Creating Zip Files on your ASP.NET Server

Creating files from ASP.NET (C# or VB.NET) can be a pain, with directory permissions getting in the way…

Here is a C# example that shows how to create a .zip file in a "ZipFiles" subdirectory beneath the application root. You’ll first need to create the directory and then give it Write permission. Once you do it, the following code should work:

    private string MappedApplicationPath()
    {
            string APP_PATH = System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Request.ApplicationPath.ToLower();
            if (APP_PATH == "/")      //a site
                APP_PATH = "/";
            else if (!APP_PATH.EndsWith(@"/")) //a virtual
                APP_PATH += @"/";
	
            string it = System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath(APP_PATH);
            if (!it.EndsWith(@"\"))
                it += @"\";
            return it;
    }
	
    // This example creates a Zip file in a "ZipFiles" directory under
    // the application root directory.  You should first provide write access
    // to the ZipFiles directory before running this sample.
    protected void Button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        Chilkat.Zip zip = new Chilkat.Zip();
        zip.UnlockComponent("anything for 30-day trial");
        string mappedPath = MappedApplicationPath();
	
        zip.TempDir = mappedPath + "ZipFiles";
        zip.NewZip(mappedPath + "ZipFiles\\test.zip");
        zip.AppendAnsi("test.txt", "this is a test");
        zip.WriteZipAndClose();
	
        TextBox1.Text = zip.LastErrorText;
    }