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[rjm]

One of the most powerful and useful features of MC is the Rename Files From Properties feature.

I would like to propose a change that would make this feature even better.

Windows NTFS imposes a maximum string length for the total of all nested folder names plus the file name.

I find I frequently exceed this limit when using the Rename Files From Properties feature. The only way to tell if I have exceeded the Windows limit is to manually inspect the file names after the fact because when the limit is exceeded the filename is truncated.

It would be great if MC would provide a warning that the limit will be exceeded and offer the user an opportunity to cancel.

Thanks for considering this.

[jkrzok]

Excellent suggestion.

[mlefebvre]

I support this BIG TIME!. I've been put in trouble by this many times.... Fles that I renamed were so long that Windows Explorer could not deal with them anymore.

BTW: The limiting factor is not as much NTFS (Which does have it's limits of course...), but Windows Explorer which has a SHORTER limit than NTFS... Why MS hasn't fixed this is beyond me....

...Michel

[rjm]

Another related subtle problem that might cause confusion for newbies is that when files get truncated you sometimes end up with conflicting identical file names which get autorenamed to resolve the conflict.

[rjm]

I support this BIG TIME!. I've been put in trouble by this many times.... Fles that I renamed were so long that Windows Explorer could not deal with them anymore.

BTW: The limiting factor is not as much NTFS (Which does have it's limits of course...), but Windows Explorer which has a SHORTER limit than NTFS... Why MS hasn't fixed this is beyond me....

...Michel

I have not observed this particular Windows Explorer problem, but I do know you can easily use Explorer to put the file system into an illegal state. For example, if you have a path that is near the max limit on length, Explorer will happily let you drag another long folder into it. Suddenly it is impossible to delete or change any of the files within the folder. The only way I have found out of this mess is to rename a higher level folder to a shorter length such that the total max length is no longer violated.

This might suggest that my proposal is difficult to implement, but I was hoping JRiver could find a way.

[mlefebvre]

I have not observed this particular Windows Explorer problem, but I do know you can easily use Explorer to put the file system into an illegal state. For example, if you have a path that is near the max limit on length, Explorer will happily let you drag another long folder into it. Suddenly it is impossible to delete or change any of the files within the folder. The only way I have found out of this mess is to rename a higher level folder to a shorter length such that the total max length is no longer violated.

This might suggest that my proposal is difficult to implement, but I was hoping JRiver could find a way.

But MC should at least report that the resulting filename that would be created by a "Rename From Properties" would either cause problems to NTFS or especially Windows Explorer. MC can't control what you do with Windows Explorer after, but if you do that, you're going to put the database out of synch, so it's pretty much a no-no anyways...

...Michel.