This sample demonstrates how to read structured data from a file and write compressed data to a new file and how to read compressed data and write decompressed data to a new file.
Note This sample was created using one of the universal app templates available in Visual Studio. It shows how its solution is structured so it can run on both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. For more info about how to build apps that target Windows and Windows Phone with Visual Studio, see Build apps that target Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 by using Visual Studio.
Many apps need to compress and decompress data. The Windows.Storage.Compression namespace simplifies this task by providing a unified interface that exposes the MSZIP, XPRESS, XPRESS_HUFF, and LZMS compression algorithms. This lets you manage versions, service, and extend the exposed compression algorithms and frees you from responsibility for managing block sizes, compression parameters, and other details that the native Compression API requires. A subset of Win32 and COM for apps can be used by apps to support scenarios not already covered by the Windows Runtime, HTML/Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), or other supported languages or standards. For this purpose, you can also use the native Compression API to develop apps.
Specifically, this sample shows the following:
- Read uncompressed data from an existing file
- Specify the compression algorithm to use.
- Compress the data using the selected compression algorithm.
- Write the compressed data to a new file.
- Read the compressed data from a file.
- Decompress the data.
To obtain an evaluation copy of Windows 8.1, go to Windows 8.1.
To obtain an evaluation copy of Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 Update 2, go to Microsoft Visual Studio 2013.
Note For Windows 8 app samples, download the Windows 8 app samples pack. The samples in the Windows 8 app samples pack will build and run only on Microsoft Visual Studio 2012.
Related topics
Operating system requirements
| Client | |
|---|---|
| Server | |
| Phone |
Build the sample
- Start Visual Studio 2013 Update 2 and select File > Open > Project/Solution.
- Go to the directory to which you unzipped the sample. Then go to the subdirectory named for the sample and double-click the Visual Studio 2013 Update 2 Solution (.sln) file.
- Follow the steps for the version of the sample you want:
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To build the Windows version of the sample:
- Select Compression.Windows in Solution Explorer.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+B, or use Build > Build Solution, or use Build > Build Compression.Windows.
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To build the Windows Phone version of the sample:
- Select Compression.WindowsPhone in Solution Explorer.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+B or use Build > Build Solution or use Build > Build Compression.WindowsPhone.
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Note The sample doesn't support a "Windows Phone-C++" version because the Win32 APIs that it requires aren't available for Windows Phone.
Run the sample
The next steps depend on whether you just want to deploy the sample or you want to both deploy and run it.
Deploying the sample
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To deploy the built Windows version of the sample:
- Select Compression.Windows in Solution Explorer.
- Use Build > Deploy Solution or Build > Deploy Compression.Windows.
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To deploy the built Windows Phone version of the sample:
- Select Compression.WindowsPhone in Solution Explorer.
- Use Build > Deploy Solution or Build > Deploy Compression.WindowsPhone.
Deploying and running the sample
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To deploy and run the Windows version of the sample:
- Right-click Compression.Windows in Solution Explorer and select Set as StartUp Project.
- To debug the sample and then run it, press F5 or use Debug > Start Debugging. To run the sample without debugging, press Ctrl+F5 or use Debug > Start Without Debugging.
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To deploy and run the Windows Phone version of the sample:
- Right-click Compression.WindowsPhone in Solution Explorer and select Set as StartUp Project.
- To debug the sample and then run it, press F5 or use Debug > Start Debugging. To run the sample without debugging, press Ctrl+F5 or use Debug > Start Without Debugging.