Version: (using KDE 3.5.9) Installed from: SuSE RPMs So I could to this: 1) add file A 2) add file B 3) change file A (on the disk) 4) click on file A in archive (in Ark) 5) select "refresh" -- new version of A will be now in archive
For technical and usability reasons, it would just not be feasible to implement something like this. The problem is as follows; ark would have to store the original location of the archive somewhere. Because ark supports many formats, one could not just use a field in one of the archive formats (beside, that would just be a hack anyways). If it is stored in memory, then the usability is really limited, because people tend to close archivers very quickly. If I actually tried to store it as a setting in ark, then people would start wondering why it works with some files (the ones compressed in ark), but not others. It is a lot more straightforward to either just have the user create the archive once more, or just drag the updated files into the archive again. The latter will in most cases make sure that the file in question is updated and not just added once more.
> If it is stored in memory, then the usability is really limited, This case, but I doubt the usability is really limited. > because people tend to close archivers very quickly. Even if it is correct (I mean, in terms of statistics) now there is not reason to do otherwise because this feature is missing. With this feature present, users would have a choice to stay a while and think that maybe they would like to alter one or two files. > If I actually tried to store it as a setting in ark, It is not a setting. It is data related to current "document" (the archive). Once archive is build, end of story, but till then you can refresh the content. There is difference between opening archive and bulding an archive. And that's all. > It is a lot more straightforward to either just have the user create the > archive once more, The refresh button is in almost all KDE apps. Compare this to Konqueror, somebody could say -- the web page was changed. The more straightforward way would be to open it again, right? No -- the straightforward way is to simply refresh it. Building archive again is a tiresome task, you didn't really mean, that user should grab all those files again scattered all around the disk, because one or two files needed to be updated? While building archive you (ark) have all the information needed to provide refresh. Why not use that chance to help users in building archives -- other choices are possible (as you presented them) but they are tiresome and error-prone.
> Even if it is correct (I mean, in terms of statistics) now there is not reason > to do otherwise because this feature is missing. You're right it being less used does not mean it will never be implemented, but it certainly means the more important features (such as actually extracting reliably) will be fixed first. > While building archive you (ark) have all the information needed to provide > refresh. Why not use that chance to help users in building archives -- other > choices are possible (as you presented them) but they are tiresome and > error-prone. OK, I see more what you mean now by this refresh mechanism. It is not too hard to do, but it will be impossible to refresh again once ark has been closed. The refresh code is not stable yet, but once it is it should be easy to implement this. Will have to wait until 4.3 though, I am already busy with getting the current features stable for 4.2.
Harald, thank you very much! :-)
*** Bug 218891 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Although bug 218891 isn't exactly the same as this report, I'm considering this one the central report about Ark not updating existing files.
Well the inability to refresh or update archives is something that kde3 ark doesn't always handle properly and a function I avoid but the overwrite dialog should be simpler to fix and would be a good work around for this bug. Meanwhile I will continue to use kde3 ark.
Changing the default assignee in the currently open Ark bug reports to me.
Can we close this bug now? Ark creates an archive on disk as soon as the user adds file(s). I don't think we want to start monitoring the added source files and updating the archive...
Closing as WONTFIX.