CheckOut Feature

The CheckOut feature makes it easy to examine and/or run files in an archive. It creates a temporary folder, extracts all files from the archive into the folder, creates entries in the Programs menu for the extracted items, and opens a My Computer-style window showing shortcuts to the files in the folder. Double click any item in the window to perform the action normally associated with the document or program (associations are described in the section titled Windows Associations). WinZip® will optionally close the window and delete the temporary folder (and the extracted files) when you close the archive or close WinZip.

CheckOut Dialog Box

Use the CheckOut toolbar button or the CheckOut entry in the Actions pull-down menu to activate the CheckOut dialog box. This dialog box lets you configure these aspects of the operation:

• Use the Folder edit field to specify the temporary CheckOut folder name. The folder will be created if it does not already exist. The suggested folder depends on the setting of the CheckOut base folder in the Folders tab of the Configuration dialog.
• Use the Group name edit field to specify the name to use for the CheckOut window.
• Use the Maximum icons edit field to specify the maximum number of items to be placed in the CheckOut window.
• The Create icons for programs and documents only check box lets you control whether WinZip creates icons for all files in the archive or only for the specified files. When this option is selected, icons are created for executable files and files with associations. Icons are also created for any files with names starting with "read" (in order to catch files with names like "readme.1st", "read.me", etc.).
• The Run virus scanner check box lets you specify whether WinZip will run a virus scanner on the files in the archive. This option is disabled unless a virus scan utility is installed in the Program Locations tab of the Configuration dialog.

Operations performed by the CheckOut feature:

When you click on the OK button in the CheckOut dialog box, WinZip performs the following operations:

1. If the specified folder does not already exist, WinZip will create it. If it already exists and contains files, WinZip will delete the files (after asking your permission, of course). This ensures that the folder will contain only files from the current archive.
2. WinZip extracts files in the current archive to the specified folder.
3. If the Run virus scanner check box is selected, your virus scanner is run against all files in the specified folder. If the virus scan utility returns a non-zero error level, the CheckOut operation is cancelled and messages from the scanner are displayed.
4. WinZip creates a second folder, located in \Windows\Start Menu\Programs. If a folder with the specified name already exists, WinZip will delete it after getting your permission. This ensures that the folder will contain only icons for files in the current archive.
5. In the second folder, WinZip creates shortcuts to the extracted files. It then opens a My Computer-style window displaying icons for the extracted files. These items will also appear in the Programs menu, accessible from the Start button.

Using the CheckOut window:

The window created by CheckOut is a My Computer-style view of the checkout folder and works like any similar window. WinZip creates shortcuts in this folder for each extracted file so that you can use them as follows:

• If a file is executable, double clicking on the icon runs the program.
• If a file has an association, double clicking on the icon loads the file in the associated program so you can view the file.
• Otherwise, double clicking on the icon loads the file in the WinZip Default association program specified in the Program Locations tab of the Configuration dialog.