Compress Files/Folder

Options

Read from

Select a file system from which you want to choose files/folders which should be added to an archive. There are four default file system options to choose from:

• Local File System: Allows you to pack an archive with files/folder from your local system.
• Mountpoint: Allows you to pack an archive with files/folder from a mountpoint. When selected, a new drop-down menu appears to choose the mountpoint. Unconnected mountpoints are grayed 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 of files/folder that should be packed to an archive 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 write timeout in milliseconds. In case it takes longer to connect to the host / write 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 ports and Source file system connection. 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 grayed 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.

Mode

Select whether you want to add single file, a folder or multiple files in a folder to an archive. When reading files in a folder, you can set filters to specify which files and subfolders to include (see below).

Filter options

Only displayed if the mode Files in folder is selected. Allows to specify which files should be included according to their file extension and/or name. It is also possible to include hidden files. The folder filter options enable you to specify which folders should be included based on their name and hidden status. Note that the folders themselves will not be included, only the files they contain.

Include subfolders

If this option is checked, the node will include all files from subfolders that satisfy the specified filter options. If left unchecked, only the files in the selected folder will be included and all files from subfolders are ignored.

File, Folder or URL

Enter a URL when reading from Custom/KNIME URL, otherwise enter a path to a file or folder. The required syntax of a path depends on the chosen file system, such as "C:\path\to\file" (Local File System on Windows) or "/path/to/file" (Local File System on Linux/MacOS and Mountpoint). For file systems connected via input port, the node description of the respective connector node describes the required path format. You can also choose a previously selected folder from the drop-down list, or select a location from the "Browse..." dialog. Note that browsing is disabled in some cases:

• Custom/KNIME URL: Browsing is always disabled.
• Mountpoint: Browsing is disabled if the selected mountpoint isn't connected. Go to the KNIME Explorer and connect to the mountpoint to enable browsing.
• File systems provided via input port: Browsing is disabled if the connector node hasn't been executed since the workflow has been opened. (Re)execute the connector node to enable browsing.

The location can be exposed as or automatically set via a path flow variable.

Write to

Select a file system on which you want to save your archive file. There are four default file system options to choose from:

• Local File System: Allows you to select a folder on your local system.
• Mountpoint: Allows you to write to 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 write timeout in milliseconds. In case it takes longer to connect to the host / write the file, the node fails to execute. Browsing is disabled for this option.

It is possible to use other file systems with this node. Therefore, you have to enable the file system connection input port of this node by clicking the ... in the bottom left corner of the node's icon and choose Add ports followed by Destination file system connection .
Afterwards, you can simply connect the desired connector node to this node. The file system connection will then be shown in the drop-down menu. It is grayed 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.

File

Enter a valid path where the created archive should get saved. The required syntax of a path depends on the chosen file system, such as "C:\path\to\file" (Local File System on Windows) or "/path/to/file" (Local File System on Linux/MacOS and Mountpoint). For file systems connected via input port, the node description of the respective connector node describes the required path format. You can also choose a previously selected folder from the drop-down list, or select a location from the "Browse..." dialog. Note that browsing is disabled in some cases:

• Custom/KNIME URL: Browsing is always disabled.
• Mountpoint: Browsing is disabled if the selected mountpoint isn't connected. Go to the KNIME Explorer and connect to the mountpoint to enable browsing.
• File systems provided via input port: Browsing is disabled if the connector node hasn't been executed since the workflow has been opened. (Re)execute the connector node to enable browsing.

The location can be exposed as or automatically set via a path flow variable.

Create missing folders

Select if the folders of the selected output location should be created if they do not already exist. If this option is unchecked, the node will fail if a folder does not exist.

If exists

Specify the behavior of the node in case the output file already exists.

• Overwrite: Will replace any existing file.
• Ignore: Will ignore existing files
• Fail: Will issue an error during the node's execution (to prevent unintentional overwrite).

Compression

Allows to selected the desired compression.

Include selected source folder

If this option is selected, a folder with the name of the last part of the selected path will get included in the archive, otherwise only the contents of the specified folder will get included in the archive. This option does not work if only a single file should get packed into an archive or if the selected folder path ends with .. or .. If it is not possible to include the source folder the dialog will show you an error message and the node will fail during execution.

Flatten hierarchy

This option allows to specify where the files are located if multiple files have to be compressed. If checked all files are compressed to the same folder, otherwise the archive will contain also the folder containing the files. Note: If the hierarchy gets flattened it might occur that two files with the very same name end up in the same location. In this case the execution will fail.

Workflows

• CompressChunks (KNIME Hub) 
• kn_​005_​backup_​workflow (KNIME Hub) 
• kn_​005_​backup_​workflow_​looped (KNIME Hub) 
• kn_​example_​uri_​url_​path_​more_​fun_​with (KNIME Hub) 

Installation

To use this node in KNIME, install KNIME Base nodes from the following update site:

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

You don't know what to do with this link? Read our NodePit Product and Node Installation Guide that explains you in detail how to install nodes to your KNIME Analytics Platform.

Developers

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