CAB Commands Reference

Purpose

Complete command-line reference for all CAB (Microsoft Cabinet) format operations. This document provides detailed syntax, options, and examples for the 6 CAB commands.

References

• Getting Started Guide

• CAB Format Guide

• Ruby API Reference

Concepts

CAB commands follow a consistent pattern with the format: cabriolet COMMAND [OPTIONS] FILE [ARGS]. Each command operates on CAB files with specific purposes: listing, extracting, creating, testing, searching, and getting information.

Command Overview

Command	Purpose
list	List contents of a CAB file
extract	Extract files from a CAB archive
info	Display detailed CAB information
test	Verify CAB archive integrity
search	Find embedded CAB files
create	Create new CAB archive

---

list - List CAB Contents

Display files contained in a CAB archive without extracting them.

Syntax

cabriolet list [OPTIONS] FILE

Parameters

FILE

(required) Path to the CAB file to list

Options

--verbose, -v

Show detailed file information including size, date, attributes

Returns

• Exit code 0 on success

• Exit code 1 on error

• Exit code 3 if file not found

Description

The list command displays all files contained in a CAB archive, showing file names and basic information. Use --verbose for detailed output including file sizes, timestamps, and attributes.

Examples

Basic listing

cabriolet list archive.cab

Output

Files in archive.cab:
  readme.txt
  setup.exe
  config.ini

Total: 3 files

Verbose listing

cabriolet list --verbose archive.cab

Output

Files in archive.cab:
  readme.txt
    Size: 1,245 bytes
    Date: 2024-01-15 14:30:00
    Attributes: Archive

  setup.exe
    Size: 524,288 bytes
    Date: 2024-01-15 14:30:00
    Attributes: Archive

  config.ini
    Size: 512 bytes
    Date: 2024-01-15 14:30:00
    Attributes: Archive

Total: 3 files, 526,045 bytes
Compression: MSZIP

Save listing to file

cabriolet list archive.cab > contents.txt

Common Errors

• File not found: Verify the CAB file path is correct

• Invalid CAB signature: File is not a valid CAB archive

• Permission denied: Ensure read permissions on the CAB file

See Also

• info - For detailed archive information

• CAB Format Guide - Listing Contents

---

extract - Extract CAB Files

Extract all files from a CAB archive to a directory.

Syntax

cabriolet extract [OPTIONS] FILE [OUTPUT_DIR]

Parameters

FILE

(required) Path to the CAB file to extract

OUTPUT_DIR

(optional) Directory to extract files to (default: current directory)

Options

--verbose, -v

Show extraction progress for each file

--overwrite

Overwrite existing files without prompting

--preserve-paths

Preserve full directory paths from CAB

--salvage

Attempt to extract from damaged archives

Returns

• Exit code 0 on success

• Exit code 1 on error

• Exit code 3 if file not found

• Exit code 4 if permission denied

Description

The extract command extracts all files from a CAB archive, recreating the directory structure as stored in the CAB. By default, files are extracted to the current directory unless OUTPUT_DIR is specified.

Examples

Extract to current directory

cabriolet extract archive.cab

Extract to specific directory

cabriolet extract archive.cab output/

Output

Extracting archive.cab...
  readme.txt (1,245 bytes) ✓
  setup.exe (524,288 bytes) ✓
  config.ini (512 bytes) ✓

Successfully extracted 3 files to output/

Extract with verbose output

cabriolet extract --verbose archive.cab extracted/

Output

Opening archive.cab...
Found 3 files in 1 folder
Compression: MSZIP

Extracting to extracted/
  Decompressing folder 1...
  readme.txt (1,245 bytes)... OK
  setup.exe (524,288 bytes)... OK
  config.ini (512 bytes)... OK

Extraction complete
Total: 3 files, 526,045 bytes
Time: 0.5 seconds

Extract from damaged archive

cabriolet extract --salvage damaged.cab recovered/

Extract multi-part archive

# Ensure all parts are present
ls large-archive.ca*
# Extract from first part
cabriolet extract large-archive.cab output/

Common Errors

• Cannot create output directory: Verify write permissions

• Disk full: Ensure sufficient disk space for extraction

• Corrupt data: Try --salvage option for damaged archives

• Missing cabinet: For multi-part CABs, ensure all parts are present

See Also

• test - Verify archive integrity before extraction

• CAB Format Guide - Extracting

• Extracting Files Guide

---

info - Show CAB Information

Display detailed information about a CAB archive including structure, compression, and metadata.

Syntax

cabriolet info [OPTIONS] FILE

Parameters

FILE

(required) Path to the CAB file to analyze

Options

--verbose, -v

Show additional technical details

Returns

• Exit code 0 on success

• Exit code 1 on error

• Exit code 3 if file not found

Description

The info command provides comprehensive information about a CAB archive, including cabinet metadata, folder structure, compression details, and file listings.

Examples

Basic information

cabriolet info archive.cab

Output

Cabinet: archive.cab
  Set ID: 12345
  Cabinet number: 1
  Total size: 320,512 bytes

Folders: 1
  Folder 1:
    Compression: MSZIP
    Data size: 320,476 bytes

Files: 3
  readme.txt (1,245 bytes)
  setup.exe (524,288 bytes)
  config.ini (512 bytes)

Verbose information

cabriolet info --verbose archive.cab

Output

Cabinet: archive.cab
  Signature: MSCF
  Version: 1.3
  Set ID: 12345
  Cabinet number: 1 of 1
  Total size: 320,512 bytes
  Header size: 36 bytes
  Flags: None

Folders: 1
  Folder 1:
    Compression: MSZIP (Type 1)
    Data offset: 36
    Data blocks: 1
    Data size: 320,476 bytes (uncompressed: 526,045 bytes)
    Compression ratio: 39.1%

Files: 3
  readme.txt
    Size: 1,245 bytes
    Folder: 1
    Offset: 0
    Date: 2024-01-15 14:30:00
    Attributes: Archive

  setup.exe
    Size: 524,288 bytes
    Folder: 1
    Offset: 1,245
    Date: 2024-01-15 14:30:00
    Attributes: Archive

  config.ini
    Size: 512 bytes
    Folder: 1
    Offset: 525,533
    Date: 2024-01-15 14:30:00
    Attributes: Archive

Multi-part cabinet information

cabriolet info large-archive.cab

Output

Cabinet: large-archive.cab
  Set ID: 54321
  Cabinet number: 1 of 3
  Next cabinet: large-archive.ca2
  Total size: 1,474,560 bytes

Folders: 5
Files: 127

This is part 1 of a multi-part archive.

Common Errors

• Invalid CAB signature: File is not a valid CAB archive

• Corrupt header: Archive header is damaged

See Also

• list - For simple file listing

• CAB Format Guide - Info

---

test - Test CAB Integrity

Verify the integrity of a CAB archive by validating structure and checksums.

Syntax

cabriolet test [OPTIONS] FILE

Parameters

FILE

(required) Path to the CAB file to test

Options

--verbose, -v

Show detailed testing progress

Returns

• Exit code 0 if archive is valid

• Exit code 1 if archive is corrupt

• Exit code 3 if file not found

Description

The test command validates a CAB archive by checking file signatures, verifying checksums, and ensuring all data blocks decompress correctly. This is useful before extracting to verify archive integrity.

Examples

Basic test

cabriolet test archive.cab

Output

Testing archive.cab...
  readme.txt ✓
  setup.exe ✓
  config.ini ✓

All 3 files OK

Verbose test

cabriolet test --verbose archive.cab

Output

Testing archive.cab...
Checking cabinet header... OK
Checking folder structure... OK
Found 1 folder, 3 files

Testing folder 1 (MSZIP compression)...
  Decompressing data block 1... OK
  Verifying checksums... OK

Testing files...
  readme.txt (1,245 bytes)... OK
  setup.exe (524,288 bytes)... OK
  config.ini (512 bytes)... OK

All tests passed
Total: 3 files, 526,045 bytes verified

Test failed example

cabriolet test damaged.cab

Output

Testing damaged.cab...
  readme.txt ✓
  setup.exe ✗ Checksum mismatch
  config.ini ✓

Error: 1 file failed verification

Common Errors

• Checksum mismatch: File data is corrupted

• Decompression failed: Compression data is damaged

• Invalid folder: Cabinet structure is corrupt

See Also

• extract - Extract files after verification

• CAB Format Guide - Testing

---

search - Find Embedded CABs

Search for CAB files embedded within other files, such as executables or installers.

Syntax

cabriolet search [OPTIONS] FILE

Parameters

FILE

(required) File to search for embedded CAB files

Options

--verbose, -v

Show search progress and details

Returns

• Exit code 0 if CAB files found

• Exit code 1 if no CAB files found

• Exit code 3 if file not found

Description

The search command scans a file for embedded CAB archives by looking for CAB signatures. This is useful for extracting CAB files from self-extracting executables or installer packages.

Examples

Basic search

cabriolet search installer.exe

Output

Searching installer.exe...
Found embedded CAB at offset 245,760 (size: 1,024,000 bytes)
Found embedded CAB at offset 1,269,760 (size: 512,000 bytes)

Total: 2 embedded CAB files found

Verbose search

cabriolet search --verbose installer.exe

Output

Searching installer.exe (5,242,880 bytes)...
Scanning for CAB signatures...
  Progress: 10%... 20%... 30%... 40%...
  Found CAB signature at 245,760
    Validating header... OK
    Cabinet size: 1,024,000 bytes
    Files: 15
  Progress: 50%... 60%... 70%... 80%...
  Found CAB signature at 1,269,760
    Validating header... OK
    Cabinet size: 512,000 bytes
    Files: 8
  Progress: 90%... 100%

Found 2 embedded CAB files:
  Offset 245,760: 1,024,000 bytes (15 files)
  Offset 1,269,760: 512,000 bytes (8 files)

Extract found CAB

# Find embedded CABs
cabriolet search installer.exe

# Extract CAB at specific offset (planned feature)
# cabriolet extract --offset=245760 installer.exe extracted.cab

Common Errors

• No CAB files found: File contains no embedded CAB archives

• False positives: Some signatures may not be valid CAB files

See Also

• Embedded Cabinets Guide

• extract - Extract found CAB files

---

create - Create CAB Archive

Create a new CAB archive from source files.

Syntax

cabriolet create [OPTIONS] OUTPUT FILES...

Parameters

OUTPUT

(required) Path for the new CAB file

FILES…​

(required) One or more files or directories to add

Options

--compression=ALGORITHM

Compression algorithm: none, mszip, lzx, quantum (default: mszip)

--verbose, -v

Show creation progress

--recursive, -r

Recursively add directories

--set-id=ID

Set cabinet set ID (default: random)

--split=SIZE

Split into parts of SIZE (e.g., 1M, 10M) (planned)

--reserve=BYTES

Reserve header space for signatures (planned)

Returns

• Exit code 0 on success

• Exit code 1 on error

• Exit code 3 if source files not found

• Exit code 4 if permission denied

Description

The create command builds a new CAB archive from source files. Files can be added individually or by specifying directories. Multiple compression algorithms are supported.

Examples

Create with default MSZIP compression

cabriolet create archive.cab file1.txt file2.txt

Output

Creating archive.cab...
  Adding file1.txt (1,024 bytes)
  Adding file2.txt (2,048 bytes)

Successfully created archive.cab
Total: 2 files, 3,072 bytes → 1,856 bytes (39.6% compression)

Create with LZX compression

cabriolet create --compression=lzx small.cab large-file.dat

Create from directory

cabriolet create --recursive project.cab src/

Output

Creating project.cab...
  Adding src/main.rb (1,234 bytes)
  Adding src/lib/helper.rb (567 bytes)
  Adding src/lib/utils.rb (890 bytes)
  Adding src/config.yml (123 bytes)

Successfully created project.cab
Total: 4 files, 2,814 bytes → 1,456 bytes (48.3% compression)

Create uncompressed archive

cabriolet create --compression=none fast.cab *.jpg

Create with verbose output

cabriolet create --verbose --compression=lzx installer.cab bin/ docs/

Output

Creating installer.cab with LZX compression...
Scanning files...
  Found 15 files (total: 5,242,880 bytes)

Creating cabinet structure...
  Folder 1: LZX compression

Adding files...
  bin/program.exe (2,097,152 bytes)... compressed to 1,048,576 bytes
  bin/library.dll (1,048,576 bytes)... compressed to 524,288 bytes
  docs/readme.txt (1,245 bytes)... compressed to 623 bytes
  ...

Writing cabinet file...
  Header: 36 bytes
  Folders: 24 bytes
  Files: 480 bytes
  Data: 2,097,152 bytes

Successfully created installer.cab
Total: 15 files
  Original size: 5,242,880 bytes
  Compressed size: 2,097,692 bytes
  Compression ratio: 60.0%

Common Errors

• Cannot create output file: Verify write permissions and disk space

• Source file not found: Check all file paths are correct

• Compression failed: Ensure files are readable

See Also

• Compression Algorithms Guide

• CAB Format Guide - Creating

• Creating Archives Guide

---

Global Options

All CAB commands support these global options:

--verbose, -v

Enable verbose output with detailed progress

--help, -h

Display command help

--version

Show Cabriolet version

See link: for complete details.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	General error
2	Invalid arguments
3	File not found
4	Permission denied
5	Corrupt archive
6	Unsupported format

Next steps

• Review Basic Usage Guide for usage examples

• Study Ruby API Reference for Ruby integration

• Learn about compression algorithms

Bibliography

• Cabriolet on GitHub

• cabextract - Open Source CAB Extractor

• Microsoft Cabinet SDK Documentation

• cabextract Manual Pages