Does it make sense to copy a project to a "safe location" before zipping it?

Hello everyone,

In the past, I used 7zip to regularly back up my projects. Now, I am using a slightly customized version of wqweto's ZipArchive class:
https://github.com/wqweto/ZipArchive

I prefer this class because I can compile it myself, which means I no longer have to assume the source is safe—I know it is. That is a huge benefit! Thank you!

7zip used to throw errors when encountering locked files, particularly with some .NET-specific Visual Studio files. Because of that, I developed the habit of copying all project files to a safe location before zipping them.

This gave me confidence that I could continue working in VB6 and experimenting while the zipper archived the last functional version. But I am now questioning if this approach actually makes sense. Over the years, I have become a bit paranoid...

This is not just a theoretical question—I am currently in the process of rewriting my backup solution. Since I have recently started using RC6 threading, I wonder whether my "copy to safe location" approach is necessary or if I should simply skip locked files. If I stick with this habit, I would use RC6 threading for copying files, making the project more complex.

Before doing that, I would like to hear opinions from others on whether this is a good approach.

Currently, I am using SHFileCopy, which is blocking, which is why I was considering RC threading to allow easy cancellation.

Update – Why I Initially Chose to Copy Files to a Temporary Location
I just remembered the real reason I originally started copying files to a temporary location before zipping. It was not only about avoiding locked files but also about ensuring a specific folder structure within the ZIP archive that retains the original path information.

For example, if my original project path was:

Code:

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d:\dev\projects\MyProjectName

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I would first copy the files to a temporary directory like this:

Code:

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w:\tempremove\MyProjectName_2025.3.8.18.42\0001\d_\dev\projects\MyProjectName

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Then, I would create the ZIP file:

Code:

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MyProjectName_2025.3.8.18.42.zip

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And inside that ZIP file, the folder structure would be:

Code:

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d_\dev\projects\MyProjectName

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This way, I could always reconstruct the original project path later without ambiguity.

Why Not Just Modify the Paths in the ZIP Directly?
I originally wanted to avoid physically copying the files and instead specify the target path inside the ZIP archive dynamically. However, I could not find a way to do this with wqweto’s ZipArchive class.

It seems that the only way to get the correct structure in the ZIP is to physically copy the files into the temporary structure first and then zip them from there.

If anyone knows a way to modify the stored paths inside the ZIP without having to physically reorganize the files first, I’d love to hear it!

The following function is how ZipArchive currently adds files to the archive. I need to modify it so that it enforces my custom folder structure without requiring the files to be physically moved first:

Code:

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Private Function AddFile( _
            file As Variant, _
            Optional uFilepathOrDirectory As String, _
            Optional uComment As String, _
            Optional uPassword As String, _
            Optional uEncrStrength As Long = cstEncrStrength, _
            Optional uLevel As Long = -1) As Boolean
    Const FUNC_NAME    As String = "AddFile"
   
    On Error GoTo EH
    pvSetError
   
    If pSkip(uFilepathOrDirectory) Then
        Exit Function
    End If

    Dim nFile As ZipVfsType
    Dim bIsOpen As Boolean
    bIsOpen = pvVfsOpen(file, nFile)
    If Not bIsOpen Then
        Exit Function
    End If
       
    If m_lFileCount = 0 Then
        ReDim m_Files(0 To 2) As ZipFileInfo
    ElseIf m_lFileCount > UBound(m_Files) Then
        ReDim Preserve m_Files(0 To 2 * UBound(m_Files)) As ZipFileInfo
    End If
 
    With m_Files(m_lFileCount)
        If LenB(uFilepathOrDirectory) <> 0 Then
            .FilepathOrDirectory = uFilepathOrDirectory
        Else
            .FilepathOrDirectory = Mid$(nFile.FilepathOrDirectory, InStrRev(nFile.FilepathOrDirectory, "\") + 1)
        End If
        If Right$(.FilepathOrDirectory, 1) = "\" Then
            .Size = 0
            .Attributes = vbDirectory
        Else
            .Size = pvToInt64(nFile.Data.nFileSizeLow, nFile.Data.nFileSizeHigh)
            .Attributes = nFile.Data.dwFileAttributes
        End If
       
        m_BytesToProcessOverall = m_BytesToProcessOverall + .Size
       
        .Comment = uComment
        .LastModified = pvFromFileTime(nFile.Data.ftLastWriteTime)
        .Extra = vbNullString
        If IsObject(file) Then
            '--- remove VT_BYREF if any
            Set .SourceFile = C_Obj(file)
        Else
            .SourceFile = file
        End If
        .Level = uLevel

        .Password = uPassword
        .Aes.Strength = uEncrStrength

        If Not nFile.SourceArchive Is Nothing Then
            .FilepathOrDirectory = nFile.SourceFileInfo(zipIdxFilepathOrDirectory)
            .Comment = nFile.SourceFileInfo(zipIdxComment)
        End If
    End With

    m_lFileCount = m_lFileCount + 1
    '--- success
    AddFile = True
QH:
    On Error Resume Next
    pvVfsClose nFile
    Exit Function
EH:
    Debug.Print Err.Number
    Debug.Print Err.Description
    pvSetError MODULE_NAME & "." & FUNC_NAME & vbCrLf & Err.Source, Err.Description
    Resume QH
End Function

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I would really appreciate your thoughts on this!

Thank you very much!

It would be a lot easier, and less trouble in the long run, to just use some form of version control instead of trying to create your own solution.

Git is free https://git-scm.com/downloads and if you don't like using the command line there are guis you can use e.g.

https://tortoisegit.org/ and https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/ are two personal favourites of mine while https://git-scm.com/downloads/guis?os=windows has a list of various options.

Git will happily work locally without the need for a server etc. although if you do want such a thing then Azure Devops, github, bitbucket, and gitlab all offer free accounts.

See:
https://www.vbforums.com/showthread....ACZip-Archiver
I have used this simple program for over 10 years to Zip files for transport. You use the Common Dialog Control to select the desired files and copy them to a temporary directory in the users %temp% directory, and then select the ZIP file name and directory for creation. Once created, the temporary directory is deleted.

J.A. Coutts