Problem with Dots in Filenames and Lookups

[John Esak]

I don't mean to be contrary, and I did have a similar problem once.
However, I just went into my 5.0.14 ddefine on SCO and tried creating a file
with a period in it "pr.tx". It created fine and showed up fine in the other
programs... Don't have any comment other than this much worked for me and I
didn't think it would (or even should).  There are other problems that
periods can cause in directory names within other programs. I would stay
away from them in filePro file names, but like I said, the latest version
has no problem creating them on SCO.

John Esak

> -----Original Message-----
> From: filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com
> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com]On Behalf Of Bob
> Stockler
> Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 3:18 PM
> To: 'Filepro-List'
> Subject: Re: Problem with Dots in Filenames and Lookups
>
>
> On Mon, Mar 28, 2005 at 12:19:26PM -0500, Mike Rathburn wrote:
> | fP ODBC v1 on Winderz
> |
> | We did a conversion from UNIX to Windows, and now a specific report will
> | give a syntax error.  The report is being run from a file called pr.trx.
> | The syntax error is coming from the code below, putting the
> pointer where
> | the filename's dot is (as if it doesn't like the filename with
> a dot in it).
> |
> | This report still runs fine from the old 4.5 UNIX system.  Only
> bombs on the
> | fPODBC v1 Windows system.  What's weird is that apparently (so
> far) there
> | seems to be no other issues with filenames and dots in those filenames.
> | There are a gozillion other lookups in other processing tables,
> input and
> | output.
> |
> | 		If:
> | 		Then:	lookup ap.initems  k=ud   i=e -ng
> | loopdes	If:	not ap.initems
> | 		Then:	return
> | 		If:	ap.initems(1) ge ud+"100"
> | 		Then:	return
> | 		If:
> | 		Then:	ub(9,.2)=ap.initems(3)*ap.initems(5)
> | 		If:	ap.initems(24) ne 1
> | 		Then:	getnext ap.initems; goto loopdes
> |
> | The syntax error looked like:
> |
> | ap.initems(1) ge ud+"100"
> |   ^
> |
> | At any rate, I changed the lookup to:
> |
> | lookup apinitems = ap.initems  k=ud   i=e -ng
> |
> | and subsequent references to the lookup variable, and now all is well.
> | There was one other lookup in this particular output processing
> table that
> | looked like:
> |
> | lookup ap.po  k=6  i=e -nx
> |
> | That I also had to change to a variable for the same reason.
> |
> | Any idea as to why this particular lookup with a dot in the
> filename would
> | produce a syntax error?
>
> Apparently filePro on Windows doesn't like for filePro files to
> have a dot in their names.  I just tried to create one, and it
> wouldn't accept it (no error message, it just went back to the
> screen where I started).
>
> Also, I have a filePro file I had renamed "name.old".  When I
> try to select it by highlighting it in the Define Files screen
> and pressing [Enter], it just goes back to that screen (no
> error message - or asking for a password, which it would do on
> UNIX).
>
> Here's a note under LOOKUP in Laura's Help Files:
>
>   Note: The alias name must be 3 to 32 characters long. It may not start
>         with a number. Case is not significant. Valid characters are:
>                    abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789_-
>         Under Unix, '.' can also be used.
>
> But it looks like you'll have more problems than just LOOKUPs if you
> have a lot of filePro Files with a dot in their names - you'll most
> likely have to copy them all to names without the dot, they edit all
> of the stuff that references them.
>
> Bob
>
> --
> Bob Stockler - bob at trebor.iglou.com
> Author: MENU EDIT II - The BEST Creator/Editor/Manager for
> filePro User Menus.
> Fully functional (time-limited) demos available by email request
> (specify OS).
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