Handling Long Path Names - Bug that I do not want fixed

Found a bug or something that needs fixing?
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kkrull
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 10:41 am

Handling Long Path Names - Bug that I do not want fixed

Post by kkrull »

Well this is probably a bug but I would really like for it not to get fixed...

In Windows Explorer you cannot create a folder or file that exceeds a certain length called MAX_PATH (25x characters), even if you use the \\UNC\naming convention. If a path is created that is already a certain amount longer than MAX_PATH Windows explorer will handle it fine - you just can't create one. You can even drag and drop a copy or cut above (longer than) the threshold. As long as you start the destination path above the MAX_PATH threshold Windows Explorer will let you get by. This is true for c:\.... convention as well as \\UNC\...

In Explorer++ you cannot create a file or folder in the right hand pane. But if you rename a folder in the left hand pane (either from c:\... or \\UNC\...) you can create a path that is longer than MAX_PATH. Once the path is a certain amount longer than MAX_PATH then the same behavior is true about creating and copying files: it works fine in both Windows Explorer and Explorer++.

The hierarchy for files that I use personally exceeds MAX_PATH and I would like to keep organizing them that way. For example I will create a hierarchy that is close to MAX_PATH on a project and then when the project is finished I would like to be able to move the project into an archive that is in C:\data\work\archive\20090512\Backup\ or similar and consequently some files will definitely be longer than MAX_PATH. I need a program to help me organize my data that way and Explorer++ will be a lifesaver, hence my request to keep that functionality.

I understand that MAX_PATH was created to ensure application compatibility. I can see how you might feel that this bug needs to be addressed to prevent unknowing folks from creating paths that their applications can’t access. Or to keep files from being created that search can’t access or a backup program or anti-virus can’t reach. But for me the longer path is worth the trouble.

If you do patch this, would you be willing to create a command line switch than turns off MAX_PATH checking? Ideally I would like to use Explorer++ to copy and paste above as well as below the MAX_PATH threshold. And I would like to be able create folders and files above the MAX_PATH threshold in the right hand pane.

I think this functionality is important today and will simply continue to be more important in the future.
David Erceg
Site Admin
Posts: 933
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:46 am

Re: Handling Long Path Names - Bug that I do not want fixed

Post by David Erceg »

Hi kkrull,

I've actually considered removing this limit altogether a few times, since I've also had the occasional file that ends up with a path longer than MAX_PATH. The main problem with doing it at the moment is that almost every path variable in the program has a hardcoded size of MAX_PATH, and some functions assume a path will be no longer than MAX_PATH.
On the flip side, it's possible that it could be achieved simply by allocating longer strings and prepending "\\?\" to paths internally.

For now, I'd say it's highly likely I'll try and phase out the MAX_PATH limit slowly over the next few versions.
thx1200
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2009 8:40 am

Re: Handling Long Path Names - Bug that I do not want fixed

Post by thx1200 »

Any word on when long path name support might make its way into Explorer++? I am desperately seeking this feature somewhere and can't find anything that does it. When using Microsoft's Data Protection Manager (DPM), if you want to crawl down the ShadowCopy path, it's VERY common to run into long paths, such as...

C:\Program Files\Microsoft DPM\DPM\Volumes\ShadowCopy\myservername.mydomain.com\SqlServerWriter\MyLongDatabaseName\e8c5556e-34ed-4a3d-9778-ab23c9fa392a\Incremental\4a13393b-9964-4e08-9367-ac22a974e20a\D-Vol\MSSQLServerDataFiles\MyLongDatabaseName\DPM_SQL_PROTECT\

I wrote a tool that copies these long paths recursively by basically prepending "\\?\" to everything. But if I want to go and explore these archives to retrieve an old file outside the DPM systme, I have no way to do it.

Explorer++ is the only third party explorer where I've ever even seen discussion of this problem.

Thanks for a great product!
David Erceg
Site Admin
Posts: 933
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:46 am

Re: Handling Long Path Names - Bug that I do not want fixed

Post by David Erceg »

I'm not exactly sure when yet, some of the limits may be relaxed for the next version, or it'll be done at some point after that.
David Erceg
Site Admin
Posts: 933
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:46 am

Re: Handling Long Path Names - Bug that I do not want fixed

Post by David Erceg »

A small update on this. In the development version, it's now possible to create folders (using the new folder icon on the toolbar) that has a path longer than MAX_PATH. At the moment, it doesn't show up in the listview properly, since directory monitoring assumes paths are at most MAX_PATH. I don't know exactly when the next release will be, but I plan on releasing a beta/test version as soon as I can, which would probably be the soonest you could try it out.

Also, I can't do anything about the items on the 'New' submenu, since they're controlled by the shell, but I should be able to modify the paste files function, to get it to accept files with paths longer than MAX_PATH.
ricktor
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 5:38 pm

Re: Handling Long Path Names - Bug that I do not want fixed

Post by ricktor »

thanks for the info.,you could also try long path tool. it helped me with error 1320 in Win 7.,:)
kkrull
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 10:41 am

Re: Handling Long Path Names - Bug that I do not want fixed

Post by kkrull »

Just thought I would check in. Looks like you can't edit long paths the in left pane anymore in 1.4.0.1637. And of course you still can't edit long paths in the right pane. So no useful way to manage long paths. Long Path Tool is now considered a virus by many. Curious if anyone has a working solution to managing long path structures. I'll try to check back in another ten years.
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