compressing dirs

[william]

I've created a folder fulll of icons and was just wondering if it'd be possible to compress it (tar, gzip, zip, rar, etc) through command line at once, instead of going .png file by .png file.

I did a google search and found some commands, but unfortunately I didn't succeeded in doing that.

Actually, my intention is to back up this folder for a possible future use.

Thanks for any inputs.

[bvc]

you mean if the icons are in /home/william/icons, and you're in a terminal in /home/william

tar -czf icons.tar.gz icons

Edited April 23, 2004 by bvc

[william]

that's it, bvc!!! Great help!!!

[Cannonfodder]

If you want you can make a file called myalias.sh and put it in /etc/profile.d. Inside the file do something like

 

alias maketar=tar -czf

 

Each time you login or open a new command window, the aliascommand will be executed and you can then do type

 

maketar <some folder>

 

I also do this for uncompressing tar.gz, or tar.bz2 or making iso files, whatever. Just easier to type and less to remember argument wise.

[william]

cannonfodder:

I did what you suggested, but I should have done something wrong. (I don't know scripting)

Here is the script:

#!/bin/bash 
alias maketar=tar -czf

Properly saved in /etc/profile.d/, but whenever I lauch the terminal I get this error;

-bash: alias: -czf: not found

I've already run chmod +x to make it executable, but even then it didin't worked.

[spinynorman]

I think you have to make that -

alias maketar="tar -czf"

[william]

thanks spinynorman:

it worked.

[Qchem]

I'd probably have put the alias in ~/.bash_profile and I tend to use bzip2 compression (substitute the z for a j).