Re: Invisible file issue now a real 'bug'
This WebDNA talk-list message is from 1999
It keeps the original formatting.
numero = 25580
interpreted = N
texte = A bug in your code? Yes. A bug in Webcat? No. What you describe is a coding style which is not adequately defensive. Our db folders often contain backup copies of databases and other transitory files. If you're writing a template that depends on the contents of a folder actually being databases, you show nest a [showif [filename]^.db] around your actions to make sure that you get ONLY the databases.That being said, we had this problem too a little while ago too. A file called Icon_ suddenly appeared in a folder we use listfiles on to do various things. I'm not sure what causes Icon_ files to be created, but I would be very interested in hearing a definitive answer from someone. I thought it may have something to do folders created after a certain rev of the MacOS, but it has popped up in a couple old folders too...We were able to get around the problem by deleting the invisible file with [deletefile], and it hasn't come back in several months and a couple OS upgrades.Does anyone know what triggers the OS to create these files?-Dale >I just ran into the first real problem with webcat and an invisible Icon_. > >I predicted this would happen some day, but I had no idea it would >happen to me first, nor did I think it would happen so quickly -- >but it has, and it's not a pretty sight ... > >I requested a template page I had written weeks ago. Until now >everything was fine when accessing this particular template, no >problems whatsoever. > >This template contains webdna code that uses [listfiles] to list all >the files in a databases folder, and inside the listfiles context >it uses [copyfile] tag to copy every file in the folder to an >archives folder for daily backup purposes. > >Here's the problem: > >Before when I requested the page, my code ran fine. But this time >the webcatalog acgi crashed instantly. I have since debugged my code >and here's what I discovered: > >When I wrote my original code to list all the files in a databases >folder, I did not try to weed out any invisible Icon_ files that >the MacOS might place into that folder, because in all honesty I >never knew the MacOS was doing this kind of thing. > >When I debugged my code the very first time, the listfiles context >did NOT list a file named Icon_ in the databases folder -- >because in fact it was not there yet. So I had no reason to write my >original code with a work-around for this situation. > >But since then, the MacOS has apparently decided to place one of its >invisible Icon_ files into this folder, and when webcatalog tried >to copy that invisible file to the archives folder, webcatalog >crashed instantly! I repeated this scenario 5 times before I finally >'figured out' what might be causing the problem ... > >So I went back and changed my code so that it would NOT copy the >invisible Icon_ file to the archives folder, and the problem >went away -- and everything began working properly again. > >How do you like that for a problem? MY old webdna templates work >fine until the MacOS places an invisible file into a folder, then >webcatalog crashes. Great. If webcatalog did *not* recognize these >invisible files in the first place, this problem never would have >happened. > >But now it seems that MacOS upgrades bring the possibility that old >templates will posisbly crash webcatalog. Or maybe the next time >instead of a simple webcatalog crash, someone's hard drive will get >corrupted by webcat's attempt to [copyfile] an invisible Icon_ >file to a location where it doesn't belong ... > >Like I said, it's not a pretty scenario. > >:( > >================================ >Kenneth Grome, WebDNA Consultant >808-737-6499, http://webdna.net >================================ > > > > > >############################################################# >This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to > the mailing list
. >To unsubscribe, E-mail to: >To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to > >To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to > >Send administrative queries to ---- Dale LaFountain mailto:dalel@darkhorse.com Vice President of Information Technology, Webmaster Dark Horse Comics, Inc. Ph: 503-652-8815 x324 http://www.darkhorse.com/ Fax: 503-652-6917############################################################# This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list . To unsubscribe, E-mail to: To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to Send administrative queries to
Associated Messages, from the most recent to the oldest:
A bug in your code? Yes. A bug in Webcat? No. What you describe is a coding style which is not adequately defensive. Our db folders often contain backup copies of databases and other transitory files. If you're writing a template that depends on the contents of a folder actually being databases, you show nest a [showif [filename]^.db] around your actions to make sure that you get ONLY the databases.That being said, we had this problem too a little while ago too. A file called Icon_ suddenly appeared in a folder we use listfiles on to do various things. I'm not sure what causes Icon_ files to be created, but I would be very interested in hearing a definitive answer from someone. I thought it may have something to do folders created after a certain rev of the MacOS, but it has popped up in a couple old folders too...We were able to get around the problem by deleting the invisible file with [deletefile], and it hasn't come back in several months and a couple OS upgrades.Does anyone know what triggers the OS to create these files?-Dale >I just ran into the first real problem with webcat and an invisible Icon_. > >I predicted this would happen some day, but I had no idea it would >happen to me first, nor did I think it would happen so quickly -- >but it has, and it's not a pretty sight ... > >I requested a template page I had written weeks ago. Until now >everything was fine when accessing this particular template, no >problems whatsoever. > >This template contains webdna code that uses [listfiles] to list all >the files in a databases folder, and inside the listfiles context >it uses [copyfile] tag to copy every file in the folder to an >archives folder for daily backup purposes. > >Here's the problem: > >Before when I requested the page, my code ran fine. But this time >the webcatalog acgi crashed instantly. I have since debugged my code >and here's what I discovered: > >When I wrote my original code to list all the files in a databases >folder, I did not try to weed out any invisible Icon_ files that >the MacOS might place into that folder, because in all honesty I >never knew the MacOS was doing this kind of thing. > >When I debugged my code the very first time, the listfiles context >did NOT list a file named Icon_ in the databases folder -- >because in fact it was not there yet. So I had no reason to write my >original code with a work-around for this situation. > >But since then, the MacOS has apparently decided to place one of its >invisible Icon_ files into this folder, and when webcatalog tried >to copy that invisible file to the archives folder, webcatalog >crashed instantly! I repeated this scenario 5 times before I finally >'figured out' what might be causing the problem ... > >So I went back and changed my code so that it would NOT copy the >invisible Icon_ file to the archives folder, and the problem >went away -- and everything began working properly again. > >How do you like that for a problem? MY old webdna templates work >fine until the MacOS places an invisible file into a folder, then >webcatalog crashes. Great. If webcatalog did *not* recognize these >invisible files in the first place, this problem never would have >happened. > >But now it seems that MacOS upgrades bring the possibility that old >templates will posisbly crash webcatalog. Or maybe the next time >instead of a simple webcatalog crash, someone's hard drive will get >corrupted by webcat's attempt to [copyfile] an invisible Icon_ >file to a location where it doesn't belong ... > >Like I said, it's not a pretty scenario. > >:( > >================================ >Kenneth Grome, WebDNA Consultant >808-737-6499, http://webdna.net >================================ > > > > > >############################################################# >This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to > the mailing list . >To unsubscribe, E-mail to: >To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to > >To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to > >Send administrative queries to ---- Dale LaFountain mailto:dalel@darkhorse.com Vice President of Information Technology, Webmaster Dark Horse Comics, Inc. Ph: 503-652-8815 x324 http://www.darkhorse.com/ Fax: 503-652-6917############################################################# This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list . To unsubscribe, E-mail to: To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to Send administrative queries to
Dale LaFountain
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