amateur programming

While being aware of their existence for a while, I started to use
dimension favorites.

I created a couple that seem to work OK but when I went to save them
to a file, no dialog popped would up per the help file.

I puzzled over this a bit and finally figured out that I had named the
dimesion favorites with text that would be an invalid file name.

Solidworks did not prevent that nor did it issue a warning about an
invalid file name. It just did nothing.

At first I thought it was a bug, but now I know it is just piss-poor
programming.

Mike

 

What was the invalid filename?

 

Dean,

I believe I used a name like '[x.xxx]/x.xx'. The / is an illegal
character. I didn't know I was creating a filename when I named the
Dim. Fav.

But that is beside the point. No program should attempt to write to a
file without checking several parameters (legal file name, available
disk space, etc.)
and if any of these fail then alert the user.

I always did that in the couple of commercial applications I wrote.
Generally one has a couple of stock routines (depending on the
circumstances) one can call whenever a disk write is required.

How a big buck 'Professional' package like SW failed this is amazing.

Mike

 

Actually Mike, i would say that is a bug. Once the save-as dialog opens it
would allow you to use whatever name you want. It seems as though it uses
the dim favorite name as the default name, so when you click the save
favorite button it is getting confused with the characters you are using.

Did you call you VAR to report this?

Todd

 

I believe I used a name like '[x.xxx]/x.xx'. The / is an illegal

This could have read much better as a "tip" for those users unfamiliar with
dim favorites and the "bug" you found. Instead you choose to mock SolidWorks
programmers. Get off your high-horse and submit it for an SPR.

Geez...

Richard
...lousy weekend, feeling pissy.

 

Richard,

Actually my horse is not very high.

I run into examples of this kind of programming constantly and have
given up my career as a Solidworks bug scout.

Of all the programs I use every day, SW is the one that generates the
most instances of 'Damn, why couldn't they have done a better job on
this feature'.

I didn't do anything bizarre to find the issue above. I ran across it
on the first try. It appears to me that Solidworks relies on its user
base to do the level of testing that most software companies do
internally. If that is the case then they deserve public post like
mine.

Don't be so defensive on SW's behalf, I think after all the criticism
they've already had, they have fairly thick skins.

Mike

 

Once the save-as dialog opens it would allow you to use whatever
name you want.

Correct, but the file dialog does NOT do any file write operations. It
is merely an interface supplied by the Windows API, which returns a
path name/filename (or NULL if the user selects CANCEL). It is then
completely up to the calling program to do anything USEFUL with this
filespec.

In addition, standard programming practice dicates you 'seed' a
default answer/reply with a 'safe', but not necessary elegant, value.
Like when you are doing an install, all the "standard" install options
are set as the default
buttons, so if the user is not completely sure, he can opt out and
just hit the [enter] key and take the safe way out.

... imagine if "Y" was the default response when someone clicked
"FDISK"....

 

(Cliff Huprich) wrote in

It's not obvious you're naming a file when you add a saved dimension. On
its own SW decided to use the description as the default file name when
exporting to a file. It choked on the special characters and reported
nothing to the user rather than removing the offending characters or
offering a different default. An obvious bug. Probably overlooked so long
since saved dimensions is a pretty obscure feature (IMO).