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Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

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    Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

    Dear Alpha,
    The problem with the .mpx files has been around for a while and we seem to find ways to work around the problem by writing scripts to do what the software is supposed to do or simply ignore them because they "don't take up much room." We blame the build up of these files on our users for not properly exiting the program or computer crashes.

    What to do? I exit my program correctly and the files continue to build up. A client runs the program on a network and had over 1000 of the little buggers taking up almost 5 megs of disk space. I have been through the settings and many times and they are correct. A script to delete the files does not work on the network with users logged on and using the program.

    Why is there an option under the settings to delete the .mpx files when exiting Alpha Five or closing a Database if in fact we do not delete these files? I have set my directories shared path and private path to an A5garbage directory so at least I know where they are and do not accidentally delete a file I need.

    Are you going to correct this or do we have to continue accumulating garbage?

    Dick Blanchard

    #2
    RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

    Dick

    There is a known issue with mpx files that should be corrected in the next build. I have tested the fix and it does work. While I don't know if the fix will correct your exact problem, it should have an effect. I don't know when the next build will be posted, but it should be soon.

    Jerry

    Comment


      #3
      RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

      Dick,

      Attached is a little script I've been using since A5v4.

      I haven't bothered advertising it because the first few times I mentioned it people seemed to think I was crazy - after all, there was already a built-in "solution". I figured there was no point in providing a solution to a problem they couldn't find. Besides, it was just another feature that I could offer to my clients that others weren't offering.

      Cal

      Comment


        #4
        RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

        Oops! Click the Send before the Browse.

        Comment


          #5
          RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

          Jerry,

          Do you know if this fix will delete mpx files that were created by a previous A5 session that did not close correctly because of a crash? I'm sure this is where the problem resides.

          The script I've been using takes care of this by deleting any mpx (actually $$*.*) files that are not currently in use. I've been using this in my autoexec for quite a while with no complaints.

          Comment


            #6
            RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

            Cal

            The issue with mpx files is interesting. Apparently the current process is to keep track of mpx files as they are created and only delete them when the program closes. If the program losses track, the files are left. It appeared that many were being held in memory. If you tried to delete them with A5 open, they would display as in use. As long as A5 was open, some of the mpx files could not be deleted manually. With this situation, it was easy to create dozens or even hundreds of mpx files if a program was left open for a long time. Occasionally, mpx files were being created in odd places. For example, an addin that creates mpx files (the calendar) might create them in the private path or the addin folder.

            With the change, I noticed very different behavour. The number of mpx files created was much less. Fewer were held in memory and when they were old it appears they are deleted on the fly. I had one process that could produce 30 to 60 mpx files very quickly. After the change, there were rarely more than 6 or so ever. It also appears they are a little faster to access than before. And when they are no longer active, they are quickly deleted.

            I was informed the change was complex and significant, but the benefits were also significant. I think many of the issues with mpx files being left will be be solved.

            Jerry

            Comment


              #7
              RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

              Cal,
              Thank you for the information. I add it, somehow, to my program until Alpha comes out with the patch. It appeared that Version 5 did it's own house keeping pretty well at first. I was not accumulating files. I wonder if there is some relation to Runtime. After I installed runtime on my computer it set the shared path to the runtime directory and the files started piling up. Unfortunately I do not have a computer that does not have the runtime installed and therefore cannot check this theory.
              I am also accumulating $$*.mpx files in my registry. I wonder if the Alpha patch will correct this as well.
              Thanks again
              Dick Blanchard

              Comment


                #8
                RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

                Hi,

                Now that you mention it, I also notice that mpx files do not accumulate with the full version, but they grow like crazy with the runtime.

                Gary
                Gary S. Traub, Ph.D.

                Comment


                  #9
                  RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

                  I have both the full and runtime on my computer and do not seem to collect an inordinate amount of *.mpx files. I find only 2 in the registry and really don't know why you would accumulate them there. How many do you see there?

                  Russ

                  Comment


                    #10
                    RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

                    Hi Russ,

                    My mpx files accumulate in the main runtime directory - 100's and 100's and 100's.

                    Gary
                    Gary S. Traub, Ph.D.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

                      Russ,
                      I just ran regedit on my computer (running Win 98SE) and did a search for ".mpx". I stopped counting when I reached 500. I have not deleted files from the registry on this computer for some time so I have no idea how long they have been accumulating. Another computer I have (Windows XP) had the registry files deleted about a month ago and I deleted around 100 just the other day.

                      If the files are not accumulating on your computer, I wonder what is different?
                      Dick Blanchard

                      Comment


                        #12
                        RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

                        If your settings are supposed to remove the .mpx files, this sounds like an awfully large number of them unless (a) they have accumulated over many months, (b) you are experiencing a lot of crashes, or (c) maybe something else in your app is causing them. (Although I have no idea what it could be.)

                        I do find them annoying but I haven't experienced "100's and 100's" since I started using the "delete mpx files" option.

                        I just checked my registry and only found 10 references to mpx files - and they are all in my Alpha Five v4.0 folder. I don't recall ever deleting any from the v5.0 folder - certainly not recently.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

                          I've never before checked windows registry for mpx references, I just did, and I have more references than I care to count, probably a couple of thousand entries under A5v5.

                          Should we be deleting these entries??

                          Thanks,
                          Jim

                          Comment


                            #14
                            RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

                            I've never before checked windows registry for mpx references, I just did, and I have more references than I care to count, probably a couple of thousand entries under A5v5.

                            Holy cow!

                            I've got quite a few, too!

                            Comment


                              #15
                              RE: Dear Alpha Please - .mpx

                              Likewise running XP Pro. Registry I was bored and counted (approx) 750 of them, nearly as good as sheep 8-)

                              Regards

                              Keith

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