R devel - Apr 2004 - Weirdness with choose.files on Microsoft Windows (PR#6818)

Full_Name: Kevin Wright
Version: 1.8.0
OS: Windows 95
Submission from: (NULL) (170.54.59.160)



This bug also happens to me using R 1.9.0 on Windows 2000.

Took me a long time to create a reproducible bug, but I think I have succeeded. 
I suspect my test function has a bug, but I don't see anything wrong.  Plus,
the
bug only shows up when selecting certain filenames.  Nearest I can speculate,
choose.files becomes confused after a filename that has capital letters and
numbers has been chosen.  Sounds crazy and I'd like to know more, but
choose.files is mostly .Internal code.

First, create two CSV files.

library(nlme)
data(Oats)
write.table(Oats,"c:/oats.csv",sep=",")
write.table(Oats,"c:/C20oats.csv",sep=",")

Quit R and restart.  Follow the steps below.  Select oats.csv the first 4 times,
then select C20oats.csv and then select oats.csv .  Notice how the filename is
corrupted the final  time.


test <- function(){
     cat("press ENTER for a gui file selector\n")
     gas.filename<-readline()
     if(gas.filename=="")
       gas.filename <-
choose.files("*.csv",multi=FALSE,caption="Hi")
     if(file.exists(gas.filename)){
       cat("Reading ",gas.filename,"\n")
       DFgas<-read.csv(gas.filename)
     }
     else
       cat("The file",gas.filename," cannot be found\n")
 
 
     cat("press ENTER for a gui file selector\n")
     nir.filename<-readline()
     if(nir.filename=="")
       nir.filename <- choose.files("*.csv",multi=FALSE,
                                    caption="Choose one gas CSV file")
     if(file.exists(nir.filename)){
       cat("Reading ",nir.filename,"\n")
       DFnir<-read.csv(nir.filename)
     }
     else
       cat("The file", nir.filename," cannot be found\n")
       
 }
> test()
press ENTER for a gui file selector

Reading  C:\oats.csv 
press ENTER for a gui file selector

Reading  C:\oats.csv 
> test()
press ENTER for a gui file selector

Reading  C:\oats.csv 
press ENTER for a gui file selector

Reading  C:\oats.csv 
> test()
press ENTER for a gui file selector

Reading  C:\C20oats.csv 
press ENTER for a gui file selector

The file C:\oats.csv\sv  cannot be found
>

The problem is that a buffer is not being zeroed, so you have part of the 
previous filename.  I don't even get that far as the first read is 
incorrect for me.

The code is plain wrong for multi=FALSE as the return format of
GetOpenFileName is different.

Fixed for R 1.9.1.


On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 kwright@eskimo.com wrote:
> Full_Name: Kevin Wright
> Version: 1.8.0
> OS: Windows 95
> Submission from: (NULL) (170.54.59.160)
> 
> 
> 
> This bug also happens to me using R 1.9.0 on Windows 2000.
> 
> Took me a long time to create a reproducible bug, but I think I have
succeeded.
> I suspect my test function has a bug, but I don't see anything wrong. 
Plus, the
> bug only shows up when selecting certain filenames.  Nearest I can
speculate,
> choose.files becomes confused after a filename that has capital letters and
> numbers has been chosen.  Sounds crazy and I'd like to know more, but
> choose.files is mostly .Internal code.
> 
> First, create two CSV files.
> 
> library(nlme)
> data(Oats)
> write.table(Oats,"c:/oats.csv",sep=",")
> write.table(Oats,"c:/C20oats.csv",sep=",")
> 
> Quit R and restart.  Follow the steps below.  Select oats.csv the first 4
times,
> then select C20oats.csv and then select oats.csv .  Notice how the filename
is
> corrupted the final  time.
> 
> 
> test <- function(){
>      cat("press ENTER for a gui file selector\n")
>      gas.filename<-readline()
>      if(gas.filename=="")
>        gas.filename <-
choose.files("*.csv",multi=FALSE,caption="Hi")
>      if(file.exists(gas.filename)){
>        cat("Reading ",gas.filename,"\n")
>        DFgas<-read.csv(gas.filename)
>      }
>      else
>        cat("The file",gas.filename," cannot be
found\n")
>  
>  
>      cat("press ENTER for a gui file selector\n")
>      nir.filename<-readline()
>      if(nir.filename=="")
>        nir.filename <- choose.files("*.csv",multi=FALSE,
>                                     caption="Choose one gas CSV
file")
>      if(file.exists(nir.filename)){
>        cat("Reading ",nir.filename,"\n")
>        DFnir<-read.csv(nir.filename)
>      }
>      else
>        cat("The file", nir.filename," cannot be
found\n")
>        
>  }
> 
> > test()
> press ENTER for a gui file selector
> 
> Reading  C:\oats.csv 
> press ENTER for a gui file selector
> 
> Reading  C:\oats.csv 
> > test()
> press ENTER for a gui file selector
> 
> Reading  C:\oats.csv 
> press ENTER for a gui file selector
> 
> Reading  C:\oats.csv 
> > test()
> press ENTER for a gui file selector
> 
> Reading  C:\C20oats.csv 
> press ENTER for a gui file selector
> 
> The file C:\oats.csv\sv  cannot be found
> >
> 
> ______________________________________________
> R-devel@stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
> https://www.stat.math.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
> 
> 
-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley@stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595