ARK version 2.6.4 Mini Howto for linux. (I am using ubuntu 7.04 and kde)  :-)      Back to Main Page

This is a very short version, and if you want to know more, go to  the Internet etc.

This howto is without any guarantee, and you may use it on your own responsibility only.

There may be errors, but I do not want to use too much time to  write this howto.

To check specific words you may try: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page  (search).    



Index Of Page:

To archive some files

To put  some files into this empty archive

To open an archive file

Use the tar command in a bash konsole

tar cvzf lynx_howto.tgz lynx_howto

tar zxvf lynx_howto.tgz

To open the "lynx_howto.tgz archive

A typical example


Ark is an archiving tool - an archive file is a file containing other files (and directories) in a compressed form (or not) - two typical file types are:

Gzipped Tar Archive "*.tar.gz" and Bzip2-ed Tar Archive "*.tar.bz2 - but there are other types.

To archive some files open ark (see below):                                                                                                        Back to Index of Page

ARK just opened

Then click on the "New"  icon "New" icon - select "Gzipped Tar Archive" in the "Filter:" (click down arrow) bar and write the name of the archive file

"anarchive" in the "Location:" bar (see below) - Save:

Create New Archive

This creates an empty archive file of the name "anarchive.tar.gz"                                                                                    Back to Index of Page
To put  some files into this empty archive click on the "Add files" button "Add files" icon and the file manager window opens up (see below):

The "Select files to add" dialog (a file manager)

 "Ctrl+left click" one on the files and then click "ctrl+a" to select all the files (see below):

All files selected

Now click "OK" - and the archive gets created, filled with the selected files "anarchive.tar.gz" (see below):            Back to Index of Page

The archive created with the files

To open an archive file, click on the file name "anarchive.tar.gz" (see below):

To open an archive file, click on the file name


Then select the files (some or all), right click one of the selected files - choose "Copy to", and then select at directory to copy to (below):
                                                                                                                                                                                        Back to Index of Page
Select files, right click one, copy to, choose browse.

Then select a directory (one of the blue icons Blue directory icon (with + in front to open directory, to get to a sub directory) to put the files into - you open a directory to get to  a subdirectory, by clicking the "+" (below) -

then click "OK" (you see the selected folder in the lower horizontal bar The selected directory bar ):
                                                                                                                                                                                                Back to Index of Page
To select a directory to copy files into

You can also use the bash konsole, to work from the command line, when ark gives you troubles (I have had some):
                                                                                                                                                                                            Back to Index of Page
To create a "tgz" file (same as "tar.gz" file) - an example with a folder with some files.

1. line "cd /home/niels3/howtos" means change directory to another directory (here a directory with both files and subdirectories) (see above).

2. line "ls" lists the names of the files -and directories (contained in the "howtos" directory).                                Back to Index of Page

3. - 5. lines shows the contents.

6. line "tar cvzf lynx_howto.tgz lynx_howto" means (see "man lynx"):

tar: is the  command

c: create

v: verbose (shows what happens during the execution of the "tar" command)

z: gzip  (filters the archive through the gzip program)

f: file name ("lynx_howto.tgz")

"lynx_howto.tgz": the file name of the archive file with the ".tgz" extension (means it is a "gzipped tar archive" - also called "tar.gz")

"lynx_howto": is the name of a directory filled with files (could also contain some sub directories etc) which is to be archived (archived and

compressed into one file)

7. - 16. lines shows the very archiving happening (creating an archive file by the name "lynx_howto.tgz

In order to open the "lynx_howto.tgz archive, "cd" to  the directory where the archive file is placed - just an example - (cd /home/niels3/test)

and then write "tar zxvf lynx_howto.tgz" on the command line, and the contents of the archive file will be extracted - unpacked and copied

into the directory - (see below):                                                                                                                                                        Back to Index of Page

Extract "lynx_howto.tgz (an archive file)

"man tar": opens the man page for the "tar" command (if you like to see)

"cd /home/niels/test": change directory to the "test" folder (containing the lynx_howto.tgz archive)

"ls": lists the content of the directory                                                                                                                                        Back to Index of Page
 
"tar zxvf lynx_howto.tgz": extracts -and unpacks the contents of the archive file into the same directory where the archive file is placed.

A typical example, a downloaded *.tgz archive file.

Lets suggest that you have just downloaded an archive file from the internet "lynx_howto787.tgz" and placed it into the

"/home/niels3/downloads_/minihowto"  folder:

An archive file just downloaded from the Internet

In order to open it, and get it on your harddisk, click it with the left mouse button:

Leftclicked on an archive file just downloaded from the Internet
                                                                                                                                                                                                    Back to Index of Page
Note the name in the address bar, beginning with "tar:/...", which means that the opened file is placed in an temporary location, and will

disappear, when you switch of the  computer.

In order to get it copied permanently onto your harddisk, click on the blue directory "lynx_howto" (above) with the right mouse button, and

choose "Copy to" - Browse:

Right click with right mouse button and select "browse"

Then the file manager window opens, and select "/home/niels3/downloads_/minihowto" (below) - see lover horizontal address bar - click "OK".
                                                                                                                                                                                                Back to Index of Page
The "minihowto" folder selected in order to copy the selected folder to it

Now the archive file is extracted and opened, and its content is copied onto the harddisk permanently (see below):        Back to Index of Page

Archive file extracted and copied parmanently onto harddisk

When you left click on the blue folder (above), the contents is seen (below):

The contents of the opened folder seen

This last procedure is very important to learn, to be able to get downloaded archive files opened and copied onto the harddisk, for permanent

use.

It is used both for text files, but also for collections of pictures and video files etc.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Back to Index of Page

8/2007