What is Browse And Zip

Browse And Zip is a plugin for Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer that allows you to work with Zip files without having to download them.

When you click on a URL in your web browser that links to a Zip file, your web browser will load the Browse And Zip plugin.  Once loaded, Browse And Zip will determine if the server where the Zip file exists will allow it to look at the Zip file without having to download it.  Most FTP (File Transfer Protocol) servers and some HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) servers allow this.

Browse And Zip will read all that’s needed to display a listing of the Zip file in your browser.  Most of the time this can be done with any size zip file in under a minute.

From this Zip file listing you are free to select any file and click on the view button.   Just the file that you selected, not the entire Zip file will be downloaded and expanded on your computer.  Then Browse And Zip will load whatever viewer you have installed to display the file.

If after examining the Zip file you decide that you want to download the entire file you can either:

1. Select individual files in the zip file and just download those files.

2. Download the entire Zip file to the folder of your choice.

3. Download the Zip file, automatically extract the Zip files contents to a temporary folder and run an install program that is in the Zip file.

In addition of the ease of working with Zip file remotely, Browse And Zip allows you to resume aborted downloads of Zip and Exe files.

Browse And Zip includes a download manager to help you manage downloads.  Downloads can be saved for later or stopped and resumed.  Users are can save notes about the download or choose to download the files again.


What Makes Browse And Zip Special

With dialup internet connections downloading large Zip files can take up a lot of time and there currently is no way to just see what’s in the file without downloading the entire file.

Now with Browse And Zip this possible.  Browse And Zip can just download the portion of the zip file that it needs to display a listing of the entire file.  Most of the time this can be done in under a minute with a standard dialup internet connection.

Say there’s a readme file or a file_id.diz file that you want to check out.  With Browse And Zip you can just download the file that you want to view and display it in a viewer again saving lots of precious time.

Then only if you’ve decided that you want to download the entire file you can choose to do so.  And Browse And Zip doesn’t stop there.

A frequent complaint of internet denizens is that their file downloads are often interrupted and they have to download the entire file again.  This problem exists even though most FTP servers and some HTTP servers allow you to just download the portion of the file that you need.

When you choose to download a file with Browse And Zip, first Browse And Zip will check if a file of that name already exists in the download folder.   If a file does exist and it is smaller than the one that you’ve chosen to download, Browse And Zip will give you the option of resuming the file download or downloading the entire file anew.  Browse And Zip will do this for Zip and Exe files.

Unlike other download managers, the download manager that comes with Browse And Zip is activated directly from your browser.  You don’t have to cut and past URLs into it.


Installing Browse And Zip
How Do I Install Browse And Zip

To install Browse And Zip, run the setup program, SETUP.EXE.  The setup program will search for copies of Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer on your hard drive and copy the Browse And Zip plugin to the appropriate directories.  In addition Browse And Zip will add menu options for configuration and uninstallation to your Start Menu.

The next time your run your web browser and click on a Zip file, the web browser will automatically load Browse And Zip.


Uninstalling Browse And Zip
How Do I Uninstall Browse And Zip

Before uninstalling Browse And Zip, first make sure that your web browser isn’t running.  To uninstall Browse And Zip, choose Browse And Zip\Uninstall Browse And Zip from your start menu or from the Add/Remove Programs option in your Control Panel.  Browse And Zip will remove all of its files and any registry entries that have been created.


How to Use Browse And Zip
How Do I Use Browse And Zip

All you have to do to use Browse And Zip is to click on a URL that goes to a Zip file.

If Browse And Zip can give you a listing of the Zip file without having to download the entire file, it will immediately start doing so.  You will see a little message box telling you what it’s doing and in a very short time you will see the zip file displayed in your browser like the example above.


Installing Programs

Browse And Zip allows you to automatically install a program from a Zip file.  To do this, click on the install button.  If the Zip file hasn’t been completely downloaded, Browse And Zip will download it at this time because it will need the entire file to perform the install.

After downloading the Zip file, Browse And Zip will extract the files to a temporary directory and look for a program called “Setup.exe” to run.  If there is some confusion about what name of the install program, Browse And Zip will present you with a list box where you can choose the appropriate program to run.


Extracting Files
Extracting Files from the Zip File

First select the files that you want to extract.  Then click on the extract button.  That’s the button with the open zipper on it.

Browse And Zip has two extract files interfaces, Wizard and Advanced.  The default is the Wizard interface but you can easily switch to the Advanced interface by clicking on the Advanced button.  There’s a Wizard button on the right side of the Advanced dialog that will return to the Wizard interface.

From the extract dialogs you will have the choice to either extract all the files or just the files that you have selected.  If you are just extracting selected files, Browse And Zip will just download the selected files.  If you want to extract all the files, Browse And Zip will download the entire zip file and then extract the files.  This will be faster than downloading each file from the zip file individually.


Wizard Interface
Extracting Files with the Wizard Interface

You have the option to select just some files in the Zip file and extract them or you can extract the files in one operation.  The extract Wizard will walk you through making these choices.

Once you’ve decided what files you want to extract, you need to specify where to put them.  By default they will go into a folder called

C:\My Zip Files but you can specify any folder you want.  There’s even a Browse button to help you make a selection.

When your done, just click on the Finish button and Browse and Zip will extract the files.


Advanced Interface
Extracting Files with the Advanced Interface

If you click on the Advanced button in the extract wizard dialog, the advanced interface for extracting files will come up.  If at any time you wish to return to the wizard interface, just click on the Wizard button on the right hand side of the dialog box.

As you can see the Advanced interface gives you some more options.  Like in the Wizard interface, you can specify if you want to unzip all the files or just the selected files.  Also like in the Wizard interface you need to specify where you want the files to go.  There is also a Browse button to help you find where to put them.  If you specify a directory that doesn’t exist, Browse And Zip will create that directory before unzipping the files.

Some Zip files have embedded directory structures.  The Advanced interface allows you to recreate that directory structure when you unzip the files.  It also allow you to specify whether you want to be warned before overwriting files that are already on your hard disk.

A unique feature in the Advanced interface is the option to just unzip the new and newer files.  With that option you can update files that are already on your hard disk with just files that have been added or changed.

When you are ready, click on the OK button and Browse And Zip will extract the files.


Downloading Files

Sometimes you just want to download files and you don’t want to extract them right away or install anything.  For that option, click on the Download and Save button and Browse And Zip will download the file.


Resuming Interrupted Downloads

A common complaint of Web surfers is that after spending a long time downloading a file, the download is interrupted for some reason and they have to start from scratch to download the file again.

With Browse And Zip you will no longer have this problem with Zip or Exe files.  Most servers that you download files from permit resuming an aborted download.  It’s just that the current crop of web browsers don’t.

With Browse And Zip if you choose to “Download and Extract”, “Download and Install”, or just “Download and Save”, you will have the option of resuming a download that was interrupted.

To resume an interrupted download all you have to do is choose to download the file to the same folder that you originally tried to download the file to.

Any of the choices, “Download and Extract”, “Download and Install”, or just “Download and Save” will do that.  Before Browse And Zip starts the download, it will first check if the file already exists in the specified download folder.  If the file does exist and the file size is smaller than the file that you want to download, Browse And Zip will ask you if you just want to resume the download.  Answer Yes and Browse And Zip will resume the download.  Answer No and Browse And Zip will download the entire file.

You can also resume any interrupted downloads with Browse And Zip’s Download Manager.


Browse And Zip’s Download Manager

Browse And Zip saves download information for any download that hasn’t been completed.  When saving a download, there is a comments field where you can add your own notes.  To resume the download, all you have to do is run Browse And Zip’s Download Manager, pick the download from the listing and click on the GO button.  Browse And Zip will restart the download automatically.


Saving Downloads

Browse And Zip gives you the option to save download information and download the files at a more convenient time.  There’s a “Save Download” button from the main tool bar and there’s a “Later” button from the download progress dialog box.  Either of these buttons will bring up the save dialog box.  From the save dialog you can add specific comments that describe the download.  When the download is completed, the save dialog will have the completion information in the comments.

Initially the save dialog box will come up every time you initiate a download.  You can turn off this option from the  or check the button on the bottom that says “Don't show this window before downloading”


Settings
Modifying Browse And Zip’s Settings

There are two ways to bring up the Browse And Zip settings dialog box.  The easiest way is when you’re displaying a Zip file in your browser click on the settings button.  If you don’t want to have to view a zip file to modify Browse And Zip’s settings you can click on the Start Button, open up the Browse And Zip menu and choose the settings option.

Either way the settings dialog box will come up.

UnZipping Files: Check which interface you want, the Wizard or the Advanced Interface.

Display Zip File Listings: When this field is checked, Browse And Zip will try to open zip files remotely whenever you click on a zip file link.  If it is unchecked, Browse And Zip will immediately start downloading a file when the link is clicked on.

Treat Exes as SFXx: You can have Browse And Zip treat EXE files as possible self extracting zip files and try to open them remotely before downloading them.  If you want Browse And Zip to work this way, check this field.

Show Save Window Before Downloading:  When this options is activated, the save dialog box will come up before a download will begin.  From the save dialog you can add comments to a particular download so you can remember what it is for at a later date.

Download Folder: In this field, specify the default folders where Zip files will be put.  You can use the Browse button to help you make a selection.

UnZip Folder: In this field, specify the default folder where you want the files that you extract from a Zip file to go.  You can use the Browse button to help you make a selection.

Temp Folder: In this field specify where you want tempory files to go.  When you exit Browse And Zip, these files will be deleted.  You can use the Browse button to help you make a selection.

Email Address: When Browse And Zip connects to an ftp server to download a Zip file it needs to send an email address.  If you leave this field blank, Browse And Zip will send anonymous@anonymous.com which will usually work.


Firewall Settings for FTP Transfers

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) transfers are handled directly by Browse And Zip.  If you need to connect through a firewall, you can configure it in the FTP Firewall tab of the sittings dialog box.

Host:  Enter the host address of the firewall host in this field.

Userid:  Enter the user id that you use to log in.

Port Number:  If not using the standard FTP port, enter the port number here.

Password:  Enter your password here.

Pasv Mode:  This option will use passive mode for data connections.  No other firewall settings are used.

SITE site:  After connecting to the firewall host, connection is made to the remote ftp server with a SITE command specifying the name of the ftp site. Firewall host, user id and password are used

Open site:  After connecting to the firewall host, connection is made to the remote ftp server with an OPEN command specifying the name of the ftp site. Firewall host, user id and password are used

User user@site:  After initial connection to the firewall host, a USER command is sent also specifying the ftp site to connect to. Only the firewall host is needed.

USER with login:  This is similar to User user@site but host name, user id and password are used here.


Problems with Internet Explorer 4

Before I start describing the problem.  Let me say that my opinion of Microsoft or Netscape has nothing to do with it.  I’m just trying to write a program that users who browse the web can find useful.  And although like probably many web denizens I very much want Netscape to survive, Microsoft has been more helpful than Netscape in letting me actually converse via email with Microsoft technicians rather than just getting peer help from a news group.

There is however what I consider a serious bug in IE 4.  It doesn’t occur in IE 3 but I’m told the current beta of IE 5 has it.  The bug involves what is called “redirection”.  Many times when you click on a URL link, the link does not go to a specific page or specific file but the link runs a program that then informs the web browser of the page or file that it is looking for.

For example this link from ZifNet:

http://www6.zdnet.com/cgi-in/texis/swlib/hotfiles/getit.bin?fcode=000OG will be redirected to an FTP server where a specific Zip file will be downloaded.

If the web browser is working properly, it gets the redirection from the server, sees that it’s pointing to a Zip file and then it will load Browse And Zip.  However IE 4 doesn’t do it.  It does get the redirection and locates Browse And Zip as the plugin to handle the file but then it goes back to the original URL and puts up an error message saying that there is no viewer to handle this file.  This only happens with redirected URLS and not straight links to Zip files.

IE 4 compounds the problem in that it will find the Browse And Zip plugin even if it’s in Netscape’s plugin directory.  And the really evil part is that IE 4 will write a registry entry saying that Browse And Zip is the plugin to handle Zip files so if in the future you remove Browse And Zip, IE 4 will give you an error saying the viewer for that file can’t be found.

Currently we always delete this registry key when Browse And Zip is unloaded and we’ll have our uninstall program see that this key is deleted when the program is uninstalled.

To Microsoft’s credit they do admit it’s a bug and hopefully it will be fixed in the version of IE that comes with Windows 98.  In the meantime the only solution for me is write an Active X module to handle Zip files in IE.  If that turns out to be the best solution then one will be added shortly and registered users will be able to get it for free.


The Best Workaround for the IE 4 Bug

This is what IE 4 will look like when the bug occurs.

You can see the correct URL in the Address field and the pre redirection one in the error box.  The way to view this Zip file is:

1. Close the error box and select the URL from the Address field and copy it to the clipboard.

2. Click on the back button to go to the previous page.

3. Paste the URL from the clipboard into the Address field and press Enter.

Now IE 4 will properly load Browse And Zip and you can quickly view the contents of the Zip file.


Downloading Exe Files
Downloading and Resuming Downloads of Exe Files

Browse And Zip is also a help when downloading Exe files.  Unlike with Zip files, Browse And Zip will not try to read the Exe file remotely.  Instead Browse And Zip will just start downloading the file.

Where Browse And Zip is different than your browser is if you cannot download the file in one session.  With your browser you’ld have to download the entire file again.  But, with Browse And Zip, most of the time you will be able to resume the download that you couldn’t finish.

When you first initiate a download of an Exe file, Browse And Zip checks to see if the file already exists in the download folder.  If the file does exist and the size of the file is smaller than the one you want to download, Browse And Zip will ask you if you want to just resume the download or download the entire file.


Deactivating and Reactivating Browse And Zip

Browse And Zip is activated every time you click on a link that goes to a Zip or Exe file.  There might be times you don’t want Browse And Zip to handle the download.  Browse And Zip gives you a method to do this without having to uninstall it.  Go to the Start Menu/Browse And Zip and choose “Turn Off Browse And Zip”.   Browse And Zip will deactivate itself.  To reactivate Browse And Zip just choose “Reactivate Browse And Zip” from the Start Menu/Browse And Zip.


Contacting Canyon Software

Registered users of Browse And Zip are eligible for phone support and all users are eligible for email support with any problems pertaining to Browse And Zip.

Phone support is available between 9 AM and 5 PM Pacific time at 415 453-9779

Email support is available from support@canyonsw.com