Crashes under Windows at item creation

Targets Windows
1

I had a consistent crash that I removed yesterday (and I never was able to know why *). The code do:

Let the user choose a Source text file
Let the user choose a Target directory

Read the Source text file contents and use each line to create a Child directory into the Target directory.
Then, when the new directory is created, I add a Text file in it using the just created folder and close it. The crash occured there.
That code is in a Try block.

I noticed: the ‘|’ character crash the program flow.
I also noticed that at some stage a “:” existed at the end of the read string in the code flow, not in the Text file. I know this because my directories had an ending " - " … (I replace automatically any ‘:’ by ’ - ').

So, is there’s a built-in way to avoid “OS Gremlins characters” to be passed to create a directory, an item (here a Text file) on Windows ? **
Of course, beside using ReplaceAll ?

TIA

  • I modified the original code so much that I really do not know why it was crashing earlier. Oh ! That code worked fine on OS X !
    In fact it was far more than a refactoring.
    ** The only “gremlin” character on OS X is ‘:’, so it is easy to replace it.
2

[quote=218605:@Emile Schwarz]I had a consistent crash that I removed yesterday (and I never was able to know why *). The code do:

Let the user choose a Source text file
Let the user choose a Target directory

Read the Source text file contents and use each line to create a Child directory into the Target directory.
Then, when the new directory is created, I add a Text file in it using the just created folder and close it. The crash occured there.
That code is in a Try block.

I noticed: the ‘|’ character crash the program flow.
I also noticed that at some stage a “:” existed at the end of the read string in the code flow, not in the Text file. I know this because my directories had an ending " - " … (I replace automatically any ‘:’ by ’ - ').

So, is there’s a built-in way to avoid “OS Gremlins characters” to be passed to create a directory, an item (here a Text file) on Windows ? **
Of course, beside using ReplaceAll ?

TIA

  • I modified the original code so much that I really do not know why it was crashing earlier. Oh ! That code worked fine on OS X !
    In fact it was far more than a refactoring.
    ** The only “gremlin” character on OS X is ‘:’, so it is easy to replace it.[/quote]

The alternative to replacing illegal characters is to prevent the user to enter them in the first place. Something in Keydown with or without a punishing beep are to do it.

For more about replaceall and the list of characters, look at https://forum.xojo.com/24840-create-folder-not-creating-folder

IMHO the best option is to use a replaceall as what I posted there. But you can also use encodeURLComponent which will replace invalid characters by % things.

You can also use a Try Catch structure to trap the IOException. But that is kind of messy. It will force the user to correct his entry.

3

Thank you for your anser Michel. Still in NY ? Went to the John Lennon birthday yesterday at Central Park ?

No, I cannot do that since the data comes from a text file that can be created elsewhere (or not).

I strongly dislike getting %DD in my file names.

So if no simple solution, I will trap the illegal characters in a Function using ReplaceAll and place an underscore character.

This is already in a Try Catch structure, but I want to create folders / save text file with text.

My memory had something on the subject, but not what Michel pointed to me. I recall (while reading) fine this conversation, now.

I will do that.

4

That is more what I had in mind (and I recall haveing seen a solution - what Michel wrote):

Windows Illegal Characters.

Unfortunately, earlier today, my brain was still in “sleep” mode and it does not comes back.

Thanks.

5

Note that using astute replacements, you may obtain file names that are looking close to the original :

dim a as string a=str(d.AbbreviatedDate)+" at time "+str(d.ShortTime) a=a.ReplaceAll(",","-") // Illegal characters Windows / ? < > \\ : * | " a=a.ReplaceAll("/",&u2044) // Fraction a=a.ReplaceAll("?","¿") a=a.ReplaceAll("<",&u2039) //LeftSingleGuil ‹ a=a.ReplaceAll(">",&u203A) //RightSingleGuil › a=a.ReplaceAll("\","`") //Grave a=a.ReplaceAll(":",";") // Semicolon a=a.ReplaceAll("*","x") a=a.ReplaceAll("|",&u2502) // semigraphic single vertical bar a=a.ReplaceAll(chr(34),&u201D) // QuoteDBLRight ”

PS : I am back in Paris. Tried to bring back some sun, but it did not last :wink:

6

Same kind of weather in Strasbourg (Autumn leaves…).

7

To avoid a problem like this it is worth writing a nice methode for the personal library.

8

Care to expand the explanation ?