Excel cannot save to a folder containing square brackets

[Twan Kennis]

using: Microsoft Excel 2002 - SP2

When trying to save a new Excel workbook to a folder-path containing
square brackets ('[', ']') Excel raises the error "The file could not be
accessed" followed by some sub-information about the usage of illegal
characters: < > ? [ ] : ! or *.

Every other application can save it's document to this path, even Word.
When the Excel workbook is moved to this path using the Windows
Explorer, Excel has no problems with opening and saving the file into
this "illegal" folder.

Is this officially confirmed to be a bug, or is this already fixed in
some service pack I don't have?

Twan

 

[Anne Troy]

I doubt it's a bug. A cell link to another file reads something like this:
='[Some Book Name.xls]Sheet1'!$A$1

If it had to include a path that contains brackets, there'd be some serious
confusion as to what part is the path and what part is the file name.

<-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*->
Hope this helps!
Anne Troy (better known as Dreamboat)
Author: Dreamboat on Word
Email: Dreamboat*at*Piersontech.com
Web: www.TheOfficeExperts.com

 

[Bazza]

using: Microsoft Excel 2002 - SP2

When trying to save a new Excel workbook to a folder-path containing
square brackets ('[', ']') Excel raises the error "The file could not be
accessed" followed by some sub-information about the usage of illegal
characters: < > ? [ ] : ! or *.

Every other application can save it's document to this path, even Word.
When the Excel workbook is moved to this path using the Windows
Explorer, Excel has no problems with opening and saving the file into
this "illegal" folder.

Is this officially confirmed to be a bug, or is this already fixed in
some service pack I don't have?

I would argue that its anything but a bug.

Excel in this instance is conformng to the general rule of NOT ALLOWING
specific proscribed characters to be used within the file name system.

This is (or ought to be) a carry-on effect from the early days when DOS was
the operating system of choice (OK some people still like CPM).
e.g command line DIR c:\ > mylist.txt would create a new file where data
was "piped" from a command or file to some other . Certain characters were
reserved by the operationg system to carry out spcialised functions

e.g Under Win 9x the command will do this (5 entries)
DIR c:\ > mylist.txt -> mylist 1,222 13-4-2004 mylist.txt
DIR c:\ > [mylist.txt -> _mylis~1 1,279 13-4-2004 [mylist.txt
DIR c:\ > {mylist.txt -> mylist 1,336 13-4-2004 {mylist.txt
DIR c:\ > ~mylist.txt -> mylist 1,446 13-4-2004 ~mylist.txt
DIR c:\ > 'mylist.txt -> mylist 1,503 13-4-2004 'mylist.txt

Note that the OS displays the file listings in different fashions and if you
boot to a real DOS system, you'll only find 4 entries (#5 does not)

Generally it seems to be part of M$ ambivalence toward the rule which has
different results depending on the operating system. Go figure -)

That's my tuppence