OpenEuphoria

Re: Opening a file - File Open Dialog spoils future code

• Posted by Mike777 <anon4321 at gm?il.c?m> Jan 16, 2008
• 554 views

Andy Drummond wrote:
> 
> CChris wrote:
> > 
> > Matt Lewis wrote:
> > > 
> > > CChris wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > open() doesn't understand Windows folders, because Windows doesn't have
> > > > a
> notion</font></i>
> > > > of a current directory. open() uses the PATH environment variable, which
> > > > is
> > > > a DOS/Unix thing Windows supports for backward compatibility only) and
> > > > looks
> > > > for MyFileName.CFG in places completely different from where Windows
> > > > looks
> for</font></i>
> > > > them, so it probably just can't see the file there.
> > > 
> > > I thought that it did, and that %PATH is only used for executables and for
> > > dlls.  What do current_dir() and chdir() do then?
> > > 
> > > Matt
> > 
> > All right, I should have checked first, but the bottom line is the same:
> > never
> > use current_dir() under Windows. Here is what I found on MSDN:
> > <quote>
> > The directory at the end of the active path is called the current directory;
> > it is the directory in which the active application started, unless
> > explicitly
> > changed. An application can determine which directory is current by calling
> > the GetCurrentDirectory function.
> > 
> > An application can change the current directory by calling the
> > SetCurrentDirectory
> > function.
> > </quote>
> > 
> > I have recently wondered why I wasn't finding ex.err after a program crash.
> > Searching ex.err on my machine reported 9 different directories, some of
> > which
> > I'd havd never thought about. Since ex.err is created using
> > open("ex.err","w"),
> > I consider the "current directory" to be undefined for practical use: it is
> > defined, but as something volatile (what is the active application on a
> > multiprocess
> > platform?). I'd go as far as recommending to drop support of current_dir()
> > and
> > chdir() under Windows.
> > 
> > CChris
> 
> I disagree CChris.  There IS such a thing as the current directory; just
> because
> a program can change it doesn't make it less valid.  Ex.err gets dumped into
> the current directory, which is why it is a good idea to use crash_file() to
> be sure your ex.err gets put where you want.  The current directory is where
> the file system performs actions unless otherwise instructed. If I say
> something
> like open("fred.fil","r") Windows will attempt to open that file in the
> current
> directory - where ever that may be.  Current directory is simply a default
> folder
> to access in the absence of further information. I get and set current
> directory
> all the time; if you took them out I'd put them into my own library!!

Thanks to all.  I *knew* it was something simple that I just wasn't seeing. 
Fully specifying the path for the file was an easy fix.

Thanks

Mike