utility for unpacking/repacking ar library files

SHIMS_PATH/unarar.sh

+#!/usr/bin/zsh
+# Not portable, sorry...
+set -e 
+set -o pipefail
+# set -x
+
+# Another variation on these reopt script. THis unpacks an archive and pauses
+# while the programmer fiddles with it, then repacks and backs up original.
+
+# Calls `reopt` on objects in archive and repacks
+TARGET_AR=$(realpath "$@")
+
+
+echo -n "$TARGET_AR:  "
+
+TMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
+cd "$TMP_DIR"
+
+# Individual libraries can and do have identical names, which makes this a huge pain.
+# We unpack each member into a separate numbered directory, and repack in the same order
+O_NUM=1
+for cnt nm in `ar t "$TARGET_AR" | sort | uniq -c`; do
+  for c in {1..$cnt}; do
+      mkdir $O_NUM
+      cd $O_NUM
+      ar xN $c "$TARGET_AR" $nm
+      cd ..
+      ((O_NUM++))
+  done
+done
+
+echo
+echo "Pausing while you fiddle with contents of $TARGET_AR, unpacked at:"
+echo "    $TMP_DIR"
+read "?Enter to continue and repack"
+
+# rearchive; use zsh numeric blob qualifier.
+ar cq repackaged.a */*(n)
+# Backup original
+cp --force --backup=numbered "$TARGET_AR" "$TARGET_AR"
+cp repackaged.a "$TARGET_AR"
+
+rm -r "$TMP_DIR"
+