Yamaha Home Theater
Do not use "forward slash" in Mac OS X filenames, Distiller 6.0 example
MacFixIt reader Richard Spensley describes a problem with Adobe Acrobat Distiller that shows why you should never use the forward slash "/" in filenames under Mac OS X.
"I have just been trying to create PDF files from two source .PS documents that contained the forward slash '/' character in their filename. The .PS files, when dropped on to Distiller, appear to process in the normal fashion and Distiller reports that the files have been correctly processed and even lists the directory where they were placed. However, upon searching, these files are nowhere to be found on the entire hard disk. I noticed that Distiller reported that it had replaced the '/" character in the filename with a colon ":" so then I removed the forward slashes and re-Distilled the files - hey presto, no problems."
The forward slash should also never be used in the name of a drive or partition, or virtually in any other name field in Mac OS X. The reason behind this limitation stems from Mac OS X's UNIX underpinnings
In prior versions of Mac OS the location of a file was noted using a path, with the colon ( :) separating objects. Mac OS X uses the forward slash ( /) in place of the colon.
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
Resources
comp.unix faq http://www.faqs.org/faqs/unix-faq/faq/part2/
for a discussion.
This all makes sense, but, if doing a find and replace, how do I deal with Apple sys files (scripts I think?) like the 2 examples below?
1. Zoom/\
2. mount/unmount server aliases
Would tell it not to touch // of course. Any other caveats when approaching a sytemwide name change like this? Perhaps approach by folder rather than volume?
I can't find this issue in the UNIX faq. Any advice appreciated.
JK
prevent the forward slash or colon from being typed in the Save As... dialog.
When we first switched to OS X at our site, one of the first things I realized I
had to do was cleanse the filenames on our server of all slashes -- and,
really, any non-ASCII characters.
Supporting that last idea, when porting a copy of an application from a
defunct machine to a new one, I had trouble changing permissions on the
app file because it contained the TM trademark symbol, which Terminal
couldn't read. Even BatChmod had problems.
connected to your server or machine hate those slashes. Samba doesn't
translate it correctly and Wintel machines can have great difficulties in
opening said files.
---
-MilSF1
---------
Warning - Trying to understand author's comment is not recommended and has been known to be deleterious to one's health.
slash", and many are Apple created files (ex: colorsync profiles)?
applications do not allow you to save using a / but you CAN change it in
the Finder later. When viewing these files using ls -l it gets even MORE
interesting (try it).
Bottom line, use something like FileBuddy to remove all / in file names
and replace them with a dash - instead.
This should be a script at startup in you have users who ignore your
instructions.
Schoun
first Unix venture, in the 1980s...initially sold loaded onto a hard drive
they also sold).
--John
inability to use the forward slash (/) in a file name. ANY application that
cannot handle that character correctly should be considered buggy and
the bug needs to be reported to the author of the application.
to change the name Macintosh Hard Drive to H/D...found out about /
the hard way (so to speak). But whereas I've never gotten an OSX
warning about using / in a file name, I have gotten warnings about using
: which, I'm told, is equally if not more dangerous.
An interesting side note is that files can be named with both / and : in
iTunes info, but both change to _ in Finder.
- by 123 July 29, 2003 10:05 AM PDT
- This is a limitation in distiller, and not a problem in OSX.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(10 Comments)Every OS has characters usable as a path separator. In UNIX, it's /, in
MacOS, it's :. So, of course, there's an easy way around this:
- In Carbon (not sure about Cocoa), : is the path separator, / is allowed
- In UNIX, / is the path separator, : is allowed.
Thus, - In UNIX, slashes and colons swap (so "Grade 5/6 report cards"
becomes "Grade 5:6 report cards") which is the best compromise you
can get.
Just be glad it's not Windows, where you can't have ?, * (wildcard
matches), \, /, : (path separator, switch, drive specifier), " (for quoting
paths with spaces), ! (don't know) and I think ^.