rar.js provides a pure javascript implementation of the rar format, allowing you to extract or manipulate packed data client-side and server-side.

Multiple inputs are supported: AJAX, File API (HTML5) and local disk (NodeJS).

rar.js makes use of dataview-extra and reader.js.

This is a very new utility/library, please see the list below for what may be missing.

TODO & Potential Features

• Large file support (currently the entire file will be in memory when RarArchive.get is called)
• Decompression support
• Encryption support
• Recognise volumes/split archives
• Parse other entries (e.g. comments)

Using rar.js is fairly straight forward.

var archive = RarArchive(file, function(err) {
	if(err) {
		// An error occurred (not a rar, read error, etc)
		return;
	}
	// Use archive
});

In this example, the callback is called when the archive has been opened and validated successfully. If the archive is of an invalid format or cannot be read, an appropriate error will be passed.

Within the callback, archive.entries has been populated with the files (note you may use this.entries in the callback too).

Each entry is a RarEntry instance.

By using RarArchive.get(file, callback), you can retrieve a Blob of a specified file within the archive.

What you do with this Blob is upto you. A common thing to do would be to create an object URL using URL.createObjectURL(Blob) and redirect the user to it or create an <a> element with the download attribute (HTML5) set to the file name.

When dealing with entries you have retrieved via RarArchive.get(), make sure you check the RarEntry.partial boolean.

If this boolean is true, sending/saving the Blob will result in a partial file. You must request that the user open the previous or next volume and prepend/append to the Blob to be able to retrieve the full file.

To find out if the file is continued in a previous or next volume, see RarEntry.continues and RarEntry.continuesFrom.

• RarArchive(options, callback) If options is a string, it is assumed to be a URL. If it is a File instance, it will be treated as such. callback will be called when the archive has been validated and is ready.
• RarArchive.entries An array of RarEntry instances contained within this archive
• RarArchive.get(RarEntry, callback) Retrieves the specified RarEntry and passed a Blob of it to callback

When creating an instance of RarArchive, the data source is guessed based on data type. If it is a string, it is assumed to be a URL and will be requested over HTTP. If it is a File instance, it will be read as one.

In the case that you want to specify the type manually or want to read a local file, you must pass it in the options like so:

RarArchive({ type: RarArchive.OPEN_LOCAL, file: 'example/file.txt'}, function() { });

You may use the following constants for type:

• RarArchive.OPEN_LOCAL for local files (NodeJS only)
• RarArchive.OPEN_URI for HTTP URIs
• RarArchive.OPEN_FILE for File instances

• name File name
• path File path within the archive, including file name
• size Size of the unpacked file
• sizePacked Size of the packed file
• crc CRC of the file
• offset Offset within the archive
• blockSize Size of this entry within the archive (including headers)
• headerSize Size of the header for this entry
• encrypted Boolean specifying if the file is password protected or not
• version RAR version used
• time Date/time string for the file
• method Compression method used, will equal one of the method constants
• os Operating system used (Windows, MS-DOS, OS/2, Unix, Mac or BeOS)
• partial Boolean specifying if the file is partial available due to split volumes. Use RarEntry.continues and RarEntry.continuesFrom.
• continuesFrom Boolean specifying if the file continues from a previous volume
• continues Boolean specifying if the file continues into the next volume

The following constants also exist for use with RarEntry.method:

• RarEntry.METHOD_STORE
• RarEntry.METHOD_FASTEST
• RarEntry.METHOD_FAST
• RarEntry.METHOD_NORMAL
• RarEntry.METHOD_GOOD
• RarEntry.METHOD_BEST

MIT