Zip Compress

ZIP Compress

Compress files and directories into ZIP archives with optional exclude patterns.

Quick Start

Compress a single file:

python3 scripts/compress.py document.pdf archive.zip

Compress a directory:

python3 scripts/compress.py myproject/ project.zip

Compress with exclusions:

python3 scripts/compress.py src/ backup.zip --exclude "*.log,.git,node_modules"

Parameters

• source (required): File or directory path to compress
• output (required): Output ZIP file path
• --exclude (optional): Comma-separated patterns to exclude

Exclude Patterns

The --exclude option accepts multiple patterns separated by commas:

Pattern Types

1. Exact names: node_modules, .git, .DS_Store
2. Wildcards: *.log, *.tmp, test_*
3. Path patterns: **/cache/*, build/*

Common Examples

Development projects:

--exclude ".git,node_modules,__pycache__,*.pyc,.venv"

Build artifacts:

--exclude "dist,build,target,*.o,*.class"

Temporary files:

--exclude "*.tmp,*.log,*.cache,temp,tmp"

macOS/system files:

--exclude ".DS_Store,.Spotlight-V100,.Trashes"

Common Patterns

User wants to compress a directory

When the user says "compress this folder" or "zip this project":

1. Determine the source directory
2. Generate output filename (e.g., {dirname}.zip or archive.zip)
3. Ask if they want to exclude common patterns (node_modules, .git, etc.)

User wants to compress specific files

For "zip these files," collect all file paths and use a directory that contains them, or compress them individually.

Exclude patterns needed

When compressing development projects, proactively suggest excluding build artifacts and dependencies unless user explicitly wants them.

Output

The script reports:

• Number of files compressed (for directories)
• Number of items excluded (if any)
• Output file path and size

Example output:

Exclude patterns: *.log, .git, node_modules
✓ Compressed: 127 files from myproject/
  Excluded: 3,482 items
✓ Created: /path/to/myproject.zip (2.34 MB)

Error Handling

Source not found: Verify the path exists before calling the script.

Cannot compress into itself: Ensure output path is not inside the source directory.

Permission denied: Check file/directory permissions.

Technical Details

• Uses Python's zipfile with ZIP_DEFLATED compression
• Preserves directory structure
• Includes empty directories
• Cross-platform compatible (Windows/Linux/macOS)
• No external dependencies (Python 3 standard library only)