asked on

VB Script Chokes on $ Symbol

I am working on a vbscript to do some log parsing and I am now to the point where I am trying to do some special things. I am currently getting a windows script host issue when trying to call a variable containing a UNC path with a hidden folder declaration (notated by the $). The code snipped looks as follows:

Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFileDest = "\\fileserver\filelocation$\folder\cleanstats.csv"

if objFileDest.FileExists then
    set objFileW = objFSO.OpenTextFile(objFileDest, ForAppending)
  else
    Set objFileW = objFSO.CreateTextFile(objFileDest, ForWriting)
end if

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The error message says:
Object required: '[string: "\\fileserver\filelocation"]'
Code: 800A01A8

It appears like storing a string with a $ in it is breaking my script. Any ideas how to escape that behavior?

Bill Prew

Try this, you have a few problems in that code.

Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
strFileDest = "\\fileserver\filelocation$\folder\cleanstats.csv"
if objFSO.FileExists(strFileDest) then
    set objFileW = objFSO.OpenTextFile(strFileDest, ForAppending)
  else
    Set objFileW = objFSO.CreateTextFile(strFileDest, ForWriting)
end if

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Bill Prew

I assume you had ForAppending and ForWriting defined somewhere else in the script as well. If not, those will need to be handled, as in:

Const ForReading = 1
Const ForWriting = 2
Const ForAppending = 8

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lffit

ASKER

You are correct with your updates to my code. That makes more sense, it is still dying at the $ though. Strange.

lffit

ASKER

Perhaps having the code in full context would help:

Const ForReading = 1
Const ForWriting = 2
Const ForAppending =8

Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile("\\fileserver01\filelocation$\folder\perfstats01.txt", ForReading)
Set objFileDest = "\\fileserver01\filelocation$\folder\cleanstats.csv"

if objFSO.FileExists (strFileDest) then
    set objFileW = objFSO2.OpenTextFile(objFileDest, ForAppending)
  else
    Set objFileW = objFSO2.CreateTextFile(objFileDest, ForWriting)
end if

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The concept is I open one file to read from and another file to append to. If the file to append to does not exist, then open a new file at the given location to write to. This is probably WAY simpler to do then I am making it.

RobSampson

Gee, that's weird. I can do this just fine:

Const ForAppending = 8
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
strFileDest = "\\fileserver\folder$\testfile.txt"
Set objFileW = objFSO.OpenTextFile(strFileDest, ForAppending, True)
objFileW.Close

It works fine. FYI, you can just use OpenTextFile, which will also create the file if it doesn't exist because of the last parameter being True. Otherwise, if the file does exist, it will open it for appending.

Regards,

Rob.

Bill Prew

I ran that exact code here with the changes and it got past the original problem. I did of course get the error below since that sharename doesn't exist for me.

c:\temp\EE26645786.vbs(6, 5) Microsoft VBScript runtime error: Path not found

~bp

Bill Prew

What error are you getting now with the changed code?

~bp

lffit

ASKER

Rob is making me think I fat fingered something along the way typing the original code. The code i am posting is cleaned with specific references knocked out. Let me start from scratch like he did and see what happens. This could be a PEBKAC issue.

Bill Prew

One problem, you need to change:

Set objFileDest = "\\fileserver01\filelocation$\folder\cleanstats.csv"

to

objFileDest = "\\fileserver01\filelocation$\folder\cleanstats.csv"

See my changed code.

~bp

RobSampson

Well spotted Bill. That's correct. I didin't notice that. You can't use the Set keyword with a string like that. You could use
Set objFileDest = objFSO.GetFile("\\fileserver01\filelocation$\folder\cleanstats.csv")

but that would be incorrect seeing as you're doing the FileExists test anyway....

Rob.

Bill Prew

Perhaps something more like this?

Const ForReading = 1
Const ForWriting = 2
Const ForAppending = 8
Const cSourceFile = "\\fileserver01\filelocation$\folder\perfstats01.txt"
Const cDestFile = "\\fileserver01\filelocation$\folder\cleanstats.csv"
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objSourceFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile(cSourceFile, ForReading)
Set objDestFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile(cDestFile, ForAppending)
' Do logic here...
objSourceFile.Close
objDestFile.Close

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ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Bill Prew

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Bill Prew

Did that makes sense?

~bp

lffit

ASKER

There's what the issue was. That set was throwing the whole thing off.

SourceFile = "\\fileserver01\filelocation$\folder\perfstats01.txt"
DestFile = "\\fileserver01\filelocation$\folder\cleanstats.csv"

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That corrected everything. Thanks for the help everyone.