patool on CachyOS: install, first run, settings and fixes

Install patool with pacman

1. Install patool from the official cachyos repo. pacman checks the package signature before it installs.
   sudo pacman -S patoolCopy

First run

1. Extract one or more archives of any supported format.
   patool extract archive.zip otherarchive.rarCopy
2. List the files stored in an archive.
   patool list package.debCopy
3. Create a new archive. The format follows the file extension.
   patool create --verbose /path/to/myfiles.zip file1.txt dir/Copy

Key settings

1. Extract or create with a password.
   patool extract --password somepassword archive.rarCopy
2. Test an archive's integrity.
   patool test --verbose dist.tar.gzCopy
3. Compare two archives, search text inside one, or repack it into another format.
   patool repack linux-2.6.33.tar.gz linux-2.6.33.tar.bz2Copy

Common fixes

patool cannot handle a format

TAR, ZIP, BZIP2, LZMA and GZIP work natively. Other formats need their archive program installed as a helper, for example xz for .xz archives. The install notes list the suggested programs.

patool picks the wrong format

patool detects the format with the file program and falls back to the file extension, so check that the extension matches the real format.

Uninstall patool

1. Remove patool and the dependencies nothing else needs.
   sudo pacman -Rns patoolCopy

Sources

• patool README on GitHub
• patool install notes
• patool on packages.cachyos.org