Error Creating Folders with Standalone in WinXP

[buchacho]

This script works before creating a standalone, I am trying to create folders to write files to in an organized fashion:

Code: Select all

if the hilite of btn "WriteFile" is true then
      if there is not a folder folderPath then
         create folder folderPath
         if the result is not empty then
            answer "Couldn't create folder."
            break 
         end if
      end if
end if

It works while I am developing the app, but not as a standalone for WinXP. I am also wondering if I will have a problem writing individual files.

[SparkOut]

There may be other answers, but my first guess would be to check the folderPath. In a standalone the default path is relative to the standalone location, while in the IDE the default path is relative to the LC engine. If you have constructed the folderPath contents from the default folder in the IDE it may not match the where the standalone attempts to create the directory. You may also be running against permission problems in creating folders in restricted areas (eg Program Files directory)

[Klaus]

Hi Buchacho,

let you show the possible error:

Code: Select all

...
 create folder folderPath
         if the result is not empty then
            answer "Couldn't create folder." & CR & THE RESULT
            break 
         end if
...

This may give you a hint. I guess you don't have write permission in the target folder?


Best

Klaus

[buchacho]

I should have included this info for folderPath:

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   put the effective filename of this stack into tPath
   set the itemDelimiter to slash
   delete last item of tPath
   put tPath & slash & "AutoFiles" & slash & "AutoFiles"  & formattedDate & slash into folderPath

I have not tried the suggestions yet...

[Klaus]

Hi buchacho,

maybe your current user does not have write permissions in the folder where your standalone resides?
Use -> specialfolderpath("documents") or -> specialfolderpath("home") instead!


Best

Klaus

[SparkOut]

This line looks like the main problem to me (apart from ensuring that the user has write permissions for the location)

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put tPath & slash & "AutoFiles" & slash & "AutoFiles"  & formattedDate & slash into folderPath

You cannot create more than one folder at a time. If the parent folder "Autofiles" does not already exist, then LC cannot create the subfolder "Autofiles&formattedDate". You will need to test for the existence of the tPath & slash & "Autofiles" folder first, and create it if it does not already exist, and then test for the existence of the "Autofiles&formattedDate" subfolder.

But in any event, save the files into a designated program data folder eg specialFolderPath(26) or specialFolderPath(28).

See http://www.sonsothunder.com/devres/revo ... ile010.htm

[buchacho]

I see some good suggestions here (thanks!). I first had it create one folder, and then later decided to add a subfolder with a date/timestamp so that first folder was still there after I added more to the original code. Edit: I added the first subfolder and re-ran my standalone app and it worked! So yes, creating two directories at once looks to be the problem.

One more question I have, is there a way to specify the folder location so that it works while I develop and in the standalone? I think I saw an example of how to execute certain code depending on if you are in dev or standalone with an if statement, but now I am not sure.

[SparkOut]

Use an app data directory regardless! But you can execute different code by checking "the environment":

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if the environment is "development" then
  doSomethingInTheIDE
else if the environment is "standalone application" then
  doSomethingAsStandalone
end if

Or perhaps more elegantly

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switch
      case the environment is "development"
         doYourIDEThingHere
         break
      case the environment contains "application"
         doYourStandaloneThingHere
         --note "standalone application" and "helper application" are both standalones, the "helper" has secureMode set to true. You could test for both separately if it makes a difference to you.
         break
   end switch

[FourthWorld]

In addition to the other great suggestions here, this function may help - you pass it a path, and it ensures that each folder in the path exists, creating a new one where needed, reporting errors if it's unable to complete. This is especially helpful when you need to create multiple nested folders in one move:

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--
-- stdEnsurePath
--
-- Checks the path specified in pPath to make sure each of its
-- directories exists, creating any that need to be as it goes.
--
on stdEnsurePath pPath
   set the itemdel to "/"
   --
   put item 1 of pPath into tTestPath
   put pPath into tDestFolders
   delete item 1 of tDestFolders
   repeat for each item tFolder in tDestFolders
      put "/"&tFolder after tTestPath
      if there is not a folder tTestPath then
         create folder tTestPath
         Err the result, "Couldn't create folder "&quote&tTestPath \
               &quote &" ("& sysError() &")"
      end if
   end repeat
end stdEnsurePath

Of special interest there is the sysError function, which LiveCode provides to return the last I/O error code as reported by the host OS. Many times getting the sysError code will help you determine whether a file I/O routine failed because of permissions, or an invalid path, or something else.