data/sessions/finder-extract-zip/memory.md

Memory: finder-extract-zip

Overview

Extract a zip archive in place by opening it in the file manager. Use this when an archive's contents are wanted beside the archive and the archive is visible in a window — a double-click is the whole task, because the system's archive handler owns the file type and extracts into the containing folder. The recorded trace is two steps and leaves an Archive/ folder next to the untouched Archive.zip.

Prerequisites

• A desktop environment with a file manager that can expand archives, or a shell with an extraction tool.
• An archive file that exists and is readable, in a format the tool handles.
• Write access to the destination folder, and enough free space for the uncompressed contents — which can be far larger than the archive.
• Knowledge of whether the archive contains a single top-level folder or a set of loose files. This determines whether extracting "in place" produces one tidy folder or scatters files across the destination.
• No existing files at the destination that the archive's contents would replace.
• An archive from a source that is trusted enough to unpack. Extraction writes whatever paths the archive names.

Steps

Step 1 — Move-cursor at (574, 218)

The task is to extract the contents of Archive.zip into the folder it sits in. Move the cursor onto the Archive.zip icon. Moving to the target and acting as a separate step is more dependable than a combined move-and-click, which sometimes reaches the position without the click registering.

Step 2 — Double-click at (574, 218)

Move the cursor and Double-click Archive.zip. Opening a zip archive on macOS does not show its contents in a viewer — the double-click hands the file to Archive Utility, which expands it in place, so the open is the extraction and no separate Extract command exists. A folder named after the archive, Archive, appears beside it holding the contents. The original Archive.zip is left in place rather than consumed, so the folder ends up with both.

Notes & Edge Cases

1. Double-clicking an archive extracts it on this system rather than opening it for browsing. The archive tool takes the double-click, there is no dialog and no choice of destination, so the entire operation is decided before it starts.
2. Where the contents land depends on the archive, not on the action. An archive that stores a top-level folder produces that one folder; an archive of loose files scatters them directly into the folder holding the archive. Listing the contents first is what tells the two apart.
3. The archive is not consumed. The folder ends with the archive and its contents side by side, which is normal and not a sign the extraction only half ran.
4. A same-named item already present is not overwritten. The tool appends to the new folder's name instead, so a second run produces a second folder rather than replacing the first — the task is not idempotent.
5. For a small archive there is no progress and no completion message. The extracted item appearing is the only signal, so confirm from the folder rather than waiting for something to report.
6. Free space is measured against the uncompressed size, which the archive's own size says nothing useful about.
7. An archive from an unknown source can name paths outside the destination and write where it was not pointed. Inspect the entries first when the source is not trusted.
8. A double-click is the least reliable gesture to send synthetically. Selecting the file and using the open key command reaches the same place and is easier to confirm.