Adding to PK3 via WinRAR (no longer working) [RESOLVED]

[Cyanosis]

Unless my memory fails to serve me correctly I recall being able to add stuff to PK3s via WinRAR in the past but now the 'Add' is grayed out. I can only extract files from PK3s now, not edit them, not even save them inside. I wanted to alter some values in Return of the Triad's DECORATE for my playing preference and I can't. Did something change with WinRAR or was there another way to edit files inside of PK3s and save them? I'm pretty jarred as it's been a while since I've done this.

[Enjay]

Is the file write protected?

Anyway, a PK3 is just a zip file. Anything that can work with zips should be able to work with PK3s. Damn, I with this whole PK3 name thing had never happened. I can't count how many times I've type that last statement. Anyway, if you're getting nowhere, try renaming the PK3 to zip to see if that makes any difference.

[Cyanosis]

It doesn't appear to be write protected, renaming didn't help.

[Enjay]

What about other tools: Slade, 7zip, Pea Zip, IZArc, even Windows Explorer can support standard zip files.

If you didn't make the file yourself, perhaps it was created with a form of compression that WinRAR doesn't support?

[Cyanosis]

Alright, it might be write protected, I was able to for example open up the zdoom.pk3 with no problem, in WinRAR as well as SLADE, but the ROTT one says its invalid.

[Enjay]

OK, I've had a look at the file. I think the "problem" is that it's not really a PK3 (not that anything is really). It's not a renamed zip. I think it's a renamed 7z instead, and WinRAR cannot add files to 7z archives. Usually people name "PK3"s made from 7z files PK7 or PKZ but this one has been called PK3. Just another reason why I don't like this whole PK3 renaming thing. If the file had been called rott_tc_full.7z it wouldn't have caused this confusion.

[phantombeta]

Yeah, it might not have caused this confusion...
But then you'd have to deal with people asking what to do with all the files they extracted from the zip/7z file.

[Enjay]

True. I'm really not a fan of the PK3 convention though. Personally, I'd prefer for them just to be called zip or 7z or, if another name was considered to be necessary, something ZDoom specific instead. Still, that boat has sailed.

Whatever, on my system, PK3 extensions are functionally the same as zip extensions because I have set them up like zip files and associated them with everything zips are associated with. So, other than the name being different, a PK3 file on my system will behave in exactly the same way as a file with a ZIP extension.

[Cyanosis]

7Zip saved the day, now I know what to do next time if this problem ever arises again. Thanks Enjay!