ZIP_OPEN(3)

✨ ZIP_OPEN(3) — the "open a zip archive" moment ✨

okay bestie, welcome to section 3 of the manual, ZIP_OPEN(3) 💅 this is a Library Functions Manual page and it's all about opening zip archives. pull up a chair, we're doing this together 🫶

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🌸 NAME 🌸

zip_open, zip_open_from_source — open zip archive

🎀 LIBRARY 🎀

libzip (-lzip)

like, that's the whole library. she's iconic, she's small, she does everything ✨

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

#include <zip.h>

zip_t *
zip_open(const char *path, int flags, int *errorp);

zip_t *
zip_open_from_source(zip_source_t *zs, int flags, zip_error_t *ze);

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so zip_open() opens the zip archive that path points at and hands you back a pointer to a struct zip — that's your little handle, your main character object, the thing you use to actually manipulate the archive 👑

the flags? you specify them by or'ing the values below together. or just pass 0 if you want none of them. no thoughts, head empty, defaults only 💅

• ZIP_CHECKCONS — do extra, stricter consistency checks on the archive, and error out if they fail. she's thorough. she's checking. 🔍
• ZIP_CREATE — create the archive if it doesn't exist yet. baby's first zip 🍼
• ZIP_EXCL — error if the archive already exists. exclusive behaviour, literally, that's the name 💅
• ZIP_TRUNCATE — if the archive exists, ignore whatever's currently in it. in other words: handle it the same way as an empty archive. starting fresh, no baggage 🌈
• ZIP_RDONLY — open the archive in read-only mode. look but don't touch, bestie 🙈

if an error happens and errorp is non-NULL, it gets set to the corresponding error code. so like, always pass a pointer if you care. and you should care 🥺

now zip_open_from_source() — same energy, different entrance. it opens a zip archive that's encapsulated by the zip_source zs, using the flags you provide. and if things go sideways, the zip_error ze gets filled in. no secrets here ✨

👑 RETURN VALUES 👑

when it works? zip_open() and zip_open_from_source() both return a struct zip pointer. slay.

when it doesn't? NULL comes back. and then:

• zip_open() sets *errorp to indicate the error
• zip_open_from(source) sets ze to indicate the error

(yes, the original really writes it as zip_open_from(source) — we keep the facts exactly as they are, no editing the lore 💜)

🍓 EXAMPLES 🍓

here's how you could report errors during zip_open, bestie. take notes 📝

zip_t *za;
int err;

if ((za = zip_open(name, 0, &err)) == NULL) {
    zip_error_t error;
    zip_error_init_with_code(&error, err);
    fprintf(stderr, "%s: cannot open zip archive '%s': %s\n",
            progname, name, zip_error_strerror(&error));
    zip_error_fini(&error);
    return -1;
}

see how she initialises the error, prints it all pretty, and then cleans up with zip_error_fini? that's self-care. that's hygiene. that's a girl who finishes her routines 🧚

💀 ERRORS 💀

the archive specified by path is opened unless… one of these little guys shows up:

• [ZIP_ER_EXISTS] — the file specified by path exists and ZIP_EXCL is set. you said exclusive and she said okay then, no 💅
• [ZIP_ER_INCONS] — inconsistencies were found in the file specified by path. this error is often caused by specifying ZIP_CHECKCONS, but it can also happen without it. so like, don't assume it's your fault? but also it might be 😭
• [ZIP_ER_INVAL] — the path argument is NULL. bestie. you gave her nothing.
• [ZIP_ER_MEMORY] — required memory could not be allocated. the vibes were too big for RAM 💀
• [ZIP_ER_NOENT] — the file specified by path does not exist and ZIP_CREATE is not set. nothing there, and you didn't ask her to make one 🥺
• [ZIP_ER_NOZIP] — the file specified by path is not a zip archive. it's giving… something else entirely 🙈
• [ZIP_ER_OPEN] — the file specified by path could not be opened.
• [ZIP_ER_READ] — a read error occurred; see errno for details. go check errno, she's holding the receipts 📜
• [ZIP_ER_SEEK] — the file specified by path does not allow seeks.

⚠️ for newly created archives, zip_open() does not try to create the file. that happens later, when you call zip_close(3). and any errors — like missing write permissions — get reported then. so don't come for zip_open() about it, she literally wasn't involved yet 💅

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

libzip(3), zip_close(3), zip_error_strerror(3), zip_fdopen(3), zip_source(5)

go read those too, iykyk 📚

⭐ HISTORY ⭐

zip_open() and zip_open_from_source() were added in libzip 1.0. vintage. classic. still eating 💅

🌈 AUTHORS 🌈

Dieter Baron <dillo@nih.at> and Thomas Klausner <wiz@gatalith.at> — legends, honestly, thank you for your service 🫶

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and that's the page, bestie!! this was Debian's build, dated May 5, 2025, from ZIP_OPEN(3) 💖 go forth and open some archives, you absolute icon 👑✨