How do I open .7z files in Tiger?

Uduckhead

Uduckhead

Registered
Hi everyone,

I recently downloaded something that was compressed in the .7z format. I searched on the web for a while, and found a program called 7za that is supposed to allow Mac OS X users to decompress .7z's. However, after installing it I found that it required me to input some strange commands in the Terminal, and not being too experienced with the Terminal I was not entirely sure what to do. I was also worried that the commands might screw up my computer. Is there any other means for decompressing these files? Here is the website with the program if anyone would be kind enough to give me a walkthrough if this is the only way to do it:

File - http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/27156
 
that program is indeed the only one i can find for os x with a quick search...

what file is it? the .7z filetype was created by http://www.7-zip.org/ ... and i don't think that's a very common zipping protocol for os x files. (or so far, have not seen any os x files in the past .. never).
 
It's not an OS X file, just something I'm trying to decompress and burn.

Are you at all familiar with the steps I must take in the Terminal? The author's website has some steps I must take first, but they are not very clear.
 
Those commands make it so you can just run it without having to put the full path of the unstuffing program when you want to run it. It doesn't do anything unusual to your machine, but make it easier to run those commands. Just type them exactly how he has them and you'll be fine...Just make sure you replace "your_user_name" with your short username...
 
Ok, this next question is going to sound idiotic but I have really never used the Terminal before so please keep that in mind.

In his first set of instructions he has a "$" at the beginning of every line, but when I type that and then the command it says "$: command not found." When I type it without the "$" it doesn't give me an error but it doesn't give me confirmation or anything either. What am I doing wrong?
 
Also when I type the "%" in front of the bottom commands it says "Too many arguments," again when I don't type it it doesn't say anything.
 
Or the $? Because after I typed all the stuff on that page in, I tried to follow the commands in the read-me and it didn't work.
 
The $ and % signs are just the "prompts". You don't have to enter them. And no, entering commands doesn't have to give feedback. Basically: You've entered the command, no error message pops up, everything done and okay. :)
 
Alright, well I'm going to type everything in again, then follow the commands it gives me in the read-me. I'll copy/paste them here:

• Mac OS X installation •

Install the package. You will have to add /usr/local/bin to your shell PATH. The Jaguar note on my software page will take care of this.


• Usage •

Type '7za' in a terminal for a list of options, and go from there.


Or, for the CLI-challenged:

First, type: (don't type the bracketed stuff literally)

cd [path/to/the/7z/file]

There's a simple trick to avoid a lot of typing here - have a Finder window open with the folder containing the rar's visible - ie if you have the rar folder in a 'downloads' folder, have the 'downloads' folder open; then type 'cd ' (that's a space in there); then drag the rar folder from the Finder to the terminal window; then press return. You're there.

Once you're there, type:

7za e [7z_archive_name]

If the 7z name has spaces or square brackets in it, enclose it in quotes (a good habit is to ALWAYS enclose it in quotes). Another trick - copy the .7z file name in the Finder and paste it after the '7za e ' (with quotes if needed) in the terminal.
Click to expand...

Is the "Jaguar note" he refers to one and the same as the link I posted earlier?
 
YES! IT WORKS!

Thank all of you guys SO MUCH for guiding me along my first (and most likely not last) sojourn into the Terminal and the .7z format!
 
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