Filenames with a leading dot?

[highend01]

Hi Mouser.

I have a file named D:\Users\Highend\Tools\TrueCrypt\.MountExternalDrive.exe
It is a compiled .bat file that mounts my external TC drive.

If I type in .mou in FARR it shows this file as the first one but when I hit enter the drive isn't mounted but I get a windows explorer window that contains the D:\Users\Highend\Tools\TrueCrypt directory.

If I rename the file from .MountExternalDrive.exe to MountExternalDrive.exe (without the dot) and enter mou and hit enter again everything works as expected (no windows explorer window and the TC volume is mounted).

Why does FARR have a problem with filenames with a leading dot and more important: can you fix it?

Regards,
highend

[mouser]

I will fix.
But any reason not to rename the file?

[highend01]

Thanks.

I'm just used to it. My personal method to "pin" important files at the top of the file list in XYplorer. Doesn't require holding the shift button for other characters like "!"

Regards,
highend

[daddydave]

Interesting..
Unix configuration files use a lot of files that start with a dot, and I've seen that in the Windows ports, too. Can't think of one at the moment.

[Ath]

It's a lot of Java based, multi-platform, software that uses these 'prefixes' for configuration files, that are hidden by default on *nix OS's. Maven is the one that comes to mind immediately; have a look in your C:\Users\<username> directory. Being a developer, you'll likely find a few .-prefixed files there. And others create even .-prefixed directories holding even more user-specific stuff, I found .netbeans, .eclipse, .virtualbox, .google, to name just a few.

General consensus is to not use them for common user-files. And Windows Explorer really hates them anyway.

[mouser]

fixed will be in next release in next day or two.

[40hz]

fixed will be in next release in next day or two.

-mouser (October 02, 2011, 10:07 AM)

Try getting that kind of service from your usual software developer! 

[40hz]

General consensus is to not use them for common user-files.

-Ath (September 30, 2011, 01:25 PM)

+1. Please do not use a dot as the first character in a file name.



I regularly deal with mixed Nix/Win environments. I turn into the BOFH anytime I run into files that are unnecessarily prefixed with a dot. Especially if they're your regular user-created files. I have been known to send a politely worded e-mail whenever I encounter a user doing that for the first time. I will also send a more sharply-worded message if the user persists. But after that, offending files tend to get deleted without further warning. Not something I do lightly.

[f0dder]

Pretty bad idea for regular files anyway, since a fair amount of software will break on those files.

[highend01]

Pretty bad idea for regular files anyway, since a fair amount of software will break on those files.

Really? I stumbled upon ... zero ... in the last 16 years (since win 95) and I test new software every day...

@40hz

Win 7 environment only so no real need to change this.

[f0dder]

Pretty bad idea for regular files anyway, since a fair amount of software will break on those files.

Really? I stumbled upon ... zero ... in the last 16 years (since win 95) and I test new software every day...

-highend01 (October 02, 2011, 03:28 PM)

A lot (perhaps most) software will be able to open and save those files just fine. I've bumped into a fair amount of software with minor quirks, though - usually involved around "getting file extension from after the first '.' in filename", and often related to "tile type" detection. Usually not too big a deal, but an annoyance... and knowing what kind of path-splitting code we wrote back in the DOS days (and the mentality carried forward), I'd advice against leading-dot names for regular files.

Apart from that, Explorer won't let you create files or folders (or rename files or folders) "without a filename" before the "extension"

[highend01]

Apart from that, Explorer won't let you create files or folders (or rename files or folders) "without a filename" before the "extension"

Correct but who on earth really uses it (there a literally dozens of file managers that do a 10x better job than windows explorer)? I can't even remember the last time I used it for file or folder management ;( Btw. on a command prompt you've always been able to do it (and I used that method in the old, ancient days (before TC, SpeedCommander and XYplorer)).

[f0dder]

Apart from that, Explorer won't let you create files or folders (or rename files or folders) "without a filename" before the "extension"

Correct but who on earth really uses it (there a literally dozens of file managers that do a 10x better job than windows explorer)?

-highend01 (October 03, 2011, 02:17 AM)

My guess is +90% of all Windows users?

I'm on explorer² myself, which does a lot of stuff better than standard explorer... but it does use standard explorer's "create new file/folder" methods.

I don't really see the point in using something that's even potentially troublesome, there's usable characters with even lower ASCII codes