Best way to use WinACE within TC?

[DRP535]

Is it best to use the commandline version of ACE with TC or can the W32 WinACE version like with WinRAR be used?

Thanks

[JP]

You can use the Windows version with no problem. You just need to put the path to it in Configuration/Option/Packer. I have never use the command line version, but the W32 version works very well with TC.

[lzvk25]

I made a little experiment and with one of my regular backups, I included some empty subdirectories, and the result was that once they were finished, the command line version (Ace32.exe) did NOT include those empty subdirectories, while the Windows version (winace.exe) included them with no problems.



Also remember that the command line version is sold separately, so if you are going to make a real backup, use the Windows version.



Of course, never underestimate other archivers like WinRAR or 7-zip, but curiously for the first time, in these particular backups, WinAce actually beat WinRAR. That was a real surprise for me.

[DRP535]

I made a little experiment and with one of my regular backups, I included some empty subdirectories, and the result was that once they were finished, the command line version (Ace32.exe) did NOT include those empty subdirectories, while the Windows version (winace.exe) included them with no problems.



Also remember that the command line version is sold separately, so if you are going to make a real backup, use the Windows version.



Of course, never underestimate other archivers like WinRAR or 7-zip, but curiously for the first time, in these particular backups, WinAce actually beat WinRAR. That was a real surprise for me.

Thanks for this answer. Yes I too have found that the commandline version does not store empty directories when called from TC but I didn't know you could use the W32 version of it to do same like you can with WinRAR - thanks for the tip.

For what it's worth, I always use WinRAR for everything except AutoCAD drawings. WinRAR gets the smallest archive size for 99% of all files except AutoCAD drawings. For some reason ACE seems to be particularly adept at compressing AutoCAD drawings - nothing I've tried will beat WinACE on these files. I frequently need to e-mail drawings, so I need both WinRAR and WinACE easily accessible.

Thanks for the tip.[/quote]

[Strogg]

As for me, I think WinAce is not fully compatible with TC as such as WinRaR. For example while checking "Multiple Disk Archive" option Winace 2.5 doesn't creates them otherwise commandline Ace 1.2b does.

[ghisler(Author)]

2Strogg
This is indeed a bug in WinACE - it ignores the parameter to create multiple disk archives. I already told the author, but he never fixed it. If anyone else is missing this feature too, please complain to the WinACE author!

[deus-ex]

Winace ignores any parameter you try to pass to it in opposit to the Win32-Console version.

I already complained about that in the Winace Forum a few month ago, but i never got any
reply from the authors. IMHO their support lacks a lot, since the Winace-Team counts
three people and seeing how few they respond to any userposts.

[mcbexx]

Hi there,

a WinAce user pointed me to this forum thread - we just took a closer look at how Total Commander passes on the command line to WinAce and from what we found, I am afraid the ball is back again in Christian's court...

Apparently what TC does is mix up the syntax for the command line.

Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but we have intercepted the parameter list that has been passed to WinAce by TC:

Image: http://www.winace.de/tcparam.gif

Instead of using the documented syntax

Code: Select all

<command> <switch(es)> <archive name> <file/file list>

TC appears to pass on

Code: Select all

<command> <archive name> <switch(es)> <file/file list>

to WinAce, which naturally will not work correctly.

Cheers,
Marc Beckersjuergen
WinAce Staff

[deus-ex]

At last, a reaction from the Winace Staff (~ 2 month due)
_______________________________________________

2Christian/ghisler(author)

I just made some tests running Winace through TC. Trying to build a multivolume archive.


1. TC-commandline: <path>\Winace a -v1423 <path\archivname> <files>
(-v1423 = Volumesize, that will fit on 3 1/2# Floppydisks)
Works as expected.

2. [Alt+F5] "wincmd.ini"/[Packer]/ACE=<path>\Winace a -v1423
Winace creates multivolume archive with name "a" instead given archivename in the sourcedir, not in targetdir.

3. [Alt+F5] "wincmd.ini"/[Packer]/ACE=<path>\Winace -v1423
Winace-shell starts up, ignoring requested command.


I hope, that was of some help for you

[ghisler(Author)]

2mcbexx
I don't understand why you changed this from DOS-ACE to WINAce - it means that your program is no longer backwards compatible! Total Commander has been supporting DOS-ACE for a long time - now I have to modify my code to support WinACE, and I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has to do this...

[petergus]

More about winace commandline:
When I create a sfx, TC send two -sfx switches. Is that really necessary?

Image: http://w1.171.telia.com/~u17106176/cmdline.gif

//Peter

[petergus]

If anyone can't wait for a better solution.

This is a small program that swap winace parameters TC is sending,
making multiple disk archive and self extracting ACE working!

more stuff:
Choose how winace should run. it's like working in background.
Create win32 SFX(sfx32 switch) or standard dos SFX(sfx switch).

http://w1.171.telia.com/~u17106176/paramchg.zip - 100kb

Copy files to your winace folder, and change your ACE settings in TC.

Tested with Winace 2.5.

//peter

[lzvk25]

2petergus :

Thanks for the program. I use WinAce a lot and this will help me.


2Christian :
I just hope TC6 will have this new kind of support.
BTW. I also noticed that there is a new parameter in WinAce, in this case it is "-cfg" which will take whatever we have previously configured as default in WinAce. Maybe this parameter can be used to simplify the new support for WinAce.

[JP]

If anyone can't wait for a better solution.

This is a small program that swap winace parameters TC is sending,
making multiple disk archive and self extracting ACE working!

more stuff:
Choose how winace should run. it's like working in background.
Create win32 SFX(sfx32 switch) or standard dos SFX(sfx switch).

http://w1.171.telia.com/~u17106176/paramchg.zip - 100kb

Copy files to your winace folder, and change your ACE settings in TC.

Tested with Winace 2.5.

//peter

Thanks, but you should, IMHO, modify it a bit. It's always asking for a confirmation...This is bothering...

[petergus]

Thanks, but you should, IMHO, modify it a bit. It's always asking for a confirmation...This is bothering...

Fixed!
Supported WinAce commands: A D M E X T.

http://w1.171.telia.com/~u17106176/paramchg.zip - 55 kb

//Peter