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(emacs)File Archives

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File Archives
=============

   A file whose name ends in `.tar' is normally an "archive" made by
the `tar' program.  Emacs views these files in a special mode called
Tar mode which provides a Dired-like list of the contents (Note:
Dired).  You can move around through the list just as you would in
Dired, and visit the subfiles contained in the archive.  However, not
all Dired commands are available in Tar mode.

   If you enable Auto Compression mode (Note: Compressed Files), then
Tar mode is used also for compressed archives--files with extensions
`.tgz', `.tar.Z' and `.tar.gz'.

   The keys `e', `f' and <RET> all extract a component file into its
own buffer.  You can edit it there and when you save the buffer the
edited version will replace the version in the Tar buffer.  `v'
extracts a file into a buffer in View mode.  `o' extracts the file and
displays it in another window, so you could edit the file and operate
on the archive simultaneously.  `d' marks a file for deletion when you
later use `x', and `u' unmarks a file, as in Dired.  `C' copies a file
from the archive to disk and `R' renames a file.  `g' reverts the
buffer from the archive on disk.

   The keys `M', `G', and `O' change the file's permission bits, group,
and owner, respectively.

   If your display supports colors and the mouse, moving the mouse
pointer across a file name highlights that file name, indicating that
you can click on it.  Clicking `Mouse-2' on the highlighted file name
extracts the file into a buffer and displays that buffer.

   Saving the Tar buffer writes a new version of the archive to disk
with the changes you made to the components.

   You don't need the `tar' program to use Tar mode--Emacs reads the
archives directly.  However, accessing compressed archives requires the
appropriate uncompression program.

   A separate but similar Archive mode is used for archives produced by
the programs `arc', `jar', `lzh', `zip', and `zoo', which have
extensions corresponding to the program names.

   The key bindings of Archive mode are similar to those in Tar mode,
with the addition of the `m' key which marks a file for subsequent
operations, and `M-<DEL>' which unmarks all the marked files.  Also,
the `a' key toggles the display of detailed file information, for those
archive types where it won't fit in a single line.  Operations such as
renaming a subfile, or changing its mode or owner, are supported only
for some of the archive formats.

   Unlike Tar mode, Archive mode runs the archiving program to unpack
and repack archives.  Details of the program names and their options
can be set in the `Archive' Customize group.  However, you don't need
these programs to look at the archive table of contents, only to
extract or manipulate the subfiles in the archive.