-spm (Require path separator mark for directory path) switch

Syntax

-spm[- | 2]

Switch	Description
-spm	allow directories only with path separator mark at the end.
-spm2	allow directories with path separator mark and directories for non-wildcard paths.
-spm-	allow directories for any path. This option is default.

-spm enables the mode that requires path separator mark at the end of path for directory items. So this switch allows to exclude directories from processing, if path separator mark is not specified for path. The path separator mark is backslash (\) in Windows or slash (/) in Linux.

Examples

7z a a.7z -spm n*

stores all n* files but doesn't process any directory.

7z a a.7z -spm n* SomeDir*\

stores all n* files and SomeDir* directories, but doesn't process another directories.

7z a a.7z -spm2 n* SomeItem

stores all n* files and SomeItem file or directory, but doesn't process another directories.

Commands that can be used with this switch

a (Add), d (Delete), e (Extract), h (Hash), l (List), rn (Rename), t (Test), u (Update), x (Extract with full paths)

Notes from this site

Not part of the 7-Zip manual. Written by this site; examples checked with 7-Zip 26.04.

Files only, no folders

To add the files a wildcard matches without pulling in matching folders:

7zz a a.7z -spm 'n*'

Normally n* also matches folders, and a matching folder is added with all its contents. -spm makes a folder match only if the argument ends with / (Linux) or \ (Windows).

Quick examples

The official Linux/macOS console binary is 7zz; on Windows use 7z and a backslash. Quote wildcards so 7-Zip sees them, not your shell. In PowerShell, quote them too: 'n*'.

mkdir nd SomeDir1; touch n1.txt n2.log SomeItem nd/inner.txt SomeDir1/s.txt
7zz a a.7z -spm 'n*' 'SomeDir*/'
7zz a a.7z -spm2 'n*' SomeItem
7zz l a.7z -spm 'n*'
7z a a.7z -spm n* SomeDir*\

The first a stores n1.txt, n2.log and the SomeDir* folders, but not nd. The second also adds SomeItem. l accepts the switch too: the listing shows the two files and not nd. The last line is the Windows form.

What each mode picks for the folder nd

Argument	-spm-	-spm	-spm2
`'n*'`	added	skipped	skipped
`nd`	added	warning, skipped	added
`nd/`	added	added	added

-spm- is the default. The warning is errno=22 : Invalid argument, listed at the end under Scan WARNINGS with the folder name. The archive is still created, but 7-Zip exits with code 1, so a script treats the run as a warning, not a success (tested).

Common mistakes

Leaving n* unquoted on Linux: the shell turns it into n1.txt n2.log nd. With -spm, the bare nd then gives the warning above.
Skipping folders by name is simpler with -x: 7zz a a.7z 'n*' -xr'!nd' stored the same two files in our test. -r- does not skip folders matched by a wildcard.