SBKB 1249 – TPOINT UNSUPPORTED FILENAME CHARACTERS

[Brian RickardParticipant]

Software Bisque Knowledge Base Article – 1249

TPOINT AND UNSUPPORTED FILENAME CHARACTERS

ISSUE

The TPoint module may report an error whose true cause is difficult to determine.

RESOLUTION

It is possible that the problem is caused by the use of one or more double-byte, invalid or abnormal characters in a file definition (path and file name).

The TPoint module incorporates file input/output routines that currently only support single-byte character sets (e.g. ASCII, Windows-1252). If these routines encounter a file reference that includes one or more double-byte characters, an error will be reported, though the exact error number and description will depend upon—and be related to—what TPoint was doing at the time. The error message may therefore insinuate a false cause, such as Error 251 “Object too low”; be vague, such as Error 206 “Command failed”; or be pretty clear, such as Error 702 “Unable to open file” (even when the file is not absent, corrupted or read-only).
An error can also occur if the file reference includes certain characters considered invalid (e.g. / / ? % * : | ” < >) or otherwise not normally used in paths or file names (e.g. ‘ apostrophe).

To check if this is the cause of the problem, examine all characters of the TPoint data file (.DAT and .TPTX) name(s), and complete path. If you’re unsure whether a character is single- or double-byte, you can check it using this online ASCII to Decimal converter (copy the character and paste it into the “ascii” box). If a single decimal value is given in the “decimal” box (e.g. “122”), the character is single byte; if a pair of decimal values is given (e.g. “195 165”), the character is double byte.

If you find that one or more characters is double-byte, or an invalid/abnormal character is used in the path or file name, you’ll either need to change that character so that TPoint can accept it, or relocate the TPoint data file(s) to a different location whose path doesn’t include such a character.

Tips:

• While TPoint data files, by default, are placed in the TPoint sub-folder of TheSky‘s Application Support Files (ASF) folder (this is a description of the folder, not its name!…follow the link for details), you may open them from, or save them to, any valid location you choose.
• If an offending character is in the user account’s name, you can either change the user account name, or—as mentioned above—relocate the TPoint data file(s) to a path that doesn’t include the user’s name.

APPLIES TO

• TPoint module for TheSky Professional or TheSky Serious Astronomer

KEYWORDS

SBKB; TPoint Add On; Error; Error 205; Error 251; Error 702

Last Reviewed: 2024-02-16

• This topic was modified 8 months, 3 weeks ago by  Daniel R. Bisque.
• This topic was modified 8 months, 3 weeks ago by  Daniel R. Bisque.
• This topic was modified 8 months, 3 weeks ago by  Daniel R. Bisque.
• This topic was modified 8 months, 3 weeks ago by  Daniel R. Bisque.

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