Documentation Index
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Crowbar’s Unpack tab reads game package files and extracts their contents to a folder on disk. It supports Valve’s VPK format used by Source engine games as well as Garry’s Mod GMA addon archives. Before extracting anything, you can list the contents of a package to browse its file tree, or use the search field to filter entries by name.
Supported Package Types
The ContainerType enum defines the two package formats Crowbar can read:
| Format | Enum Value | Extension | Description |
|---|
| VPK | ContainerType.VPK | .vpk | Valve Pack format used by Source engine games, including single-file and split-archive variants. |
| GMA | ContainerType.GMA | .gma | Garry’s Mod Addon archive created by gmad.exe. |
A split VPK package consists of a directory file (pak01_dir.vpk) and one or more data files (pak01_000.vpk, pak01_001.vpk, …). Always point Crowbar at the _dir.vpk file — it will locate the data files automatically.
.vpk or .gma file in the Package field, or use the Browse button. You can also drag and drop a package file directly onto the field.
For folder-based modes, point Crowbar at a directory that contains package files. Crowbar will process all recognised package extensions it finds there.
Unpack Mode
The mode dropdown lets you switch between operating on a single file, a folder, or a game profile:
| Mode | Description |
|---|
| File | Operate on the single package file specified in the input path. |
| Folder | Operate on all packages found directly in the specified folder. |
| Folder and subfolders | Recursively search the folder and all subdirectories for packages. |
Output Path Options
The output path dropdown maps to the UnpackOutputPathOptions enum:
| Option | Description |
|---|
| Same folder (as Package) (default) | Extract files into the same folder that contains the package file. |
| Subfolder (of Package) | Create a named subfolder next to the package and extract into it. |
| Work folder | Extract to the work folder path you specify. |
| Game’s addons folder | Extract to the addons/ folder of the selected game profile (useful for GMA addons). |
Unpack Actions
The action buttons map to values in the PackageAction enum:
| Action | Enum Value | Description |
|---|
| List | PackageAction.List | Read the package directory and populate the file tree and list view without writing any files to disk. |
| Unpack | PackageAction.Unpack | Extract the selected (or all) entries to the configured output path. |
| (drag-drop preview) | PackageAction.UnpackToTempAndOpen | Unpack a single entry to a temporary folder and open it with its default application. |
Use List mode before unpacking to inspect a VPK’s contents, check file sizes, and verify the structure. This is especially useful for large game packages that would take minutes to fully extract.
Search
The search text box in the Unpack tab filters the displayed file list. Type any part of a filename or path fragment and the tree and list views update to show only matching entries. To clear a search, right-click the tree view and choose Delete Search or Delete All Searches.
Byte Units Option
The size column in the package list view can display file sizes in three formats, controlled by the ByteUnitsOption enum:
| Option | Description |
|---|
| Bytes | Raw byte count (e.g. 204 800). |
| Binary | Power-of-1024 units: KiB, MiB (e.g. 200 KiB). |
| Decimal | Power-of-1000 units: KB, MB (e.g. 205 KB). |
Additional Unpack Options
| Option | Settings Key | Default | Description |
|---|
| Folder for each package | UnpackFolderForEachPackageIsChecked | Off | Create a subfolder named after each package and extract its contents there. |
| Keep full path | UnpackKeepFullPathIsChecked | Off | Preserve the full internal directory structure when extracting (e.g. models/props/crate.mdl). |
| Log file | UnpackLogFileIsChecked | Off | Write a log file to the output folder recording which entries were unpacked. |
