Auto Correction of Invalid File Path or Name

Discuss new features and functions
Posts: 3
Joined: 26 Sep 2021

wttyyyy

When we sync some documents from a cloud to Windows, sometimes there is an error due to an invalid file path or name. Is it possible to have a function to auto-correction the path or name to avoid the error and made the sync successful?
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Posts: 2251
Joined: 22 Aug 2012

Plerry

> ... sometimes there is an error due to an invalid file path or name

View the FFS Tutorials.

For your FFS left and right base locations you can use drag&drop of the base location folder(s), e.g. from Windows (file) Explorer. This should eliminate invalid path's, as you drag&drop it from a file browser.

Invalid file- or path-names in your Include and/or Exclude Filer you will only notice due to unexpected proposed sync actions (or the lack of proposed sync actions). You can avoid those invalid names by running a Compare, select one (or more, via Ctlr-click) files and/or folder in the Compare results and use the FFS right-click option to add items to your Include or Exclude Filter.
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Joined: 13 Apr 2017

Gianni1962

Hi Plerry,
I think wttyyyy meant file path or name valid for the Cloud file system but not valid for the Windows file system.
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xCSxXenon

Can you give an example? It's unlikely though, as the invalid and valid path may be two locations in the cloud, but only one in Windows after "auto-correcting", and may cause corruption/data loss
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Joined: 26 Sep 2021

wttyyyy

eg:
We can use '/' in Google Drive as a folder or file name, but it is invalid in Windows. It should be great if FFS can correct those invalid char to a space or '_'.
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xCSxXenon

Ok, but what if you also have a folder with that name? How would this be handled?
\Users\Me\Docs/PDFs\School
and
\Users\Me\Docs_PDFs\School
would be the same and whichever one syncs second would overwrite the first
Posts: 3
Joined: 26 Sep 2021

wttyyyy

Yes, that should be an issue, and if we use a different rule when a conflict occurred that may cause new sync issues.
The first two solutions in my mind:
1. add a prefix on those names. eg. "SSFAC_" (FFS Auto-Correction).
2. use a special char that cannot create by a human if there are any of them.
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xCSxXenon

1) Possible, not a bad option
2) I don't think there is any character that can't be created by a human, it's all just ASCII codes
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Joined: 8 May 2006

therube

(Sounds like a mess to me ;-).

So Windows has its special characters & Linux too (minimally).
And Google, in their own "little" world, allows all characters.
Sound's like a recipe for a sync programs dream (er, nightmare).

As if long file names weren't bad enough.
You receive an error message when you try to open an Office document

Just some links:
Turn a string into a valid filename?
Google Drive API Search Files For Special Characters?
What is the maximum name length for a document on Google Drive?

And all that said, if an (individual) person knows that they're going to end up wanting to sync between "there" & here, they may need to be a bit cognizant of gotchas. Outside of the individual arena...)