Next "available" File/Folder Name,...

[Kerem Gümrükcü]

Hi,

i am looking for some API that will give me the next
available file/folder name if the file/folder aleady
exists. Example: you have a file named "New Text.txt",
o the operating system suggests here "New Text(1).txt"
if you create a new file within the shell. Is there any API
that could give me the next available name for a file if
i provide a filename as input? I guess its some shell interface
or function, but i could not find anything so far,...

Thanks in advance,...

Regards

Kerem

--
-----------------------
Beste Grüsse / Best regards / Votre bien devoue
Kerem Gümrükcü
Latest Project: http://www.pro-it-education.de/software/deviceremover
Latest Open-Source Projects: http://entwicklung.junetz.de
-----------------------

 

[Jeff Gaines]

Hi,

i am looking for some API that will give me the next
available file/folder name if the file/folder aleady
exists. Example: you have a file named "New Text.txt",
o the operating system suggests here "New Text(1).txt"
if you create a new file within the shell. Is there any API
that could give me the next available name for a file if
i provide a filename as input? I guess its some shell interface
or function, but i could not find anything so far,...

I use the following for files:

internal static string GetUniqueFilePath(string filePathIN)
{
int count = 1;
string result = filePathIN;

FileInfo fInfo = new FileInfo(result);
if (fInfo.Exists)
{
do
{
result = filePathIN + "." + count.ToString("0000");
count++;
fInfo = new FileInfo(result);
}
while (fInfo.Exists);
}
return result;
}

It adds the number at the end so you would need to tweak it a bit to put
the number in a different place.

 

[Stefan Kuhr]

Hi Kerem,

Hi,

i am looking for some API that will give me the next
available file/folder name if the file/folder aleady
exists. Example: you have a file named "New Text.txt",
o the operating system suggests here "New Text(1).txt"
if you create a new file within the shell. Is there any API
that could give me the next available name for a file if
i provide a filename as input? I guess its some shell interface
or function, but i could not find anything so far,...

Even if there is such a thing, what value would it give to you? Once you
had that "next available file/folder name" and just before you can
create it, your program can be preempted and someone else can calculate
this file/folder and create it, so what value will your prior call to
this imaginary function have?. Having a function that does this as an
API is subject to race conditions, so it is per se useless, unless
tightly coupled with a file/foldeer creation call. The only sure thing
is a function that tries to *create* the next possible file/folder.

You mentioned PathMakeUniqueName, I never used that, does it only
"suggest" the file name or does it create the file as well? If it
doesn't create the file name, you will have to use that in a loop until
a combination of the result of both PathMakeUniqueName and CreateFile
succeed. BTW: MSDN online says that PathMakeUniqueName is suppported on
W2K as well.

 

[Kerem Gümrükcü]

Hi Stefan,

Even if there is such a thing, what value would it give to you? Once you
had that "next available file/folder name" and just before you can create
it, your program can be preempted and someone else can calculate this
file/folder and create it, so what value will your prior call to this
imaginary function have?. Having a function that does this as an API is
subject to race conditions, so it is per se useless, unless tightly
coupled with a file/foldeer creation call. The only sure thing is a
function that tries to *create* the next possible file/folder.

Yes, you are right on that. But it is quite sure that there will be no
race condition/deadlock, because the access to the folder is only restricted
to
a special process that only runs single instance, system and sessionwide
in a special account and the folder (where the subfolders/files) will be
created) has special NTFS restrictions only for the process user context.

You mentioned PathMakeUniqueName, I never used that, does it only
"suggest" the file name or does it create the file as well?

AFAIK (i didnt check it and will use it!) it only suggest the file name,
like
many shell and helper functions do with strings and URLs/Paths.

doesn't create the file name, you will have to use that in a loop until a
combination of the result of both PathMakeUniqueName and CreateFile
succeed.

I implemented my own version that does a for-loop on the names until it gets
a "available" name, then it does its job.

BTW: MSDN online says that PathMakeUniqueName is suppported on W2K as
well.

I am always very cautious on functions i never used or know, so i always
check
first whether there is a (implemented) export of the function on the named
library
and this time i was right on checking it, because my up2date W2k system does
NOT have such a export in the library! Yes, MSDN says that, but in fact it
seems to
be wrong since i do have a shell32.dll (5.00.3900.7155) on my W2k and it
does
NOT export that function at least it has no named export! But MSDN says:

Minimum DLL Version shell32.dll version 5.0 or later
Custom Implementation No
Header shlobj.h
Import library shell32.lib
Minimum operating systems Windows 2000

Thats simply wrong!

And what export name is that "PathYetAnotherMakeUniqueName", available
since >=XP *g*

Regards

K.


--
-----------------------
Beste Grüsse / Best regards / Votre bien devoue
Kerem Gümrükcü
Latest Project: http://www.pro-it-education.de/software/deviceremover
Latest Open-Source Projects: http://entwicklung.junetz.de
-----------------------

 

[Hector Santos]

Hi Stefan,


Yes, you are right on that. But it is quite sure that there will be no
race condition/deadlock, because the access to the folder is only
restricted to
a special process that only runs single instance, system and sessionwide
in a special account and the folder (where the subfolders/files) will be
created) has special NTFS restrictions only for the process user context.

Stefan's suggestion still applies. However, where (count) do you
begin? If its a single process/thread, you might as well use a
FindFirstFile()/FindNextFile() to get the highest count using a "New
File*.txt" specification, then +1 for the new file. If the applet is
24x7, then you can get that high count at startup.

Off hand:

int GetNextCount()
{
const char *pszSpec = "new file(*).txt";
int nHigh = 0;
WIN32_FIND_DATA fd;
HANDLE ff = FindFirstFile(pszSpec, &fd);
if (ff != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) {
do {
int n = atoi(fd.cFileName+9);
if (n > nHigh) nHigh = n;
} while(FindNextFile(ff,&fd));
FindClose(ff);
}
return nHigh+1;
}

Usage:

CString nfn;
nfn.Format("New File(%d)",GetNextCount())

Fine tune this to your specific paths/names. But has Stefan
highlighted, if you going to be having multiple access points,
threads, processes, etc, then doing a exclusive file open with
CreateFile() will work (after getting the highest count), then use a
loop to increment again if the file was created after the
findfirst/next search.

 

[Alexander Grigoriev]

isn't that shlwapi.dll?

Hi Stefan,


Yes, you are right on that. But it is quite sure that there will be no
race condition/deadlock, because the access to the folder is only
restricted to
a special process that only runs single instance, system and sessionwide
in a special account and the folder (where the subfolders/files) will be
created) has special NTFS restrictions only for the process user context.


AFAIK (i didnt check it and will use it!) it only suggest the file name,
like
many shell and helper functions do with strings and URLs/Paths.


I implemented my own version that does a for-loop on the names until it
gets
a "available" name, then it does its job.


I am always very cautious on functions i never used or know, so i always
check
first whether there is a (implemented) export of the function on the named
library
and this time i was right on checking it, because my up2date W2k system
does
NOT have such a export in the library! Yes, MSDN says that, but in fact it
seems to
be wrong since i do have a shell32.dll (5.00.3900.7155) on my W2k and it
does
NOT export that function at least it has no named export! But MSDN says:

Minimum DLL Version shell32.dll version 5.0 or later
Custom Implementation No
Header shlobj.h
Import library shell32.lib
Minimum operating systems Windows 2000

Thats simply wrong!

And what export name is that "PathYetAnotherMakeUniqueName", available
since >=XP *g*

Regards

K.


--
-----------------------
Beste Grüsse / Best regards / Votre bien devoue
Kerem Gümrükcü
Latest Project: http://www.pro-it-education.de/software/deviceremover
Latest Open-Source Projects: http://entwicklung.junetz.de
-----------------------

 

[Kerem Gümrükcü]

Non, its shell32.dll, check exports. At first i was
expecting it in the helper library too,..

--
-----------------------
Beste Grüsse / Best regards / Votre bien devoue
Kerem Gümrükcü
Latest Project: http://www.pro-it-education.de/software/deviceremover
Latest Open-Source Projects: http://entwicklung.junetz.de
-----------------------

 

[Alexander Grigoriev]

I remember that shell32.dll was replaced with IE update. Maybe the function
is only present after one such update.

 

[rogero]

I am always very cautious on functions i never used or know, so i always
check
first whether there is a (implemented) export of the function on the named
library
and this time i was right on checking it, because my up2date W2k system does
NOT have such a export in the library! Yes, MSDN says that, but in fact it
seems to
be wrong since i do have a shell32.dll (5.00.3900.7155) on my W2k and it
does
NOT export that function at least it has no named export! But MSDN says:

Minimum DLL Version shell32.dll version 5.0 or later
Custom Implementation No
Header shlobj.h
Import library shell32.lib
Minimum operating systems Windows 2000

Thats simply wrong!

And what export name is that "PathYetAnotherMakeUniqueName", available
since >=XP  *g*

Ah - they're exported by ordinal not by name.
PathMakeUniqueName is ordinal #47 in shell32.dll on W2K

Regards,
Roger.