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SvenH Posts: 27
21/07/2024
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Only exe files can be opened.
The file "SyMenu.png" shows the folder referenced. It contains both txt and pdf files as shown by the file "The referenced folder.png".Of course, the shortcuts to these files won't work either. Also, I want to remember that it should work with only shortcuts in a folder referenced by SyMenu. What could have happened?
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Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
22/07/2024
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In my opinion your folder location is too deep to work.
Windows has a limit, coming from the old time, of 256 chars for a path length (256 plus 4 chars for the prefix).
The Windows APIs I'm using for SyMenu are still affected by this limitation. If your path is deeper than 256 chars, the resolution won't work.
To workaround that limit you can use junction points.
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SvenH Posts: 27
22/07/2024
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Junction points I had not come into contact with before but it was a good feature.
Unfortunately it didn't help. It's strange because it works when I click on the "Execute current item" button inside Configuration. Then the correct folder opens, which now has the path "C:\Users\Sven\SyMenu\1. Bild & ljud\Bildred. Ashampoo Photo Commander 16", but outside Configuration nothing happens. Even with the long path, clicking the "Execute current item" button opens the correct folder.
Incidentally, I tried referring to a file in that folder from the Start menu. I hadn't created a Junction point then, so it was the long path. It worked. I then examined the length of the long path and it is "only" 150 characters long.
edited by SvenH on 22/07/2024
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SvenH Posts: 27
22/07/2024
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I have discovered a strange thing.
I copied the folder to another location so that the path would be short: "C:\Users\Sven\.B&L Bildred. Ashampoo Photo Commander 16". After updating the SyMenu with the new location, I again clicked on the button with the three dots located to the right of the "Path" box. Then SyMenu will not find all the way to the folder, see picture.
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SvenH Posts: 27
23/07/2024
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I think I have found what is causing the problem. If there is "&" in the path, SyMeny has problems with txt and pdf files, but not with exe files!
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Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
24/07/2024
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Nice catch.It's definitely the ampersand character.
I think I know why this is happening. It's because the menu component I'm using to build SyMenu considers the ampersand (& as a placeholder for the accelerator key.
An example is due to better explaining my theory.
If you have a Movies&Series folder and link it to SyMenu you'll see a folder called MoviesSeries.
Please note that the ampersand is missing and that the S is underscored.
Everything works in SyMenu if you explore the folder content but whenever you try to execute something the path is wrong because SyMenu considers something like this: D:\MoviesSeries\MyTextFile.txt that obviously doesn't exist.
Strange enough I confirm your other observation... the executable files work the same...
Anyway now I'm able to reproduce the bug and you'll find it fixed in the next version.
Thank you a lot for the excellent job. You are a terrific bug hunter.
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SvenH Posts: 27
24/07/2024
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Thanks! Then I look forward to the next version.
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SvenH Posts: 27
24/07/2024
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There are also problems with parentheses, but it might work out with the solution you intend to implement.
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SvenH Posts: 27
24/07/2024
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Two more things that I think are incorrect.
1. If you drag to SyMenu a shortcut that points to a program, the shortcut is placed in a Document container and it does not work.
2. If SyMenu refers to a folder that contains shortcuts, only those shortcuts that point to programs will work.
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Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
25/07/2024
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SvenH wrote:
There are also problems with parentheses, but it might work out with the solution you intend to implement.
Which kind of parenthesis?
"(" and ")" should work with the current version.
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Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
25/07/2024
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SvenH wrote:
Two more things that I think are incorrect.
1. If you drag to SyMenu a shortcut that points to a program, the shortcut is placed in a Document container and it does not work.
2. If SyMenu refers to a folder that contains shortcuts, only those shortcuts that point to programs will work.
I checked both issues but I found no problem by my side.
Could it be a problem tied to paths with strange characters? Have you tested the same issues with normal folder paths?
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SvenH Posts: 27
25/07/2024
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Gianluca wrote:
SvenH wrote:
There are also problems with parentheses, but it might work out with the solution you intend to implement.
Which kind of parenthesis?
"(" and ")" should work with the current version.
Strange, it doesn't work for me. I now tried three folders with slightly modified names. All received the same content, including a text file. I have added the following folders to the library C:\Users\Sven:
.BoL Bildred.(Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 8)
.BoL⚫Bildred. Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 8
.BoL⚫Bildred.(Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 8)
For the middle folder opening the txt file works but not for the others.
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SvenH Posts: 27
25/07/2024
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1. I now discovered that there are slightly different results depending on the program!
For example, if I drag a shortcut that points to Notepad to SyMenu, it works. See the image for the properties of that file. But if I drag a shortcut to Notepad++ it doesn't work, it ends up in a document container. See the image for its properties. Same problem with a link to a web page.
2. I will come back to this.
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Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
26/07/2024
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There's something strange in your issue. I did all the due tests but I don't have any problem.
Maybe the problem is caused by those strange UTF8 chars you use in your shortcuts?
Please do this test:
- make a copy of the notepad++ shortcut
- rename the shortcut name in something more usual for example "notepad++.lnk"
- try to drag it to SyMenu
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SvenH Posts: 27
26/07/2024
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I have now done so according to your wish. Unfortunately it made no difference, see the screenshots.
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SvenH Posts: 27
26/07/2024
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SvenH wrote:
2. If SyMenu refers to a folder that contains shortcuts, only those shortcuts that point to programs will work.
2. When I now test, it works better than last time, but not completely well. Maybe I last tested with a folder that had parentheses in the name.
I now created a folder named "Test folder" in the path "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs" and put in various file types (txt, ini, jpg, chm, pdf, exe and two web links). What SyMenu was now unable to open was the jpg file and the one reference to a website, the one called "Visit www.FastStone.org" (see the attachments).
Would it help to look in my config files for SyMenu?
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Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
27/07/2024
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SvenH wrote:
Would it help to look in my config files for SyMenu?
Unfortunately not because, indeed, everything is working.
These are my tests in detail.
1) I have a link to a folder that contains a shortcut to a web page and a jpeg file. When I launch them, they work.
2) To be really sure I copied the same folder to C:\Users[myUser]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\, drag and drop the folder to SyMenu to create the logical item, and execute the shortcut and the image the logical folder now contains. They work.
3) Then I copied the same folder under C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\, drag and drop the folder on SyMenu to create another logical item, and execute the files. They work.
So what is happening to you?
It's probably a problem with the Windows permission rules because the folder C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\ is not so friendly if you have no admin privileges.
I don't understand why you are using that one instead of the more correct C:\Users[myUser]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\
This is the folder Windows creates for you, it's a folder where your user is the owner, and where SyMenu can access with no problems because it itself uses your user to run.
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SvenH Posts: 27
27/07/2024
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Why the shortcuts to programs don't end up in the personal start menu, I don't know. It's not something I control.
I tried copying my test folder to the personal start menu but unfortunately it made no difference.
I am attaching my test folder so maybe you can test and see if it works for you. The shortcuts must of course be recreated. (Normally I don't have both source and shortcut but for testing I did so to see if they were treated differently.) For "Visit www.FastStone.org" the folder "C:\Program Files (x86)\FastStone Image Viewer\ Website.url" must be created where the file "Website.url" is then moved into.
But the mystery thickens. I replaced the jpg file with a smaller one to reduce the size of the folder so it would be uploadable. Then it turned out that with the smaller jpg file it worked! The files contained in NewZip2.zip should be placed in the folder.
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Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
28/07/2024
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SvenH wrote:
Why the shortcuts to programs don't end up in the personal start menu, I don't know. It's not something I control.
Sure you can. You can manually move/copy the programs' shortcut wherever you want.
SvenH wrote:
I am attaching my test folder so maybe you can test and see if it works for you.
Done and quite everything works for me.
I created the destination folder in c:\Users and copied every target inside it. Then drag and drop the folder with the shortcuts in SyMenu.
SyMenu resolves every single shortcut in the right way, because it finds every target file and every target file is accessible with my current permissions.
I have a problem with the jpeg file with the "&" inside because, as we already know, there is a bug that I'm currently fixing.
What I found is not working, it's the execution of the URL through its shortcut. And the reason is because the target is located inside C:\Program Files (x86) folder that has particular permissions. If I move it inside a different folder and link from there it works. So, again, it's a problem with permissions.
Apart from the "&" bug, I won't solve the problem with the permissions case because, in my opinion, it is not a problem.
It's a limitation due to Windows security policies and I don't want to waste my time with these things.
The workaround I suggest you is to always use portable programs and not the installed ones.
Faststone image viewer and Paint.net are available in the SyMenu suite so I don't understand why you are not using them instead of the installable counterpart.
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SvenH Posts: 27
28/07/2024
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It was careless of me not to see that the file name contained an "&". I hope it didn't take you long to discover it!
Using portable programs is a good tip. But I guess most programs are not portable.
In any case, I look forward to the next version!
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