cm-packer

A command-line tool for packing and unpacking IMSCC (IMS Common Cartridge) files used by Canvas LMS and other learning management systems. This tool follows the Common Cartridge 1.4 standard.

Features

• Unpack IMSCC files: Extract and parse IMSCC files (ZIP format) into organized folders and files.
• Pack directories: Convert folders and files back into valid IMSCC files.
• Remap content: Reorganize unpacked IMSCC content into human-readable folder structures based on course organization.
• Metadata parsing: Automatically parse and generate manifest metadata.
• Web interface: Browser-based version available in /docs folder - no installation required!

Installation

Web Version (No Installation Required)

Try the browser-based version:

1. Open docs/index.html in a web browser
2. Drag and drop an IMSCC file (up to 100 MB)
3. Download the remapped files

Or visit the hosted version at: [GitHub Pages URL if deployed]

From source

git clone https://github.com/videlais/cm-packer.git
cd cm-packer
npm install
npm run build

Using from NPM

npm i -g cm-packer

Usage

Unpack an IMSCC file

Extract an IMSCC file to a directory:

cm-packer unpack -i course.imscc -o ./output-folder

With verbose logging:

cm-packer unpack -i course.imscc -o ./output-folder -v

Pack a directory into an IMSCC file

Create an IMSCC file from a directory:

cm-packer pack -i ./input-folder -o course.imscc

With verbose logging:

cm-packer pack -i ./input-folder -o course.imscc -v

Remap IMSCC content to human-readable structure

Reorganize an unpacked IMSCC directory or directly from an IMSCC file into a folder structure with meaningful names based on the course organization in the manifest:

From an unpacked directory:

cm-packer remap -i ./unpacked-course -o ./remapped-course

Directly from an IMSCC file (automatically unpacks to a temporary directory):

cm-packer remap -f course.imscc -o ./remapped-course

With verbose logging:

cm-packer remap -f course.imscc -o ./remapped-course -v

The remap command will:

• Parse the manifest organization structure.
• Create folders matching module/week names from the course.
• Rename files from IDs to human-readable titles.
• Integrate wiki pages directly into the module structure.
• Copy special directories (course_settings, web_resources, etc.).
• Preserve the manifest and metadata files.

Command Reference

unpack

Unpack an IMSCC file into a directory.

Options:

• -i, --input <file> - Input IMSCC file path (required)
• -o, --output <directory> - Output directory path (required)
• -v, --verbose - Enable verbose logging (optional)

pack

Pack a directory into an IMSCC file.

Options:

• -i, --input <directory> - Input directory path (required)
• -o, --output <file> - Output IMSCC file path (required)
• -v, --verbose - Enable verbose logging (optional)

remap

Remap unpacked IMSCC directory to human-readable structure based on manifest organization.

Options:

• -i, --input <directory> - Input directory path (unpacked IMSCC) (either this or --file required)
• -f, --file <file> - Input IMSCC file path (will be unpacked automatically) (either this or --input required)
• -o, --output <directory> - Output directory path for remapped structure (required)
• -v, --verbose - Enable verbose logging (optional)

Note: You must specify either --input (for an already unpacked directory) OR --file (to unpack and remap in one step), but not both.

IMSCC File Structure

An IMSCC file is a ZIP archive that contains:

• imsmanifest.xml - Main manifest file describing the cartridge contents.
• Various content files (HTML, images, resources, etc.).
• Organized in folders based on content type.

When unpacking, cm-packer will:

1. Extract all files to the specified directory.
2. Parse the manifest XML.
3. Create a metadata.json file with summary information.

When packing, cm-packer will:

1. Scan the directory for files.
2. Create or use existing imsmanifest.xml.
3. Package everything into a valid IMSCC ZIP file.

When remapping, cm-packer will:

1. Parse the manifest to extract course organization and titles.
2. Create a folder structure matching the course hierarchy (modules, weeks, etc.).
3. Rename files from resource IDs to human-readable titles.
4. Integrate wiki content HTML files into the appropriate modules.
5. Copy special directories and preserve metadata.

Example Workflow

A typical workflow for working with IMSCC files:

# 1. Remap an IMSCC file to human-readable structure
cm-packer remap -f my-course.imscc -o ./course-content -v

# 2. Make edits to the human-readable files in ./course-content

# 3. Pack the modified directory back into an IMSCC file
cm-packer pack -i ./course-content -o my-course-updated.imscc -v

License

MIT

Common Cartridge Standard

This tool implements the IMS Common Cartridge 1.4 standard. For more information, visit:

• IMS Global Learning Consortium
• Common Cartridge Specification