What method enables file name to have text longer than 256 char rule ?

[DBenz]

Hi,
win7 64bit pro.


The windows limit on path length is forever a pain, better than the horrendous 8 character allowed in win95 meaning no files had any sensible name to search on, but 256 chars path length is still stupidly limiting.


I have photos of the contents of a manual which features various photos of different parts of an aircraft, by the time I have given the file the long manual name which it should have, there is not enough space to then say what the particular picture is showing.
I can , I wish...either give the file the object name, and have it that the manual name is accessible when I or anyone hover the file with cursor, or have the object name accessible upon hover.


I also need to be able to do a file search on *object name* and find the file as well as on subject name such as main wheel hub or rudder hinge etc.


as it sits a few layers down in the file path, windows also adds to it the path length so I will hit the 256 character rule.


Is there a way of giving a file the ability to hold more text about where its from, such as the name of the manual in my example ? That it can travel with the file even when the file is taken out of its original folder location.
I could name the folder the manuals name and just name the files within the names of the subject matter but if the file is seen away from the folder that manuals name is lost.


DBenz

 

[Megahertz07]

The 256 character limitation isn't for the file name but for the whole path.
C:\Users\Name\Manual...\motor.jpg is the path.

 

[wither 2]

I wonder if this would help you-

Windows file paths longer than 255 characters - Code42 Support

 

[DBenz]

Hi,

In that link is all about how to solve long file names by shortening them , I wish to have an ability to either let windows allow longer paths than 256 chars or be able to add a sub note thing to a file such that when you hover cursor over file a box appears with the full name of the manual that the files photos are from, and have that searchable on.

Phoned my friend who says same thing been looking for a means for ages so as to name the file by the name of the manual, and have the subject of the photo in the visible file name, so that if we need to find pics from manual FJHCGFHJKHJLKYGHHLKHUIYFUHJGHLIKHJIKJGYUJGUJK and pics of Rudder we can search on *rudder* and find rudder or search on *FJHCGFHJKHJLKYGHHLKHUIYFUHJGHLIKHJIKJGYUJGUJK* and find the manual.


The manuals name is far too long to even have as the folder name and just give the first identifying key words of the manual to the folder.


some sort of means of attaching a 'label' to a file in other words so we can search on the label and find the file.


DBenz

 

[wither 2]

That method shortens the paths for folder\file names. By default, Explorer should be searching in a file name and contents. I'm sure you know that you can change the search options in Explorer's Folder Options. I know of no other method for doing what you wish.

 

[LMiller7]

I would just like to explain the nature of the restricted path length problem and why it is still with use.

Within Windows there is a constant MAX_PATH defined as 260 characters, the maximum length of a path. For many people that is just too short. If it were just Windows and applications distributed with Windows involved the problem would be easily solved and would have been many years ago. But things aren't that simple.

Most Windows applications have occasion to obtain the path of some file on the computer. An example is the open file dialog. Before an application does this it must allocate some space in memory to store it. It uses the constant MAX_PATH to do this. If the application were given a path longer than MAX_PATH really bad things would happen. Bad things like an application crash or behaving in unpredictable ways. The chances of an application escaping such problems are essentially zero.

Windows goes to considerable lengths to ensure that applications are never given a path longer than MAX_PATH. That means that some paths are clipped and the files inaccessible. But better that than the application crash trying to accommodate them.

At this point many would no doubt suggest just changing the value of MAX_PATH to some larger value, such as several thousand characters. If only it were that simple. MAX_PATH is not some value in the registry or a configuration file. It is defined in the source code of most Windows applications. If the source code was available it would be possible to change the value and recompile the application. In many cases that would be problematic. But in most cases the source code is not available. In the cases of commercial applications that would be almost never. Fixing the problem without source code is virtually impossible.

Windows 10 has a partial solution. There is an option to open things up and applications can receive very long paths, but only if they explicitly indicate that they are prepared for this. Otherwise they will be limited to the MAX_PATH length paths. Of course this is only of use for applications designed for Windows 10. The application may well work on older sysrtems but with the path length limitation. And this is only on Windows 10.

It is a difficult problem and there are no easy solutions. This is why it is still with us. If I had such a solution Microsoft would love to hear of it and I would be rich. But no such luck.

 

[Snick]

Place the Directory higher in the Tree!
I.E. Closer to the Root of the Drive
I.E. C: or similar
Then you can have a long filename, without all the SubDirectory Filenames eating your char limit.
Bill
Understanding long folder and file names in Windows

 

[DBenz]

Hi,
Its near the top as it is,
D:\My Deskscan Files\Aircraft Pics and plans for shape\Aircraft name\

I could knock a few chars off as the address was made before I knew about 256char, back in win9.5 days and had put all pics in a folder named after the scanner I had ! Images were linked to in my progs so I had to stay with it when a few years later I hit the 256 limit on something.



All photos reside in the photos folder, it needs a folder for aircraft details and it needs a folder for aircraft, so I could rename them but, and this is why I am reluctant to gain several chars, which doesnt help my need much, I would mess up all those user files in things like CAD that are linked to the photos.


The trouble is I have just shot loads of photos from manuals, and the manuals names are VERY LONG and I just dont want a file name that occupies most of the screen width to view the manual name let alone the name of the object the photo is of ! If I could place the manuals name into a 'label' and have that 'attached' to the file so that the 'label' shows on the cursor hover on file, that would do, if one could search for the label.


This is the territory of keywords and such progs as Portfolio, which Extensis kindly killed off. Even then keywords were single words, Cat Mat Moggy, Brown, paws and so on, not a thumping great long manual name of 130 chars.


DBenz

 

[RolandJS]

"D:\My Deskscan Files\Aircraft Pics and plans for shape\Aircraft name"
I understand why many are frustrated and I understand why you along with many others are in max-path-trouble. You are trying to make a path that tells a good solid story. Good solid stories ought not to exist in any path. The whole thing can be shortened to: D:\files\Aircraft\[filename][ext]. The computer does not understand what plans for shape means and probably does not need it as part of a path.
Now, what I have done is place certain TXT files in certain directories that act as road-signs -- that you can quickly note and continue with business as usual. What I do is put a few terse brief very short words, the first letter of each 2-4 words capitalized, in the TXT filename, making it a "road-sign", located in any specific directory or subdirectory.

 

[Snick]

Take out the spaces
shorten the Directory names
use Acronyms
or deal with the limits
I have 900,000 windows cat/mum and manifests archived on my server. I place my main directory under D:\ CheckSUR is directory that hold the Subfolder/file
This is what I deal with
C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-a..ence-inventory.data_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.24187_none_b7746f4a46834f21\Appraiser_Data.ini
If it was a folder or two down, with say 10-15 character, yes, spaces count, it would error.
See how M$ has short Directory names to the parent folder of the file.
Bill