TMP files alongside the comparison members

[deyvsh]

Hi guys,

Love BC, this is the first issue I've had and it's not even your fault!

When trying to compare one or more files on our Sharepoint server, accessed through Windows Explorer using WebDAV, I get "The file type being saved or retrieved has been blocked" when trying to save. Some diagnostics showed that it's not the file itself that's being blocked, but the .tmp file generated by BC.

While I recognise this is a local issue and I'll try working around it at this end, I was wondering whether there is (or could be) an option to store these temp files on the local disk somewhere rather than alongside the comparison member?

Cheers,
Dave

[Aaron]

Hello,

There is not a method to disable this behavior. There are two main methods of saving a file: one is to directly overwrite the file in place (but if interrupted can cause corruption). The other is the use of the temp file and only when it is created successfully is the original removed and replaced. We use the later method.

Normally, if you have write access to the location, this isn't an issue. Is there a specific security suite or scan that is blocking *.tmp files? Is it possible there is a setting with Sharepoint to allow this type of saving?

[deyvsh]

Thanks for the information, Aaron. There is a setting within Sharepoint, but I have several administrative hoops to jump through to get it changed.

[sanG]

I'm glad I did a search about this issue. I have the exact same issue/question.

Interestingly though, from what I can tell its not the creation of the BC3****.tmp that causes the save to fail. Beyond compare seems to be trying to create a file (handle only?) named something like <filename>~RF*******.TMP afterwards and that's what is failing. It seems to be the "~" character that the WEBDAV/SharePoint does not like.

It’s like beyond compare is checking if it can create a backup save copy file even though that option is disabled.

[Aaron]

The "~" prefix is likely something the Windows file creation is doing, as part of the save function we are using (Windows provided method that handles the creation/replacement of the file during save). Can you save any file name into Sharepoint with a ~, either as a prefix or within the filename?

Could you go into more detail on what you mean by "even though that option is disabled"? Do you mean the Beyond Compare 'Backup' options, or something in Sharepoint? If you meant the Beyond Compare 'Backup' option, this isn't part of the Save function's temp file creation. If it's a Sharepoint option, could we get a bit more detail?

[sanG]

It gives me an error when I try and save file a ~ in the file name or extension.

In beyond compare, under the options backups page, there are a few similar greyed out file name formats with ~ but I do not think that's whats causing it, I was just kinda making an observation.

[Aaron]

Thanks for that clarification and test. Do you think there might be a Sharepoint configuration that is currently blocking that character? We have had other users access files on Sharepoint (after setting up a bound drive letter).

To confirm, if you perform a rename in Windows Explorer or a save in Notepad, the ~ character is still blocked with an error message? It is possible either of these would present a slightly different error message, which might help narrow down what is causing the rejection.

Another test we can try: BC4 is currently entering public beta and one of the new features is a WebDAV connection (similar to an FTP Profile). Because it is in beta, I would not suggest saving or working with Live data on a server that is not acting as expected, but if you would like to test with a pair of test folders/files on your server, it might help narrow down if Sharepoint is having trouble with the character, or if it is how the current location is bound (as a drive letter?)
www.scootersoftware.com/beta