dollar sign in filename ignored by Windows

[joefiesta]

I am converting .FLV files to .MP4.

I have the following folder: C:\documents and settings\joey\my documents\$

I have no problems using this folder and it's files, even though it's name contains a "$" (dollar sign).

However, VLC does not handle an outfille filename with a $.

When I do the convert and request the output file to be "C:\documents and settings\joey\my documents\$\test.mp4", the output file does not appear in the "$" folder. Instead, it is placed at "C:\documents and settings\joey\my documents\test.mp4".

I have not tested whether this is a problem with a Folder named "$" or is just a matter of having a "$" in the filename somewhere.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Did you try to escape it with \ ?

[joefiesta]

no.

[joefiesta]

no

I just tried again, this time specifying output as: "c:\docuemnts and settings\joey\my documents\\$\test2.mp4.

Same result. Placed file directly in "my documents" folder.

[Arite]

A folder named "$" seems to work fine on Win7 (x64). Are you using WinXP?

Does it work if you open it as a Network Stream with the URI:

Code: Select all

file:///C:/Documents\ and\ Settings/Joey/My\ Documents/$/test2.mp4

Or maybe (URL encoded):

Code: Select all

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Joey/My%20Documents/%24/test2.mp4

FYI %20 = space, %24 = $.

Arite.

[joefiesta]

I tried yet again, and got it this time. Apparently the "$" must best escaped. So, I used "...\my documents\$$\test4.mp4" and the file went into the "$" folder.

As the dollar sign is a valid DOS filename character, this surprises me.

It would be nice if this behavior were documented. (but, don't get me wrong. For free, this is a great product and excellently documented, albeit very technically oriented, but that is to be understood.) This also makes me wonder: what other characters require special care?


Sorry, I should have mentioned: Yes, I am using WINDOWS XP/professional, sp3.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

It would be nice if this behavior were documented. (but, don't get me wrong. For free, this is a great product and excellently documented, albeit very technically oriented, but that is to be understood.) This also makes me wonder: what other characters require special care?

The issue is that you are probably the first to have noticed it

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

I think this issue is someone sometime ago did not consider that dollar could be used in file paths. Thus the dollar sign was used for substitution of meta data. And all versions of VLC with that meta data substitution feature fail to support file paths with dollar signs.

I have already said that this should never have been done, but all other developers who expressed an opinion, disagreed with me.

[joefiesta]

It looks like this behavior is documented, but I would never have found it on my own.

The subject: http://wiki.videolan.org/Documentation: ... mat_String shows how dollar signs are used with meta data. Here is the item:

$<any other char> : <any other char> (for example: $$ transforms to $)