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rombanks
rombanks
Inspiring
June 11, 2019
Answered

tilde doesn't get resolved as user home dir

  • June 11, 2019
  • 2 replies
  • 2882 views

Hello fellows,

I am writing a small xtendscript that saves a file to a network folder upon hitting Save.

For some reason, the tilde (~) doesn't get resolved as C:\Users\<username>\ in a file path I define (Win10, FM13).

For example:

var FilePath = "~\\AppData\\Roaming\\Adobe\\FrameMaker\\SharePoint\\TestFolder\\Latest Collaterals\\UG\\Sources\\";

if I run alert(FilePath), I get "~\AppData\..."

Any ideas why it doesn't get resolved?

Thanks,

Roman

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Wiedenmaier

Hi Markus,

Thanks for your explanations!

It's not quite clear to me why filePath.indexOf("C:\users\") returns Position 0.

Line if (filePath.indexOf($.getenv('AppData'))==0) started working only after I defined a system variable called AppData.

I'd like to test your suggestion to use File.copy() instead of saving the file.

Interestingly enough, I didn't see the File.copy() method in the Scripting Guide, nor in the Javascript Tools Guide.

So, assuming the open file is defined as:

var doc = app.ActiveDoc;

and the target folder to copy the file to is defined as:

var docLib = "T:\\My_UG\\Sources\\";

I've created a new file object:

var oFile = new File(doc.Name);

To copy the file over to the network folder, I tried:

oFile.copy(docLib);

For some reason, it doesn't work. Any idea why?

Thank you!!


Hi Rombanks,

indexOf Returns 0 in this case, as the string starts with the string provided as parameter. Strings starts at the first position, and the first position in an JavaScript array is 0 (not 1). This is by Definition.

this is what "ObjectModel Viewer" (F1 in ESTK) tells for File.copy

File.copy (target: string ): Boolean  Core JavaScript Classes  Copies this object’s referenced file to the specified target location. Resolves any aliases to find the source file. If a file exists at the target location, it is overwritten. Returns true if the copy was successful. target: Data Type: string or File  A string with the URI path to the target location, or a File object that references the target location. Example:  aFile.copy(target)

File.copy expects and URI or a File object, so do this

var oFile = new File(doc.Name);

oFile.copy(new File(docLib));

or

oFile.copy(new File(docLib).toString());

Make sure, docLib is a file path not not a path to a Folder. docLib sounds like a Folder path. this doesn't work. a file Name is expected here.

File.copy works with an URI not with a Windows file path. An URI starts with file://c:/somepath or ~AppData\Users.... etc.

So this should also work with Network paths, but I haven't testet it yet.

$.getenv reads environment variables from the system. %appdata% is defined by default. not sure why this doesn't work in your environment. Put the string in JavaScript console and see what the result is.

2 replies

R
ReedError
Inspiring
June 11, 2019

All you are doing with this code is creating a string and printing it, so there is nothing special going on here.

What you want to do is create a new Folder object and then use its properties and methods to do what you want.

Here are some examples of accepted syntax:

     var folder = new Folder('~/Desktop');

     var folder2 = new Folder(Folder.desktop + '/NewFolder');

     var folder3 = new Folder('//servername/sharename');

     var folder4 = new Folder(Folder.userData);

     alert(folder.fullName);

     alert(folder.fsName);

Full details can be found in the "JavaScript Tools Guide CC" PDF (do a google for it or I think its in the ESTK help menu)

    rombanks
    rombanksAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 11, 2019

    Hi,

    Thanks for your response!

    I am using FM13 and the ESTK that comes with it.

    What I do is:

    1. Extract the file's path and assign it to the FilePath variable:

    ...

    var FilePath = doc.Name.substr (0, (doc.Name.indexOf(FileName)));

    ...

    Then, I'd like to test whether the FilePath value is  C:\Users\<username>\...

    If yes, save to a SharePoint folder. Here is another catch: if the file is checked out,

    W
    Wiedenmaier
    Inspiring
    June 11, 2019
    var FilePath = doc.Name.substr (0, (doc.Name.indexOf(FileName))); 
    if (FilePath.indexOf($.genenv('appdata'))==0)
    {
         //starts with %appdata%
         //so copy suff to network
    }

    and this has the same effect

    if (doc.Name.indexOf($.genenv('appdata'))==0)
    {
         //starts with %appdata%
         //so copy suff to Network
    }

    Hope this helps now.

    markus

    W
    Wiedenmaier
    Inspiring
    June 11, 2019

    Hi Rombanks,

    try this

    var filePath = new File("~\\AppData\\Roaming\\Adobe\\FrameMaker\\SharePoint\\TestFolder\\Latest Collaterals\\UG\\Sources\\")

    Hope this helps

    Markus

    rombanks
    rombanksAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 11, 2019

    Hi Markus,

    I appreciate your response!

    new File doesn't resolve it either.

    What I actually do is check the path of the open file. If it is C:\Users\<username>\..., then save the file to a network folder (in my case, a SharePoint folder).

    Thanks,

    Roman

    W
    Wiedenmaier
    Inspiring
    June 11, 2019

    Hi,

    when I do this in FM 2019 (ESTK CC 4.0.0.1 ES 4.5.5)

    var filePath = new File("~\\AppData\\Roaming\\Adobe\\FrameMaker\\SharePoint\\TestFolder\\Latest Collaterals\\UG\\Sources\\")

    I get this in console, when I put "filePath" variable in there

    C:\Users\Markus\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\FrameMaker\SharePoint\TestFolder\Latest Collaterals\UG\Sources

    Maybe, it's me, and i don't understand the problem.

    Perhaps, it's also an idea to use FM's Directory properties like:

    app.UserHomeDir
    app.UserSettingsDir
    app.TmpDir

    etc.

    Markus

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