Thread: Packed Files (Puting multiple files in one file)

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    England, Norwich
    Posts
    10

    Lightbulb Packed Files (Puting multiple files in one file)

    Hello,

    I'm attempting to create a virtual file system to be used for a data storage protocol for the proposes of making a compressed sot of Data Volt, from what I can understand the only real way of going by this is by packing multiple files into one single file.

    i hade a very long hard look on Google but I couldn't I find and reference to how one would even start to great to make something like this, I figured that it may work by writing separators between the files and then write the file structure at the end of the file but I had a long hard think about it and worked out it wouldn't work because if some super brilliant person made a text file with the separator in it basically the whole virtual file system would break.


    I was wondering if any of you brilliant fantastically talented people had any ideas how i could achieve this.

    Note: I haven’t included any source code because this is only at the stages of being a theory.

  2. #2
    Registered User Mortissus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Brazil, Porto Alegre
    Posts
    152
    You could write the first X bytes to be the size of the current file, for example:


    <4 bytes, size of the file><file data><next 4 bytes of the next file><next file>

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    England, Norwich
    Posts
    10
    Quote Originally Posted by Mortissus View Post
    You could write the first X bytes to be the size of the current file, for example:


    <4 bytes, size of the file><file data><next 4 bytes of the next file><next file>
    Thanks for your reply, the problem with that is if a user created a text document (.TXT) and writes " " the program i think will mess up as its retrieved the separator where it shouldn’t.

    i could be wrong.

  4. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    465
    I don't see what you mean about the separator. Maybe you could elaborate?

    Edit: Use a different separator? Nothing simple that is would be easy for someone to recreate. You can try encoding the separator so no one knows what it looks like too.
    Last edited by cerin; 07-06-2007 at 09:19 AM.
    My computer is awesome.

  5. #5
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    England, Norwich
    Posts
    10
    [
    Quote Originally Posted by cerin View Post
    I don't see what you mean about the separator. Maybe you could elaborate?
    Yeah Sorry, by separator I mean I would need something in between the files so that when I go to unpack them as it were, the file which are packed in side that one file the files would have same names and data here is the sort of file structure I was thinking of using:

    Code:
    (Root Directory){
    	(File1){
    	Filename=”Blah.txt”
    	FileSize=”10KB”
    	FileWrites=”777”
    	FileData=”Hello World”
    }
    	(File2){
    	Filename=”Blah2.txt”
    	FileSize=”10KB”
    	FileWrites=”777”
    	FileData=”Hello World2”
    }
    }
    If you look at the two files I would defiantly need a way of separating the data otherwise the some one could hypothetically mess up the file system just by writing “) in a text file.

    If one want a laugh I actually had to lookup up the word “elaborate” I couldn’t remember the definition!

  6. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    465
    I believe I need to reiterate my edit from the last post:
    Quote Originally Posted by cerin
    Use a different separator? Nothing simple that is would be easy for someone to recreate. You can try encoding the separator so no one knows what it looks like too.
    Have it in simple notations and don't do it like that:
    Try:
    Code:
    ({<555><<33<>Warcraft3.exe>})
    file data goes here
    ({<><<<>})  //this is end tag
    It doesn't have to be a really systematic notation. But make it something unlikely to be repeated within the file.
    You could even encode it and so it appears to be a bunch of random numbers and letters to the user.
    Last edited by cerin; 07-06-2007 at 09:58 AM.
    My computer is awesome.

  7. #7
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    England, Norwich
    Posts
    10
    ok that would work perfectly about 99.99&#37; of the time but it really isn't full proof if you know what I mean because someone could still do it completely by accident and mess-up the file system. which would be extremely bad I guess I could write a hammer code as well into the program that checks the file structure of the virtual file system. which it properly going to happen anyway but, can you think of a full proof way of doing it?

    Again, Thank you for your help!

    Note: I didn't see the above post when i was writing this but i still think this post is relevant regardless.
    Last edited by MrKnights; 07-06-2007 at 10:03 AM.

  8. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    465
    If you have an encoded notation 10 or more characters it becomes highly unlikely that that exact string will ever be repeated and if it is then it has to be the correct tag. Meaning you can't have 2 file start tags in a row before having an end tag or the second will be skipped. The thing is also that I doubt anyone would want to screw up their own files by adding tags. It wouldn't be extremely bad. You can just output an error saying "This file is corrupt."
    My computer is awesome.

  9. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    England, Norwich
    Posts
    10
    Quote Originally Posted by cerin View Post
    If you have an encoded notation 10 or more characters it becomes highly unlikely that that exact string will ever be repeated and if it is then it has to be the correct tag. Meaning you can't have 2 file start tags in a row before having an end tag or the second will be skipped. The thing is also that I doubt anyone would want to screw up their own files by adding tags. It wouldn't be extremely bad. You can just output an error saying "This file is corrupt."
    OK, thanks.

    What I'm going to do now is I'm actually going to have a shoot at make the program and see how it goes i still think I'm going to want some major error checking code, but ill post in a few days to see what my results are!

  10. #10
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    465
    Once you get that done maybe you can expand on it and add compression or encryption methods to it. Oh ya and sorry to bog you with edits. I just had a lot of after thoughts.
    My computer is awesome.

  11. #11
    Tropical Coder Darryl's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Cayman Islands
    Posts
    503
    Quote Originally Posted by Mortissus View Post
    You could write the first X bytes to be the size of the current file, for example:


    <4 bytes, size of the file><file data><next 4 bytes of the next file><next file>
    What was wrong with this idea. You won't have any separators and nothing the user could put in thier file could screw it up.

  12. #12
    Ethernal Noob
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Posts
    1,901
    If you are merely packing the files together you would concoct a class to represent your archiving files. This file would have a header telling how many files are contained therein, the size in bytes of the files, and the files in order from start to end. You wouldn't need a separator when you know the information of the file.

    To pack the files you would get each of those file's sizes in bytes, and add it to the header via a loop, then copy the file whole into your filetype. to unpack you simply get the file information, loop to add the file sizes to an array, then for each iteration in the loop copy the 'i'th entry size of each file and send them to separate files.

    You would also have to know how the files come out so you may need to add the type of file it is to the header, so that when you open the files for writing you know how to send them.

  13. #13
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    England, Norwich
    Posts
    10
    Hello,

    I had a little play about and i haven't manged to get anything done, completely nothing!

    i was wondering if anyone would be able to point me into the writing such a program, the only way i see of doing it is writing very large amounts of code to scan the files for the files and then extract them.

    does anyone have an idea of an easier way?


    MrKnights

  14. #14
    Registered User L_U_K_E's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Posts
    106

  15. #15
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    England, Norwich
    Posts
    10

    Cool

    Wow, Thanks man thanks for the link. It really gives me a better understanding on how to do this. i shall try and find some free time to check out these methods ill post back when i have news.

Popular pages Recent additions subscribe to a feed

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 6
    Last Post: 03-22-2009, 11:30 PM
  2. gcc link external library
    By spank in forum C Programming
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 08-08-2007, 03:44 PM
  3. C++ std routines
    By siavoshkc in forum C++ Programming
    Replies: 33
    Last Post: 07-28-2006, 12:13 AM
  4. single File Pointer to Multiple Files
    By dayknight in forum C Programming
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 09-16-2005, 12:49 AM