Correctly saving a .pk3 file?

[PeterMoro]

Been researching the net but can't find any solid answers, thought I might ask here. 

I'm making a .pk3 file and as far as I know the process is to compile and save it as a .zip file and then rename it as a .pk3 file. Sounds easy enough....the problem is that the file is still (secretly!) a .zip file. The zip suffix is hidden but you can see it when you right click properties / details. It looks something like this : whatever.pk3.zip

I had problems with this last year uploading to the IDgames archive and they kept telling my file was a .zip file but I was insisting it was a .pk3. (They were right LOL)

Maybe there's no way to lose the (hidden) .zip suffix without changing the format?

 

So can anyone please tell me the right way to make a .pk3 file? Thanks for your help.

[ramon.dexter]

Enable windows to show file extensions, which are hidden by default.

 

And besides that, pk3 IS a renamed zip. You dont magically change file's structure by renaming the extension.

Edited April 6, 2023 by ramon.dexter

[PeterMoro]

@ramon.dexter Thank you! That solved the problem. Windows by default was hiding the file extensions, making it impossible to be renamed anything but a .zip file.(Even if you named it .pk3 five times it would still be identified as Whatever.pk3.pk3.pk3.pk3.pk3.zip   LOL)

For those who ever have this issue, the solution is to enable windows to show hidden file extensions, so that they are not always automatically named .zip files:

1. Open File Explorer and click on the View tab.
2. In the Show section, select Hidden items.
3. Click on Options, then select Change folder and search options.
4. In the Folder Options window, go to the View tab.
5. Uncheck the box next to "Hide extensions for known file types" .
6. Click Apply and then OK to save the changes.

 

Now you can just rename the .zip to a .pk3 and it will be identified as a .pk3. 

 

[smeghammer]

On 4/6/2023 at 8:24 AM, PeterMoro said:

For those who ever have this issue, the solution is to enable windows to show hidden file extensions

 

THIS!! 

 

:-)

 

You can also use a correctly structured ZIP file as well. As a slight aside to this, the unzipped directory structure can also be run directly with GZDoom. Either pass the path to the root of the unzipped PK3 as a startup arg, or drag and drop the root folder onto a GZDoom desktop shortcut.