Playing with paths/strings

[Raed Abu-Sanad]

hi,
i use in my programs predefined directories defined as strings, like

$WorkDIR  "C:\work\*.*"
$DestDIR  "D:\yourwork\"

when i want to copy file called "xyz.txt" using FILECOPY command from WorkDIR, how it is going to be???

FILECOPY $WorkDIR\xyz.tx, $yourwork

i get errors.
how to write the path with variable part?

[Kev Peel]

You need to use the string concatenation character "+", also any literals need to be enclosed with quotes:

FILECOPY $WorkDIR + "\xyz.tx", $yourwork

[Raed Abu-Sanad]

You need to use the string concatenation character "+", also any literals need to be enclosed with quotes:

FILECOPY $WorkDIR + "\xyz.tx", $yourwork

hi
still doesnt work,
i also read that the source and destination should be file names not directories . i tried this and it didnt work as well

FILECOPY $WorkDIR + "\xyz.tx", $yourwork +"abc.txt"

[Kev Peel]

It's because you need to use proper folder path names (no wildcards etc):

$WorkDIR  "C:\work\"
$DestDIR  "D:\yourwork\"
 
FILECOPY $WorkDIR + "xyz.tx", $yourwork + "abc.txt"

If you need to see the outcome then use:

? $WorkDIR + "xyz.tx" + $CRLF + $yourwork + "abc.txt"

[Scott Turchin]

? $WorkDIR + "xyz.tx" + $CRLF + $yourwork + "abc.txt"

It's different coding styles but I think it was Lance Edmonds that got me into using the & to append text instead of the + sign...

So you could also do this to eliminate any potential future confusion when mathmatical values come up...

Just a different style is all...

? $WorkDIR & "xyz.tx" & $CRLF & $yourwork & "abc.txt"

[Kev Peel]

Not for me, I hate that nonstandard VB-style syntax

[Cliff Nichols]

Kev,
+ and & in VB are equally well known.
& is just less used

good thing its not boolean, or
the "+" would be an "OR"
the "&" wound be an "AND"
(god forbid what NOR, ExOR, and etc would be)

[Kev Peel]

I know, I used to be a VB programmer before I saw the light

The & operator was for VB 5/6 only and M$ changed the way + worked since it used variants internally. PB does not have this problem so using + is fine (& was probably included for compatibility).

VB Example:

Private Sub Form_Load()
 
  s1 = 1 ' Default variable type is VARIANT
  s2 = 2
  MsgBox s1 + s2  ' Adds values to make "3"
  MsgBox s1 & s2  ' Combines 1+2 to make "12"
 
End Sub

[Michael Mattias]

  s1 = 1 ' Default variable type is VARIANT
  s2 = 2
  MsgBox s1 + s2  ' Adds values to make "3"
  MsgBox s1 & s2  ' Combines 1+2 to make "12"

And I thought "GOTO" facilitated bad programming habits.