File name handler for archive files

File name handler for archive files

[Michael Albinus]

Hi,

it has been requested from time to time in the Emacs ML, so I gave it a
try. With commit d338325c2b to the Emacs master repository, I've
implemented file name handlers for archive files.

Given you have a file /path/to/archive.tar, you can open this now via
"C-x C-f /path/to/archive.tar/" in dired mode, seeing all contained
files. Note the trailing slash. Opening "C-x C-f
/path/to/archive.tar/file" opens a file in that archive.

Since the implementation uses Tramp's archive method of tramp-gvfs.el,
this works only on machines which run GVFS. Roughly spoken, on GNU/Linux
machines.

It doesn't work for tar archives only, but also for many other archive
formats. And for compressed archives. And for archives located an a
remote host. And for archives inside archives.

Read (info "(tramp) Archive file names") for the details. As usual,
feedback much appreciated!

Best regards, Michael.

Re: File name handler for archive files

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Michael Albinus <michael.albinus@gmx.de>
> Date: Sat, 09 Dec 2017 15:40:37 +0100
> 
> it has been requested from time to time in the Emacs ML, so I gave it a
> try. With commit d338325c2b to the Emacs master repository, I've
> implemented file name handlers for archive files.

Thanks!