How to unzip a Calibre ZIP file on a Mac?

webfolk · 11-01-2010, 03:55 AM

When I load an HTML file into Calibre, a ZIP file is created. When I try to unzip it by double clicking on it, all I get is another file, a zip.cpgz file, which if I double click only creates another zip.cpgz file, (and another, ad infinitum) none of which opens. In Googling around, I've seen that the same thing happens with a ZIP created in Windows.

How do I unzip and open ZIP file made in Calibre?

DoctorOhh · 11-01-2010, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webfolk

How do I unzip and open ZIP file made in Calibre?

When I click on the zip link in the book detail window the zip file opens.

webfolk · 11-01-2010, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwanthny

When I click on the zip link in the book detail window the zip file opens.

Dwanthny, are you using Windows or a Mac? I just tried it on my Mac and another zip.cpgz file was created. ???

DoctorOhh · 11-01-2010, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webfolk

Dwanthny, are you using Windows or a Mac? I just tried it on my Mac and another zip.cpgz file was created. ???

I am using Windows. Try using an alternate zip program like 7zip.

Hopefully a mac user will arrive with the obvious answer.

webfolk · 11-01-2010, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwanthny

I am using Windows. Try using an alternate zip program like 7zip.

If need be, I'll try that. Thanks, dwanthny!

ldolse · 11-01-2010, 05:32 AM

You've got something screwy set up on your Mac for zip files.

Highlight the book, then click 'o' to open a finder window.
Instead of double clicking, right click on the zip file.
Click 'get info'
Find the 'Open With' area, click the dropdown, and select 'Archive Utility'
Click the 'Change All' button just below that - it may prompt for your password/ask if you're sure at that point, can't remember.

If you don't have Archive Utility for some reason you can install some other app beforehand and specify that - Stuffit Expander is generally pretty good, as is the Unarchiver.

webfolk · 11-01-2010, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldolse

You've got something screwy set up on your Mac for zip files.

Apparently this is a common occurrence for Mac OSX with ZIP files created on a PC or with a proprietary ZIP format that isn't compatible, as I suspect is the case with the Calibre created ZIP.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldolse

Find the 'Open With' area, click the dropdown, and select 'Archive Utility'
Click the 'Change All' button just below that - it may prompt for your password/ask if you're sure at that point, can't remember.

When I do this, "Archive Utility" is one of the "Open with" options, but the "Change All" button is grayed out and unclickable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldolse

If you don't have Archive Utility for some reason you can install some other app beforehand and specify that - Stuffit Expander is generally pretty good, as is the Unarchiver.

So I think this is going to be the way to go.

Thanks, Idolse!

ldolse · 11-01-2010, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webfolk

When I do this, "Archive Utility" is one of the "Open with" options, but the "Change All" button is grayed out and unclickable.

It doesn't become clickable until after you've selected one of the alternate's. If it's still grayed out after that there is something else strange with your system.

Installing Stuffit or some other program may change that setting for you though, so it's worth a shot...

If 'Archive Utility' is the only option that would explain why it's grayed out, and the behavior may well be a bug with Archive Utility - it also means Calbre's default zip function is doing something that doesn't work with the default Zip utility on OS X, something which Kovid may be willing to fix...

webfolk · 11-01-2010, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldolse

It doesn't become clickable until after you've selected one of the alternate's. If it's still grayed out after that there is something else strange with your system.

Tried this and it just generates another zip.cpgz file. I do believe this is due to what I mentioned before:

Quote:

Originally Posted by webfolk

Apparently this is a common occurrence for Mac OSX with ZIP files created on a PC or with a proprietary ZIP format that isn't compatible, as I suspect is the case with the Calibre created ZIP.

and I agree:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldolse

Installing Stuffit or some other program may change that setting for you though, so it's worth a shot...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldolse

If 'Archive Utility' is the only option that would explain why it's grayed out, and the behavior may well be a bug with Archive Utility - it also means Calbre's default zip function is doing something that doesn't work with the default Zip utility on OS X, something which Kovid may be willing to fix...

Well I do believe there is an incompatibility between the way Calibre zips files and the way OSX unzips them. A simple double click on the ZIP file should open it.

Being very new to this forum, I don't know the procedure for bringing this to Kovid's attention. Could you direct me to it? Thanks again!

Diana495 · 11-01-2010, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webfolk

Well I do believe there is an incompatibility between the way Calibre zips files and the way OSX unzips them. A simple double click on the ZIP file should open it.

Being very new to this forum, I don't know the procedure for bringing this to Kovid's attention. Could you direct me to it? Thanks again!

I'm on Mac OS X 10.5.8 and use stuffit as my default program to unzip files, and I've never had a problem with unzipping calibre's zip files. I can just double click on the files to unzip them.

And you can always file an official bug report here.

Krystian Galaj · 11-01-2010, 08:13 AM

Don't use Archive Utility to unpack ZIP files on Mac. It follows standard Mac philosophy to make users feel better by not reporting any errors to them. If you have a corrupted ZIP file, and you try to unpack it using Archive Utility, you won't get any error message, it will just silently ignore any files that were corrupted and couldn't be unpacked. (Just the same, if you try to read files from a broken CD/DVD, Mac OS X won't tell you it couldn't read them, it will just silently put zeroes in all places of the files that couldn't be read).

I prefer to use Unarchiver ( http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/unarchiver.html ). It's free and open source.

ldolse · 11-01-2010, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webfolk

Being very new to this forum, I don't know the procedure for bringing this to Kovid's attention. Could you direct me to it? Thanks again!

I was able to reproduce this particular bug myself, but quite a bit of google searching just indicated this seems to be a common problem, no pages seemed to directly indicate it was due to the default Mac unzip util being a pile of !#@$. The common theme seemed to be "don't use the Archive Utility software".

Best bet for you would be to not use Apple's default software, install Stuffit or one of the other utilities mentioned. If you do have a link to a page which clearly indicates what makes the Archive Utility act stupid you could open a bug with Apple, and after that open a bug with Kovid at bugs.calibre-ebook.com and ask him nicely to work around Apple's Shenanigans...

KevinH · 11-01-2010, 12:03 PM

Hi,

Yes this is a bug with the Apple default archiver utility. It used to work correctly and now it does not anymore with zips that have mimetype files. If you zip has such a file, the damn Apple utility thinks it is not a normal zip and will try to actually compress the file (thus creating the .cpgz) and not uncompress the file.

I have no idea whose smart idea this was but it sucks. Simply grab some other unzip utility for Mac OSX (I have stuffit on mine) or use the Terminal.app and the "unzip" command line tool (which works on everything). You can also grab the latest Unzip drag-and-drop tool that was posted in the epub section of this forum. It works to unzip things as well (it just runs the unzip command line tool under the table).

So lots of options. It is just sad that Apple broke its own tool.

webfolk · 11-03-2010, 02:20 AM

Thanks to all who responded. I appreciate all your comments. What I settled on was the unarchiver which I just downloaded and successfully used to open the zipped HTML. Particular thanks to Krystian:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj

I prefer to use Unarchiver ( http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/unarchiver.html ). It's free and open source.

SSSasky · 06-03-2012, 02:20 PM

Thanks for the great advice guys. The Unarchiver solved the .cgpz problem, and allowed me to crack the DRM on my one Kobo book that refused to co-operate. Much appreciated info.

11-01-2010, 03:55 AM	#1
webfolk Enthusiast Posts: 31 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Arizona, USA Device: None	How to unzip a Calibre ZIP file on a Mac? When I load an HTML file into Calibre, a ZIP file is created. When I try to unzip it by double clicking on it, all I get is another file, a zip.cpgz file, which if I double click only creates another zip.cpgz file, (and another, ad infinitum) none of which opens. In Googling around, I've seen that the same thing happens with a ZIP created in Windows. How do I unzip and open ZIP file made in Calibre?

11-01-2010, 05:32 AM	#6
ldolse Wizard Posts: 1,337 Karma: 123455 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Malaysia Device: PRS-650, iPhone	You've got something screwy set up on your Mac for zip files. Highlight the book, then click 'o' to open a finder window. Instead of double clicking, right click on the zip file. Click 'get info' Find the 'Open With' area, click the dropdown, and select 'Archive Utility' Click the 'Change All' button just below that - it may prompt for your password/ask if you're sure at that point, can't remember. If you don't have Archive Utility for some reason you can install some other app beforehand and specify that - Stuffit Expander is generally pretty good, as is the Unarchiver.

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11-01-2010, 08:13 AM	#11
Krystian Galaj Guru Posts: 820 Karma: 11012 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Warsaw, Poland Device: Bookeen Cybook	Don't use Archive Utility to unpack ZIP files on Mac. It follows standard Mac philosophy to make users feel better by not reporting any errors to them. If you have a corrupted ZIP file, and you try to unpack it using Archive Utility, you won't get any error message, it will just silently ignore any files that were corrupted and couldn't be unpacked. (Just the same, if you try to read files from a broken CD/DVD, Mac OS X won't tell you it couldn't read them, it will just silently put zeroes in all places of the files that couldn't be read). I prefer to use Unarchiver ( http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/unarchiver.html ). It's free and open source.

11-01-2010, 12:03 PM	#13
KevinH Sigil Developer Posts: 8,242 Karma: 5450818 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: many	Hi, Yes this is a bug with the Apple default archiver utility. It used to work correctly and now it does not anymore with zips that have mimetype files. If you zip has such a file, the damn Apple utility thinks it is not a normal zip and will try to actually compress the file (thus creating the .cpgz) and not uncompress the file. I have no idea whose smart idea this was but it sucks. Simply grab some other unzip utility for Mac OSX (I have stuffit on mine) or use the Terminal.app and the "unzip" command line tool (which works on everything). You can also grab the latest Unzip drag-and-drop tool that was posted in the epub section of this forum. It works to unzip things as well (it just runs the unzip command line tool under the table). So lots of options. It is just sad that Apple broke its own tool.

06-03-2012, 02:20 PM	#15
SSSasky Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kobo Reader	Thanks for the great advice guys. The Unarchiver solved the .cgpz problem, and allowed me to crack the DRM on my one Kobo book that refused to co-operate. Much appreciated info.

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