Zip/Jar/Cab Contents displays the contents of the selected zip, self-extracting zip, jar or cabinet archive on a flyout menu, and allows you to extract its contents, extract just a single file, or view a single file. Depending which of these types of archive is selected, the menu item will read Zip Contents, Jar Contents or Cab Contents. With this one exception, the way the menu works is identical for all three archive types.

Right-click any archive file or self-extracting zip (.exe) icon, move down to ShellToys XP and then to the Zip Contents (or whatever) item. Beside this item you'll see the number of files contained in the archive.

The submenu will show Extract All, Extract To New Folder, and the names of the files in the archive. (By default, only the first 100 files in the archive will be shown on the menu - see Important Notes - but you can change this figure or switch off the limitation entirely.)

To extract the entire contents of the selected archive:

• Extract All extracts the entire contents of the archive to the folder containing the archive. If files with the same names exist already, they will be overwritten by the new files.

• Extract To New Folder creates a folder with the same name as the archive file and extracts the contents to the archive to this folder. If a folder with this name already exists, a unique numeric extension will be added to the folder name. This method ensures that no files are overwritten.

To extract a single file:

• To extract and keep a file from the archive, click its name. It will be extracted to the same folder as the archive file, overwriting a file with the same name if one exists.

• To view a file, hold Ctrl and click its name. The file will again be extracted to your Temp folder and opened in its associated application. When you close the application, the temporary file will be automatically deleted. If you want to edit and re-save the open file, remember to save it using a different name or location before closing the application.

See also: