Bug in 4.4.1? Binary files kept open.

[Rich Pasco]

I think I found a bug in 4.4.1:

If I open a binary file "temp.bin" with Textpad, and after viewing its contents I close the file in Textpad (but do not exit Textpad itself), then any other application that tries to modify temp.bin gets an "access denied" error until I exit Textpad itself.

For that "other application" try the command line
echo x>temp.bin

This only seems to affect binary files. Text files are no problem.

Can you duplicate this, or suggest what I might be doing wrong to cause it?

Thanks.

- Rich

[Rich Pasco]

I guess there is more than one version 4.4.1.

I had downloaded and installed 4.4.1 on 13 February.
File txpeng441.exe was 2,502,135 bytes long.

Today I downloaded 4.4.1 again. This time,
File txpeng441.exe was 2,496,155 bytes long.

And the new download seemed to fix the
"binary files kept open" bug.

I would have been less confused if the new release had a new verion number. I did not download it before posting the bug report because the Textpad home page says 4.4.1 is the current version, and I knew that I already had 4.4.1.

Then I noticed some discussion in this forum about 4.4.1a.
However, even with the new build, my Help/About still says
4.4.1. The only way I can tell the difference is the bug
fix.

- Rich

[Rich Pasco]

I was premature in announcing that the new 4.4.1 fixed the bug.
It is still demonstrable, in the case where TextPad is not already running when the binary file is opened by naming it on
the textpad command line. Try this: Without TextPad running,
issue the commands from a command line,

echo x>temp.bin
textpad temp.bin

within TextPad, close the file temp.bin but do not exit TextPad.
Then try again

echo x>temp.bin

You will get an "access denied" error (different verbiage depending on the operating system, but the idea is the same).

- Rich

[Rich Pasco]

I was premature in announcing that the new 4.4.1 fixed the bug.
It is still demonstrable, in the case where TextPad is not already running when the binary file is opened by naming it on
the textpad command line. Try this: Without TextPad running,
issue the commands from a command line,

echo x>temp.bin
textpad temp.bin

within TextPad, close the file temp.bin but do not exit TextPad.
Then try again

echo x>temp.bin

You will get an "access denied" error (different verbiage depending on the operating system, but the idea is the same).

- Rich

[Ian Northwood]

This behaviour has been around since I started using TP. I emailed Support about it recently, in the meantime d/loading 441 so that I was prepared for the "install the latest version" advice.

The problem relates to any file, not just binary: where I work we do a lot of text editing of VB scripts with TP and frequently move them around. It's a major PITA for us to have to keep closing TP just to move some files/folders.

[Rich Pasco]

You may be confusing it with another known matter (not really a bug), which is that if TextPad is set to change its working directory to the one containing the last opened file, then Windows (NT/2000 at least) won't let you move or delete that directory. The solution given in the TextPad help file is to open a file in some other directory.

This bug is different, and seems to affect only binary files. It bites when these options are set:
Configure/Preferences/File/Auto-Reload.
Configure/Preferences/File/Check for file size changes
It has been duplicated by the Helios support people, and is to be fixed in the next release.

- Rich