it this way :

Code:

list #?.(lha|lzx) lformat="lzx x %n %m/" >ram:script
execute ram:script

DamienD · 01 February 2018, 10:53

As others have said; I always extract .LHZ / .LHA archives inside Amiga emulation and not via Windows...

Specialised characters, spaces etc. and also loosing protection bits, comments etc.

Foebane · 01 February 2018, 11:32

I tried it this way:

Downloaded the archives in Windows (from Chrome) and then moved them from Downloads folder to a folder named "X" for temporary files. WinUAE configurations point to "X" as a hard drive on the Amiga side. On the Amiga, ran the script on X drive and then moved all extracted folders over to target drive (.vhd file).

I think this works best, as the archives are extracted on the Amiga side. I've already "reinstalled" the files on one of my drives this way. It was a bit more long-winded, but I think it's more "authentic", somehow. I just need practice on DOpus and Shell. It's been way too long.

malko · 01 February 2018, 11:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foebane

I tried it this way:
Downloaded the archives in Windows (from Chrome) and then moved them from Downloads folder to a folder named "X" for temporary files. WinUAE configurations point to "X" as a hard drive on the Amiga side. On the Amiga, ran the script on X drive and then moved all extracted folders over to target drive (.vhd file).

As I understand "X" is a Windows FS (FAT or NTFS).
I advise you NOT to extracting your files in a non Amiga FS. When you extract your files you should directly extract them on the .vhd (Amiga FS formatted) drive.

DamienD · 01 February 2018, 11:51

Don't worry malko; you'll get to know Foebane...

He'll ask a lot of questions, get good / solid advise from people and then still do things his own way

Foebane · 01 February 2018, 12:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by malko

As I understand "X" is a Windows FS (FAT or NTFS).
I advise you NOT to extracting your files in a non Amiga FS. When you extract your files you should directly extract them on the .vhd (Amiga FS formatted) drive.

Damn, I was afraid of that.

OK, so if I'm in the X drive with the archives, and I would like to extract them straight to, say, "Demos" in the .vhd, then do I modify Thomas' script to say the following?

Code:

list #?.lha lformat="lha x %n demos:%m/" >ram:script
execute ram:script

I think that's it, but what about a device name with spaces in it, like "Demos A-F"? Will this work?

Code:

list #?.lha lformat="lha x %n demos a-f:%m/" >ram:script
execute ram:script

Quote:

He'll ask a lot of questions, get good / solid advise from people and then still do things his own way

Contrary to what I normally do, DamienD, I'd like to follow through this time and do things properly on the Amiga platform. Heck, if I could, I would download the files totally on the Amiga side, but I have no idea if my html file with links, or the websites I use, will work there.

idrougge · 01 February 2018, 12:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by malko

As I understand "X" is a Windows FS (FAT or NTFS).
I advise you NOT to extracting your files in a non Amiga FS. When you extract your files you should directly extract them on the .vhd (Amiga FS formatted) drive.

Actually, UAE tends to take care of that. As long as you do all your file operations inside the emulated Amiga, the exact storage of the files doesn't matter since UAE adds Amiga-specific attributes to special files or special fields in the Windows filesystem.

malko · 01 February 2018, 14:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamienD

Don't worry malko; you'll get to know Foebane...
He'll ask a lot of questions, get good / solid advise from people and then still do things his own way

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foebane

[...] but what about a device name with spaces in it, like "Demos A-F"? Will this work?

Code:

list #?.lha lformat="lha x %n demos a-f:%m/" >ram:script
execute ram:script

As you have guessed, you have to change the command and then will have to escape the quotation marks surrounding the device/folder name. Maybe this link can be of any help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by idrougge

Actually, UAE tends to take care of that. As long as you do all your file operations inside the emulated Amiga, the exact storage of the files doesn't matter since UAE adds Amiga-specific attributes to special files or special fields in the Windows filesystem.

Yes, correct. Nevertheless, I would personally avoid it if there is another choice

.
@Foebane if not already red, you have a good explanation here (Using Directory Hard Drive part).

Foebane · 01 February 2018, 19:41

I have spent an hour on this problem, and I think I've come up with a good way to automate the extraction from archives in X to the .vhd, and to copy folders containing exe files directly to the .vhd too. I just specify the final names I would like them to have on the Windows side, then run this:

Code:

x:
list #?.lha lformat="lha x *"%n*" *"demos:%m/*"" >xarc
list dirs lformat="copy *"%n*" to *"demos:%n*" all" >xfol
execute xarc
execute xfol

I settled for .lha as they're practically the only archives I've found for Amiga, the .lzx's are rarer. I can always add a second line for lzx's when they come up.

EDIT: Changed the script as only folder contents were being copied, rather than the folders themselves.

malko · 01 February 2018, 22:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foebane

I have spent an hour on this problem, and I think I've come up with a good way to automate the extraction from archives in X to the .vhd [...].

If you want you may add a "-a" in your lha command. I let you check the help file included with lha for the meaning of this option

DamienD · 01 February 2018, 22:28

...or display the syntax via Shell / CLI and then:

<program> ?

Foebane · 02 February 2018, 01:23

Eh?

EDIT: Never mind this response, I was out of it last night and not thinking straight.

DamienD · 02 February 2018, 09:19

01 February 2018, 08:59	#1
Foebane Banned Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cardiff, UK Age: 51 Posts: 2,871	Need to extract batch of .lha archives into folders On ClassicWB, how do I extract a whole folder of .lha archives (and sometimes .lzh archives) into a target folder, so that the contents of each archive are in a folder named after the archive? I would prefer to use the Shell, but I don't know the switches used. I emulate ClassicWB with WinUAE and could extract the files easily on the Windows side, but I've found issues with character code pages when I do it that way.

01 February 2018, 09:45	#3
thomas Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Germany Posts: 6,985	Code: list #?.lha lformat="lha x %n %m/" >ram:script execute ram:script

01 February 2018, 11:32	#10
Foebane Banned Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cardiff, UK Age: 51 Posts: 2,871	I tried it this way: Downloaded the archives in Windows (from Chrome) and then moved them from Downloads folder to a folder named "X" for temporary files. WinUAE configurations point to "X" as a hard drive on the Amiga side. On the Amiga, ran the script on X drive and then moved all extracted folders over to target drive (.vhd file). I think this works best, as the archives are extracted on the Amiga side. I've already "reinstalled" the files on one of my drives this way. It was a bit more long-winded, but I think it's more "authentic", somehow. I just need practice on DOpus and Shell. It's been way too long. Last edited by Foebane; 06 March 2018 at 15:18.

01 February 2018, 19:41	#16
Foebane Banned Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cardiff, UK Age: 51 Posts: 2,871	I have spent an hour on this problem, and I think I've come up with a good way to automate the extraction from archives in X to the .vhd, and to copy folders containing exe files directly to the .vhd too. I just specify the final names I would like them to have on the Windows side, then run this: Code: x: list #?.lha lformat="lha x "%n" "demos:%m/"" >xarc list dirs lformat="copy "%n" to "demos:%n" all" >xfol execute xarc execute xfol I settled for .lha as they're practically the only archives I've found for Amiga, the .lzx's are rarer. I can always add a second line for lzx's when they come up. EDIT: Changed the script as only folder contents were being copied, rather than the folders themselves. Last edited by Foebane; 01 February 2018 at 21:26.

02 February 2018, 01:23	#19
Foebane Banned Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cardiff, UK Age: 51 Posts: 2,871	Eh? EDIT: Never mind this response, I was out of it last night and not thinking straight. Last edited by Foebane; 02 February 2018 at 12:00.

01 February 2018, 09:38	#2
malko Ex nihilo nihil Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: CH Posts: 4,856	I remember it's not difficult at all but it's a long time I did not wrote a script on the Amiga (startup-sequence excluded ). Have a look here for a first step.

01 February 2018, 09:53	#4
Foebane Banned Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cardiff, UK Age: 51 Posts: 2,871	I recently took a whole bunch of .lha archives and extracted them into folders with 7-Zip on the Windows side, then simply ran WinUAE and copied them over onto Amiga hard drives. There's no real harm in doing it that way, if the characters are plain ASCII 32-127, right? I had trouble with a few of them that used specialised characters in the filenames in the contents that showed up one way in Windows and entirely differently on Amiga, and once transferred to Amiga, those files disappeared. I'm really after a simple solution: extract on Windows and only extract (with DOpus) on Amiga IF this ASCII problem occurs. It seems the only thing I have to do is to download the .lhas again and scrutinise the filenames in the contents, looking for unusual characters.

01 February 2018, 10:18	#7
Foebane Banned Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cardiff, UK Age: 51 Posts: 2,871	They're only Demoscene prods, Daedalus, I doubt the attributes would make much difference. Besides, a lot of the files I download are .exes and uncompressed anyway, and those attributes are already lost.

01 February 2018, 10:53	#9
DamienD Banned Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London / Sydney Age: 47 Posts: 20,420	As others have said; I always extract .LHZ / .LHA archives inside Amiga emulation and not via Windows... Specialised characters, spaces etc. and also loosing protection bits, comments etc.

01 February 2018, 11:51	#12
DamienD Banned Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London / Sydney Age: 47 Posts: 20,420	Don't worry malko; you'll get to know Foebane... He'll ask a lot of questions, get good / solid advise from people and then still do things his own way

01 February 2018, 22:28	#18
DamienD Banned Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London / Sydney Age: 47 Posts: 20,420	...or display the syntax via Shell / CLI and then: <program> ?

02 February 2018, 09:19	#20
DamienD Banned Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London / Sydney Age: 47 Posts: 20,420

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