Build a zip_unzip automation GUI

Building a zip/unzip automation GUI involves using a GUI library that allows interaction with the file system, as well as implementing functionality to compress and extract files. Here’s how you can build it using Python and the tkinter library for the GUI and zipfile for handling zip operations.

Steps to Build the GUI:

1. Install the Required Libraries:

   • Python (of course) — if not already installed.

   • Tkinter (comes with Python by default, but if needed, you can install it using pip install tk).

   • zipfile (also built-in) for compression and extraction.

2. Design the GUI:

   • Input fields for selecting the files or folders to zip/unzip.

   • Buttons to trigger the zip and unzip operations.

   • A progress bar (optional) to indicate the status of the operation.

3. Implement the Functionalities:

   • Zip Functionality: Take a folder or a set of files and compress them into a zip file.

   • Unzip Functionality: Extract the contents of a zip file to a selected folder.

Here is a simple Python script using tkinter for GUI and zipfile for zipping/unzipping:

Python Code Example:

python
CopyEdit
import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import filedialog, messagebox
import zipfile
import os

class ZipUnzipApp:
    def __init__(self, root):
        self.root = root
        self.root.title("Zip/Unzip Automation")
        self.root.geometry("400x300")

        # Create widgets
        self.create_widgets()

    def create_widgets(self):
        # File/folder selection for zipping
        self.zip_button = tk.Button(self.root, text="Select Files/Folders to Zip", command=self.select_files_to_zip)
        self.zip_button.pack(pady=10)

        # File selection for unzipping
        self.unzip_button = tk.Button(self.root, text="Select Zip File to Unzip", command=self.select_zip_to_unzip)
        self.unzip_button.pack(pady=10)

        # Status Label
        self.status_label = tk.Label(self.root, text="Status: Waiting for action.", relief="sunken", anchor="w")
        self.status_label.pack(fill=tk.X, padx=10, pady=10)

    def select_files_to_zip(self):
        # File/folder selection dialog
        file_paths = filedialog.askopenfilenames(title="Select Files to Zip")
        folder_path = filedialog.askdirectory(title="Select Folder to Zip")
        if file_paths or folder_path:
            zip_path = filedialog.asksaveasfilename(defaultextension=".zip", filetypes=[("ZIP Files", "*.zip")])
            if zip_path:
                self.zip_files(zip_path, file_paths, folder_path)

    def zip_files(self, zip_path, file_paths, folder_path):
        try:
            with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_path, 'w', zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as zipf:
                # Add selected files to zip
                for file in file_paths:
                    zipf.write(file, os.path.relpath(file, os.path.dirname(file)))
                # If a folder is selected, add all its files
                if folder_path:
                    for root, _, files in os.walk(folder_path):
                        for file in files:
                            zipf.write(os.path.join(root, file), os.path.relpath(os.path.join(root, file), folder_path))
            self.status_label.config(text=f"Status: Zipping Complete to {zip_path}")
            messagebox.showinfo("Success", "Files and folder have been successfully zipped!")
        except Exception as e:
            self.status_label.config(text="Status: Error occurred while zipping.")
            messagebox.showerror("Error", str(e))

    def select_zip_to_unzip(self):
        # Zip file selection
        zip_file = filedialog.askopenfilename(title="Select Zip File", filetypes=[("ZIP Files", "*.zip")])
        if zip_file:
            unzip_dir = filedialog.askdirectory(title="Select Destination Folder to Unzip")
            if unzip_dir:
                self.unzip_file(zip_file, unzip_dir)

    def unzip_file(self, zip_file, unzip_dir):
        try:
            with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_file, 'r') as zipf:
                zipf.extractall(unzip_dir)
            self.status_label.config(text=f"Status: Unzipping Complete to {unzip_dir}")
            messagebox.showinfo("Success", "Zip file has been successfully extracted!")
        except Exception as e:
            self.status_label.config(text="Status: Error occurred while unzipping.")
            messagebox.showerror("Error", str(e))

# Initialize the Tkinter window
if __name__ == "__main__":
    root = tk.Tk()
    app = ZipUnzipApp(root)
    root.mainloop()

Explanation of Code:

• Tkinter GUI: The Tkinter library is used to create a simple window with two buttons:

  • One button to select files or folders for zipping.

  • Another button to select a zip file for unzipping.

• Zip Functionality:

  • When the user clicks the “Select Files/Folders to Zip” button, they can select multiple files and folders.

  • The selected files/folders are then added to a zip file.

• Unzip Functionality:

  • When the user clicks the “Select Zip File to Unzip” button, they can select a zip file, and then the contents of that zip file are extracted to a specified folder.

• Status Label: Displays the status of the operation (whether it’s successful or if an error occurred).

• Error Handling: Errors during zipping or unzipping operations are caught and displayed in a message box.

How to Use:

1. Run the script.

2. Click on the buttons to select files/folders to zip or a zip file to unzip.

3. Follow the prompts to select the necessary files or folders and choose the destination paths.

4. The status label will update to reflect the success or failure of the operation.

Further Enhancements:

• Add a progress bar for larger files/folders to show the zipping/unzipping progress.

• Allow users to add password protection to zip files.

• Handle different compression formats (e.g., tar.gz, .rar) if needed by adding more libraries like tarfile or py7zr.

Let me know if you’d like to expand on this or need any additional features!