Extracting files from a Zip archive programmatically using C# and System.IO.Packaging

If you are manipulating ZIP files, you may want to look into a 3rd-party library to help you.

For example, DotNetZip, which has been recently updated. The current version is now v1.8. Here’s an example to create a zip:

using (ZipFile zip = new ZipFile())
{
  zip.AddFile("c:\\photos\\personal\\7440-N49th.png");
  zip.AddFile("c:\\Desktop\\2005_Annual_Report.pdf");
  zip.AddFile("ReadMe.txt");

  zip.Save("Archive.zip");
}

Here’s an example to update an existing zip; you don’t need to extract the files to do it:

using (ZipFile zip = ZipFile.Read("ExistingArchive.zip"))
{
  // 1. remove an entry, given the name
  zip.RemoveEntry("README.txt");

  // 2. Update an existing entry, with content from the filesystem
  zip.UpdateItem("Portfolio.doc");

  // 3. modify the filename of an existing entry 
  // (rename it and move it to a sub directory)
  ZipEntry e = zip["Table1.jpg"];
  e.FileName = "images/Figure1.jpg";

  // 4. insert or modify the comment on the zip archive
  zip.Comment = "This zip archive was updated " + System.DateTime.ToString("G"); 

  // 5. finally, save the modified archive
  zip.Save();
}

here’s an example that extracts entries:

using (ZipFile zip = ZipFile.Read("ExistingZipFile.zip"))
{
  foreach (ZipEntry e in zip)
  {
    e.Extract(TargetDirectory, true);  // true => overwrite existing files
  }
}

DotNetZip supports multi-byte chars in filenames, Zip encryption, AES encryption, streams, Unicode, self-extracting archives.
Also does ZIP64, for file lengths greater than 0xFFFFFFFF, or for archives with more than 65535 entries.

free. open source

get it at
codeplex or direct download from windows.net – CodePlex has been discontinued and archived