Community

Similarily I've just noticed that TP is not opening TWS files (workspace) when I dbl-clik on them ...

I have many working folders with various perl scripts depending on my current project, in each folder is a workspace file specific to that folder.. I would usually open the folder and dbl-clik on the TWS to open that workspace in a new instance of TP ...

Now TP starts with nothing loaded, have to pick up the TWS and drop it into TP or go to file/workspace and open... very aggravating in a fast paced environment.

Problem solved by doing what I had suggested first .. file types association / remove the DDE and the -s from the application path field and putting "" around the path string.

I am still rooting to have the bookmarks saved when the file is closed instead of having to close TP completly or remembering to save the workspace to preserve the bookmarks...

You wrote:

<--
Problem solved by doing what I had suggested first .. file types association / remove the DDE and the -s from the application path field and putting "" around the path string.
-->

I don't know Win(98, in my case) internals. Maybe you could fill us in on what this means and how we might use it. When I was looking at the registry the other day I did notice some associations with TP having a '-s' in the value string, but I have no idea what DDE is or means. Thanks.

In its basic sense DDE is a protocol for sending data and commands between two applications in real time. Dynamic Data Exchange is a feature of Windows that allows two programs to share data or send commands directly to each other.

Cutting to the bone and the meat of the mystery is that
(you will need to go into folder options /file types/ and click on "Textpad Workspace"
- its a .tws file that holds the workspace information)
then click on edit/
in the panel that opens, clik on open/ then clik edit/
or double clik open and save yourself the extra click.

The box that pops up will have the path to textpad all in CAPS with -s at the end and DDE enabled.
In the DDE field there will be [open("%1")].
This simply means "open the file I just clicked in the application listed above" and in most cases it works perfectly.

In the case of TP, its not... and not because of the DDE issue, but because TP insists on putting the -s behind the application path and the PATH IN ALL CAPS -s.

Ive changed it a million times and everytime I close TP it writes it back the same way.

AND.. if I clik OK on the box, windows tells me that the path is wrong because it tries to verify the application exists before closing the box. This happens because TP puts the path with that dumb -s and in all caps.. even removing the -s and leaving the caps alone still returns a wrong path error.

If i browse and find the exe, the path is written as it should in mixed case. Then i put the path in "",
close, Double click TWS file and TP opens with the workspace loaded.

Close TP and double clik on the tws file again and TP opens blank, check back file associations and the big ugly caps and the -s is back.

Also looked for each line in the registry that has the path in ALL CAPS with -s and changed it to the correct case and nixed the -s ... same crap .. from out of the clear blu sky, TP manufactures the DUMB ALL CAPS PATH -s and sticks it back in file associations as soon as TP is opened by dbl-clicking the .tws file.

I already posted this before with the applicable subject hoping that helios will NOTICE and get around to it sometime before the year is out
http://www.textpad.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 2305#12305

Now i do know that the blockheads at microsoft have done tons of thoughtless crap with windows over the years, but something tells me in this case its TP doing the crap.

Above is just a quick tut on what DDE means..in short, you can link programs to commands and pass parameters to perform actions contained in the DDE message.. do a search on google for DDE, there should be tons of info.

Webmasta,

Please see my reply in your other thread, here:

http://www.textpad.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 2323#12323

Keith MacDonald
Helios Software Solutions

webmasta wrote:
<--
Above is just a quick tut on what DDE means..in short, you can link programs to commands and pass parameters to perform actions contained in the DDE message.. do a search on google for DDE, there should be tons of info.
-->
Thanks for the summary. I am beginning to wonder more and more if TP 4.7.0 is simply buggy. I have noticed various threads running about 4.7.0. I don't do a lot of heavy-duty editing, but I did want to have one respectable pro-grade editor for Win, so I bought TP about v 4.2 or so (I don't recall exactly). No problems or monkeying around. I upgraded to 4.5.0. Slick as a whistle. No problems or monkeying around. Now 4.7.0 just plain doesn't work as the earlier versions did. Why should I have to fart around with the registry at all when I didn't before?

[quote="bbadmin"]
Please see my reply in your other thread, here:
[url]http://www.textpad.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 2323#12323[/url]
Keith MacDonald
Helios Software Solutions[/quote]


Keith,

I've experienced very similar problems. This solution does not work for me. It appears that we have two simultaneous bugs. First, TextPad respecifies how Windows should open workspace files every time it closes, as noted by several others.

This is only a problem for me because of the second bug: TextPad 4.7.0 does not appear to work correctly with DDE. Having closed all other applications, except Windows Explorer, Windows will not open files associated with TextPad using DDE. I have many different file types associated with TextPad. Several now no longer use DDE and they open as they should. File types still associated with TextPad using DDE still have problems. When I double-click them in Windows Explorer, TextPad does not load the file. TextPad will open, however, if I had not already started it.

This second problem is irritanting because 1) I have many file types associated with TextPad, 2) TextPad itself associates files, from the configuration dialog box, using the problematic DDE connection, and 3) I have recently setup several different workspaces for the various projects I work on. At the moment, I'm removing all DDE references from my registery, but that does not help me open workspaces.

These problems occur on my PC running Windows 2000 service pack 4. TextPad 4.6.2 did not have problems opening files, whether running Outlook or not. I have also tested both TextPad 4.7.0 and "TextPad 4.7.0 (invalid param fix 2)." These versions do not differ with respect to how they (fail to) open files.

Any fixes would be greatly appreciated.

-Keith

PS. Other than this little irritation, I am most happy with TextPad. I live in it, so to speak, which is probably why some of these little problems feel so big.

Fixed it seems (at least last few hours it was behaving well)

I deleted the complete tws key in the registry at
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TextPad.tws\shell\open\ddeexec

Then went into folder options and browsed to find textpad.exe for the "application used to perform action"
Then unchecked DDE.

A new key was created by windows at
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TextPad.tws\shell\open\ddeexec
with the correct case and %1 tacked on.

That did it..... double clik tws and it opens the workspace amd doesnt change the entry in the registry anymore.

Close TP and double-clik tws again and workspace opens..
seems to be holding ok up to nw with several open/close procedures.

webmasta wrote:Fixed it seems (at least last few hours it was behaving well)

This didn't work for me. I tried several variations on the theme and found a work-around: I created a new action called "edit" and set it as the default. TextPad can muck with the "open" action all it wants. I just ignore it.

Here are the details. I opened Windows Explorer, and then its Folder Options. I selected the File Types tab and found the TextPad Workspace entry. I selected Advanced and clicked the "New..." button. I called the new action "edit" and entered in "C:\Program Files\TextPad 4\TextPad.exe" "%1" as the application. Finally, I set my new "edit" action as the default.

-Keith

Ah well .. I gues it didnt work for you because of your OS .. i am running win98SE (and very happy with it).. I remember reading somewhere in these threads that win2000 develops problems when you muck with the shell "open" commands.

!!!!! Fixed it seems NOT !!!!

When I started up this morning and double-clicked on TWS, it opened blank.
Seems like on restarting TP this morning the file association path was reset to UPPERCASE-s and also in the registry ddeexec key.

Could be rebooting did the dirty work, as when I reported it was fixed, rebooting was not part of the process, just basic open/close TP.

I tried smolkowski's edit variation and all that did was open the tws file in text mode. I give up for now.

I am experiencing the same problem, only the "send to" works. System is Win2000 + SP2.
I am unable to use regedit on my machine, so I'd rather go back to 4.6.2.
Do you know where I could download this version from (deleted it)?
thanks

We've discovered the reason why this is happening and have posted a workaround in the Known Problems forum:

http://www.textpad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=12614

Unfortunately, it's due to a bug that Microsoft introduced in Visual Studio 2003.

Keith MacDonald
Helios Software Solutions

Unfortunately this fix does not solve the issue with double clicking on tws files and the -s in the file associations path that windows still reports as invalid path ..
win 98SE here

ok this works for me. Thanks. I also tried opening a .tws file and it worked for me (Win2000 + SP2).