It is the archive window which displays the items (files, folders, disks) that have been Stuffed into an archive. Manipulating items within the archive window is very similar to manipulating items in a “View by Name” Finder window. Shown below is a StuffIt archive window with callouts explaining a little bit about the different parts of the archive window.
 
Every item Stuffed within a StuffIt archive is listed with its own kind of icon that helps you identify what kind of file it is. A key to the left of an icon indicates that the item has been encrypted (scrambled and protected with a password).
Note that the Archive window resembles the windows in most Macintosh programs (with one exception noted in the next paragraph). It has zoom and grow boxes in the upper and lower right corners, and a close box in the upper left. The name of the archive is displayed in the title bar of the archive’s window.
A fundamental difference between windows in most Macintosh programs and a StuffIt archive window appears only when you are in a folder within an archive. When you are inside a folder, the name of the folder will be shown in the title bar (in place of the archive name) and that folder name will be an active pop-up menu similar to the one in directory dialogs.
Here is what you would see when inside a folder. Notice how there is a down arrow next to the folder name. This means that this is a pop-up menu.
 
Clicking on the folder name (or the down arrow) will show the pop-up menu. Choosing any item off the pop-up menu will bring you to that folder. In this example, choosing “Sample Archive.sit” will bring you to the top level of the archive.
 
You can also type Command-‘up arrow’ to move out of a single folder. If a folder is selected, type Command-‘down arrow’ to enter into it.
Status Area
Also, listed above the view headers is a Status area that tells you:
• how many items are contained at the current level in the archive,
• the name of the archive and its size, and
• the amount of free space on the disk where your archive resides.
View Headings
With all the relevant “View” preference settings active, your archive displays a wide range of data on your files. Clicking the Order icon to the left of the Name label sorts the files by the order they were entered into the archive. Clicking the Name, Kind, Label, Date, Expanded, Stuffed, or Saved heading above a list of files sorts the file list according to the view heading. Labels can be added to a file or folder from within the archive by simply selecting the item and then going to the Label menu and choosing the label you want the item in the archive to have.
At the bottom of the archive window, two more options are available to you for modifying your archive:
Self-Extracting check box
One of the two options in the lower left corner of an archive window is the “Self-Extracting” check box. It is used for creating an archive that can be extracted on any Macintosh, even if there are no StuffIt products present.
Comments Icon
The other option in the lower left corner is the “Comments” icon. The “Comments” icon allows you to enter a comment into the archive. Comments are useful for including a greeting, a quick note with instructions, or anything you like.
