datapath find

[DaveM]

Hi all,

Does anybody have a datapath finder?

Most of us know where we put stuff, but alpha does not seem to have a method for finding the datapath on a network without user input.

I am at a loss to do this from within alpha.

My datapath is generally like \\server\ups55\sales.adb and not "v:\ups55\sales.adb"

I cannot find a way to search for shared folders on another computer and not knowing the name. There are a few commercial programs oput there to do this, but require user intervention.

Hopefully, I can do a search for a planted file on the server, trap the complete path, use that path in a variable and fill in the needed information for a neew install so the user has no problem with an install.

Any help or ideas will be greatly appreciated and I bet a lot of us can benefit from it.

Thanks in advance.

.

[MikeC]

Re: datapath find

Dave,
If you know the uppermost folder that the file will be contained in then I believe is doable without user action....otherwise I cannot.

[CALocklin]

Re: datapath find

Alpha doesn't seem to "like" UNC file names. I don't know if that's an Alpha issue or .DBF issue but I suspect it's an Alpha issue. Maybe something to add to the wish list.

I did discover that FILE.MACHINES_GET() will list the UNC file names of networked drives but FILEFIND.GET() doesn't recognize UNC names so it won't do you much good.

NOTES:

1. I also discovered that ?A5_GET_WRITABLE_DRIVES() - as listed in the Help files - doesn't work in any version. However, A5_GET_WRITEABLE_DRIVES() does return mapped drives.

2. Even if you could find them, I thought there were problems using UNC names in lookups (such as a table lookup in field rules) and possibly some other operations?? Disclaimer: I'm not sure about this one.

[MikeC]

Re: datapath find

Cal, Dave,
If you know the network computer name and the folder that a file is in you can use this other function which will take a network path....(MAIN-- is a networked computer).

FilFind=FILEFIND.GET_RECURSE("\\MAIN--\My Documents","*.txt")
?Filfind
= \\MAIN--\My Documents\REBOOT_TEST.txt
\\MAIN--\My Documents\Strawberry_Prestige.txt
\\MAIN--\My Documents\AIM_092008_Script_Final.txt
\\MAIN--\My Documents\Google Map.txt
\\MAIN--\My Documents\System_Restore_Safemode.txt

Cal, I see you notice that misspelling as well :) ....been that way at least since v5 I know as I used it back then. At least the help file example has it correct.

[CALocklin]

Re: datapath find

Very interesting!

I had tried it in the Interactive Window without knowing any folder names and, after a very long wait, got this - nothing! FWIW, I also tried it with other combinations - without the backslash, with *.* - and couldn't find anything that worked. Maybe someone else can.

 
?FILEFIND.GET_RECURSE("\\AIMS-DC3\\","*",FILE_FIND_DIRECTORY)
= ""

However, adding a folder name returns all subfolders - almost instantly:

?FILEFIND.GET_RECURSE("\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\\","*",FILE_FIND_DIRECTORY)
= \\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\Common
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender\7.74
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender\7.74\Toolbox
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender\7.74\Toolbox\Standard Bar Codes
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender\7.74\Toolbox\Standard RFID
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender\7.74\Toolbox\Standard Bar Codes\1D
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender\7.74\Toolbox\Standard Bar Codes\2D
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender\7.74\Toolbox\Standard Bar Codes\EAN - JAN - UPC
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender\7.74\Toolbox\Standard Bar Codes\Postal - Shipping
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender\7.74\Toolbox\Standard Bar Codes\RSS
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\BarTender\7.74\Toolbox\Standard Bar Codes\TLC
\\AIMS-DC3\Seagull\Common\ShellExtension

Unfortunately, I believe that the whole point of the original question was that the developer had no way of knowing what folder it was in.

[DaveM]

Re: datapath find

Thanks for the responses. I think if we can figure it all out, we can post in the code archive? Someone else may have a use for it too. I only wish The Alpha Company Gang would look at this.

actually, I will know the name of a "planted" file in a folder on the server and that it will be on a the root of a drive. It will be a shared folder. I can cause it to be a set folder name too if absolutely necessary. I was also thinking way past alpha as another way(vb, pb, c, etc.), but if possible to stay in alpha, it would be better.

My boot strap for a work station asks for a path to the master adb now and accepts user input, but users have wrong ideas sometimes or don't have enough knowledge to carry it out. It would be better if they did not have to cross this.


.

[CALocklin]

Re: datapath find

... users have wrong ideas sometimes or don't have enough knowledge to carry it out. It would be better if they did not have to cross this.

Oh, come on! Where do you find users like that? None of mine would have any problem with such a simple task.

[MikeC]

Re: datapath find

Dave,
So far I can get it if the server name and drive name is known. A list of files is then shown with full paths and would be easy to do......still thinking/working on not having to know the drive......

[CALocklin]

Re: datapath find

You can do it without knowing the drive (see File.Machines_get() ) BUT you have to know the first level folder name.

So, if you KNOW that the application will always be installed to <SomeDrive>MyAppFolder, then you can use File.Machines_get() to get a list of drives and then check each one to find the one that has your folder/file. (Although, personally, I hate it when people force me to install to a specific folder name)
EDIT: Oops! Maybe that's what you meant by "server name and drive name is known".

Frankly, I'm not sure there is any good way to solve this. Even if you could find every folder on every drive, (a) someone is likely to put your application is a subfolder of a subfolder somewhere which would make it even tougher to find (a couple of my clients have done that) and (b) it could (maybe) take a long time to run a search like that.

Another issue I've run into is that the user installed my app on the server but didn't know how to share it. In that case, being able to search the folders wouldn't do much good.

Wait! I think I have the answer - teach everybody that uses a computer how to share folders and to navigate through the folders to find the one they want. After all, this should be part of Computers 101.

[MikeC]

Re: datapath find

Cal,

you have to know the first level folder name.

This is the key of course--to know the name of the shared folder or drive....unless the folder is shared it will not show up to be searched in by file.get_recurse(). But it will be shared as otherwise the application wouldn't work would it? hmmmm....think that is what I've found in using networked work stations......

Using File.Machines_get() does eliminate knowing the server name for the most part.

[MikeC]

Re: datapath find

Dave,
I can do as you want now I believe. As the actual drive is not known and could be either a standard network shared drive (your scenario) or possibily a mapped drive for other users, the search would have to encompass both cases..... could easily add an optional argument to the function to default to both but be able to choose one or the other cases. If there are a lot of shared drives/folders/files it takes a while to run--about 3 or so minutes for 70 gigs of data in one run I made.

I will work on it tomorrow afternoon and post it then.....I just wanted you to know it is doable so you won't be still looking for a solution. It will be a function that you will simply enter the file that is to be found....and whether or not to limit the search to local/mapped drives, network drives, or both...2 arguments.

[MikeC]

Re: datapath find

Dave,
Here is the function....a possibly addition would be to place a progress bar in the code as if there is a lot of shared drives and a lot of data it takes a bit to process---9 minutes to go through about 70 gigs over the (slow)network. Any questions just ask.

When choosing a Mapped drive I reversed the order as most times people choose the later letters for these and just this could speed up the find process I am thinking.

The file name should be made for sure UNIQUE to be sure the correct path is obtained....and has to have the file extension.

I added a global variable called var->apth as well as setting the function itself to have the path value....depends upon how you want to use it....

'Date Created: 08-Aug-2010 07:37:21 PM
'Last Updated: 09-Aug-2010 10:00:56 PM
'Created By  : MikeC
'Updated By  : MikeC
FUNCTION Path_Find AS C (File_name AS C, Search AS C ="MN")
'description: Choose a Filename that is unique and has been placed in the path to find.  Second argument defaults to searching both local/Mapped drives ="M" and Network drives = "N" when left blank.
'
'''==================NETWORKED DRIVE===========================
dim File_Name as c
dim mach as c
mach=File.Machines_get("S")
dim FilFind as C
dim pth as c
pth=""
'
if Search="MN" .or. Search="NM" .or. Search="N"
    dim File_Name as c
    dim mach as c
    mach=File.Machines_get("S")
'    
    dim FilFind as C
    dim pth as c
    pth=""
    for each qi in mach
        file.dir_put(qi)
        pth=qi
'
        FilFind=FILEFIND.GET_RECURSE(pth,File_name)
          if FilFind<>""
             dim full_pth as c
             full_pth=word_subtract(pth,File_name)+chr(92)
             goto found_path
          end if    
    next
    if (Search="NM" or Search="MN") .and. FilFind=""
        goto Mapped
    end if
'
end if
'
'''==================MAPPED DRIVE===========================
If Search="M"
    mapped:
    'sort descending so that the more likely later drive letters
    '' of a mapped drive will be processed first
    mach=SORTSUBSTR(a5_get_writeable_drives(),crlf(),"D")
    mach=*for_each(qt,qt+chr(92),mach)'adds backslash for escape needed in .GET_RECURSE()
    pth=""
    for each qi in mach
        file.dir_put(qi)
        pth=qi
'
        FilFind=FILEFIND.GET_RECURSE(pth,File_name)
          if FilFind<>""
             dim full_pth as c
             full_pth=word_subtract(pth,File_name)
             full_pth=strtran(pth,chr(92)+chr(92),chr(92))'takes out escape backslash
             goto found_path
          end if    
    next    
end if
found_path:
Path_Find=full_pth
dim global apth as C
apth=full_pth
'
END FUNCTION

Here it is as an importable function

[CALocklin]

Re: datapath find

Nice Mike!

Apparently the secret was the "S". Maybe as in "Oh s..., how did I miss that?" It's interesting how much difference one little detail can make.

[MikeC]

Re: datapath find

Thanks Cal,
As with most of my little discoveries, having others present functions/methods (as you did with File.Machines_get() ) that can be utilized as part of the solution makes it so much easier to figure them out. This happens often with puzzles that I solve....many times it is a group effort even if the other participants are not aware of their significant contributions. :)

Hope it does as Dave wants.