ZIP Archive Connector

This node creates a file system connection that allows to read the files/folders stored inside a ZIP archive. The resulting file system connection output port allows downstream nodes to read the compressed files from a zip archive file.

Path syntax: Paths for this connector are specified with a UNIX-like syntax such as /myfolder/myfile. An absolute path consists of:

A leading slash ("/").
Followed by the path to the file ("myfolder/myfile" in the above example).

Note: When the ZIP file changes, this node has to be reset and re-executed, otherwise its behavior is undefined, which may result in errors and/or invalid data being read.

Options

Settings

Read from

Select a file system which stores the data you want to read. There are four default file system options to choose from:

Local File System: Allows you to select a file/folder from your local system.
Mountpoint: Allows you to read from a mountpoint. When selected, a new drop-down menu appears to choose the mountpoint. Unconnected mountpoints are greyed out but can still be selected (note that browsing is disabled in this case). Go to the KNIME Explorer and connect to the mountpoint to enable browsing. A mountpoint is displayed in red if it was previously selected but is no longer available. You won't be able to save the dialog as long as you don't select a valid i.e. known mountpoint.
Relative to: Allows you to choose whether to resolve the path relative to the current mountpoint, current workflow or the current workflow's data area. When selected a new drop-down menu appears to choose which of the three options to use.
Custom/KNIME URL: Allows to specify a URL (e.g. file://, http:// or knime:// protocol). When selected, a spinner appears that allows you to specify the desired connection and read timeout in milliseconds. In case it takes longer to connect to the host / read the file, the node fails to execute. Browsing is disabled for this option.

To read from other file systems, click on ... in the bottom left corner of the node icon followed by Add File System Connection port. Afterwards, connect the desired file system connector node to the newly added input port. The file system connection will then be shown in the drop-down menu. It is greyed out if the file system is not connected in which case you have to (re)execute the connector node first. Note: The default file systems listed above can't be selected if a file system is provided via the input port.

Working directory

Specify the working directory of the resulting file system connection, using the Path syntax explained above. The working directory must be specified as an absolute path. A working directory allows downstream nodes to access files/folders using relative paths, i.e. paths that do not have a leading backslash. The default working directory is "\".

Encoding

Use default encoding: If selected, uses a default encoding (currently UTF-8) to read the names of the compressed files in the archive. If you notice that the names of the files in zip archive contain '?' characters, then UTF-8 might be wrong. In this case, uncheck the box and pick the correct encoding, e.g. try CP437 which is used in some ZIP files.
Encoding: Sets the character set/encoding to use when reading the names of the compressed files in the archive. By default, CP437 is chosen, which is used in some ZIP files. You can specify any other encoding supported by Java. Choosing "OS default" uses the default encoding of the Java VM, which may depend on the locale or the Java property "file.encoding".

Input Ports

…: File system that can be used to provide a zip archive file.

Output Ports

: ZIP Archive File System Connection

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Installation

To use this node in KNIME, install the extension KNIME Basic File System Connectors from the below update site following our NodePit Product and Node Installation Guide:

v5.9

A zipped version of the software site can be downloaded here.

Plugin provider: KNIME AG, Zurich, Switzerland

Plugin version: 5.9.0.v202511130854

On NodePit since: 2025-12-11

Last update: 2026-01-05

KNIME versions: Since v4.6

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