Can someone explain something to me?

General
1

Hi All.

Have a question, as I don’t understand why this code works:

var preferencesSettings as FolderItem = SpecialFolder.Documents.Child (“screensaverPreferences.txt”)
'var createThePreferencesFile as TextOutputStream
var writeToThePreferencesFile as TextOutputStream

// check if the file exists
if preferencesSettings.Exists = FALSE then // the file DOESN'T exist?
  
  // for testing only
  MessageBox "I will create the TEXTFILE for the movies now. It is called: screensaverPreferencet.txt”
  
  // now create the txt file in the folder theMovies
  writeToThePreferencesFile = TextOutputStream.Create(preferencesSettings)
  writeToThePreferencesFile.Close
  
  writeToThePreferencesFile = TextOutputStream.Open(preferencesSettings)
  writeToThePreferencesFile.WriteLine (windowMyMovieScreenSaver.popupMenuStartTimeForScreensaver.SelectedRowText)
  writeToThePreferencesFile.WriteLine (windowMyMovieScreenSaver.popupmenuEndTimeForScreenSaver.SelectedRowText)
  writeToThePreferencesFile.WriteLine (windowMyMovieScreenSaver.labelVolumeSettingLevel.text)
  
  writeToThePreferencesFile.close
  
else
  
  // it does exist, we will read it in
  MessageBox "The preferences file screensaverPreferences.txt exists”
  writeToThePreferencesFile = TextOutputStream.Create(preferencesSettings)
  writeToThePreferencesFile.close
  
  writeToThePreferencesFile = TextOutputStream.Open(preferencesSettings)
  writeToThePreferencesFile.WriteLine (windowMyMovieScreenSaver.popupMenuStartTimeForScreensaver.SelectedRowText)
  writeToThePreferencesFile.WriteLine (windowMyMovieScreenSaver.popupmenuEndTimeForScreenSaver.SelectedRowText)
  writeToThePreferencesFile.WriteLine (windowMyMovieScreenSaver.labelVolumeSettingLevel.text)
  
  writeToThePreferencesFile.close
end if

If in the section of the if statement where there is NO file, and I create it, and in the section of the code where the file exists and I need to recreate it, if I do NOT do a writeToThePreferencesFile.close and then writeToThePreferencesFile = TextOutputStream.Open(preferenceSettings.txt) the file is created I get an error 0

Why?

Is there a better way to do this?

Regards

2

You get an error because the tile is already Open and technically “in use”. When you do the “create” you don’t need to open it afterwards.

1 Like
3

Perhaps simpler and more readable would be:

if preferencesSettings.Exists = FALSE then
  // code here to create it
else
  // code here to open it
end if

// followed by:

// one set of code here to write to the file

writeToThePreferencesFile.close
1 Like
4

Hi Tim and Greg.

Your solution “kind of” works.

But I run into two problems.

First, if I do what you suggested this way


if preferencesSettings.Exists = FALSE then // the file DOESN'T exist?
  
  // for testing only
  MessageBox "I will create the TEXTFILE for the movies now. It is called: screensaverPreferencet.txt”
  
  // now create the txt file in the folder theMovies
  writeToThePreferencesFile = TextOutputStream.Create(preferencesSettings)
  
else
  
  // it does exist, we will read it in
  //MessageBox "The preferences file screensaverPreferences.txt exists”
  writeToThePreferencesFile = TextOutputStream.Open(preferencesSettings)
  
end if

writeToThePreferencesFile.WriteLine (windowMyMovieScreenSaver.popupMenuStartTimeForScreensaver.SelectedRowText)
  writeToThePreferencesFile.WriteLine (windowMyMovieScreenSaver.popupmenuEndTimeForScreenSaver.SelectedRowText)
  writeToThePreferencesFile.WriteLine (windowMyMovieScreenSaver.volumeSlider.Value.ToString)

writeToThePreferencesFile.close

There is a delay in the moviePlayer starting. A couple of seconds (5 maybe). The movie is Playing, but I don’t see those seconds

Secondly, the preferences file doesn’t delete the old settings if the user chooses new values.

Once upon a time, I remember a DeleteLine command, but that might be wishful thinking too.

Regards

5

Since your design is to re-write the entire preferences file each time, you don’t need to do anything different if the file exists. You should always use Create.

3 Likes
6

Which I just finished doing and trying. :-D.
I learn so much talking with you folks!

Now to continue with my development.

Any other questions, I’ll ask.

Regards