CopyFile does not copy the file

[Birger52]

I have this:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. procedure TMyStripForm.BackupFile(aFile:string); // Laver backup af databasen
2. var
3.   idx : integer;
4.   oName, bName : string;
5. begin
6.   for idx := 2 downto 0 do begin
7.     oName := aFile;
8.     if idx > 0 then oName += '.backup_'+IntToStr(idx);
9.     if FileExists(oName) then begin
10.       bName := aFile+'.backup_'+IntToStr(idx+1);
11.       CopyFile(oName, bName, [cffPreserveTime, cffOverwriteFile]);
12.     end;
13.   end;
14. end;

And it has been functioning.
So - needed to use he backup.
Deleted original and renamed .backup_1 to original.
Kind of the whole idea.
and it also functioned.
With the exception, that the original is now no longer copied to .backup_1

from
https://wiki.freepascal.org/CopyFile

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. type
2.  TCopyFileFlag = (
3.    cffOverwriteFile,
4.    cffCreateDestDirectory,
5.    cffPreserveTime
6.    );
7.  TCopyFileFlags = set of TCopyFileFlag;
8.  
9. function CopyFile(const SrcFilename, DestFilename: string): boolean;
10. function CopyFile(const SrcFilename, DestFilename: string; PreserveTime: boolean): boolean;
11. function CopyFile(const SrcFilename, DestFilename: string; Flags: TCopyFileFlags=[cffOverwriteFile]): boolean;

Anybody has a workaround - or an explanation for that matter?

[Birger52]

Tried altering the code a bit..

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1.       if not CopyFile(oName, bName, [cffPreserveTime, cffOverwriteFile]) then
2.         Msg.DispMsg('Error backing up database'+sLineBreak+oName, mtErr);
3.  

Which reveals, that CopyFile does not only not copy the file - it also returns true, as if the file was actually copied...

[shadow]

Do you have the fully qualified name given?
Example: "C:\Temp\myfile.txt" -> "C:\Temp\myfile.txt.backup"

Otherwise the file will be copied to the current working direktory.

[lucamar]

For debugging purposes, try with this to see what it's doing:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1.           if CopyFile(oName, bName, [cffPreserveTime, cffOverwriteFile]) then
2.             ShowMessageFmt('Backed %s to %s',[oName, bName])
3.           else
4.             Msg.DispMsg('Error backing up database'+sLineBreak+oName, mtErr);

[wp]

Are you sure that the file is not copied? Windows sometimes has the nasty habit to not update the Explorer when files are copied/deleted from outside the Explorer. In the Explorer, press F5 after your code has been executed.

[winni]

One hint off topic:

Don't use the Windows Explorer at all - it has a lot of errors and missing features.

I use the Total Commander - not allowed to call it Windows Commander anymore (M$ §§).

It's a swiss knife made in switzeland.

https://www.ghisler.com/deutsch.htm

Winni

[Zvoni]

One hint off topic:

Don't use the Windows Explorer at all - it has a lot of errors and missing features.
Winni

Off topic²
Don't use Windows at all.....

[winni]

One hint off topic:

Don't use the Windows Explorer at all - it has a lot of errors and missing features.
Winni

Off topic²
Don't use Windows at all.....

It's like the black death in 1500.
And only a few use the remedy     ......

[Zvoni]

One hint off topic:

Don't use the Windows Explorer at all - it has a lot of errors and missing features.
Winni

Off topic²
Don't use Windows at all.....

It's like the black death in 1500.
And only a few use the remedy     ......

Yeah, on Wednesday i set up a computer with Manjaro Architect with Cinnamon DE from scratch within 30 Minutes, and the same day a friend asked me to setup his new Laptop with Windows 10......
I think the Laptop was done Thursday morning......
"... Hi i'm Cortana, i'm going to help you with the setup.." .."?!?!? SHUT BLOODY HELL UP!"..."Do you want to send Data to Microsoft"..."SHUT UP!! NO TO ALL OPTIONS!!"...."Are you sure?"
At that moment i was looking to the window, and wondering if i could score a 3-pointer from 20 feet away.......

[JLWest]

Thanks for tip on Total Commander. A lot better than Exployer.

One hint off topic:

Don't use the Windows Explorer at all - it has a lot of errors and missing features.

I use the Total Commander - not allowed to call it Windows Commander anymore (M$ §§).

It's a swiss knife made in switzeland.

https://www.ghisler.com/deutsch.htm

Winni

[dbannon]

Birger52, I, or more correctly, an end user of mine, is having a similar problem.

See https://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,48284.msg348038.html#msg348038

I cannot replicate this persons problem but he sounds pretty careful and has been very helpful with feed back. What we see is DeleteFileUTF8() tells us it failed to delete a file. In fact, it turns out, I think, that it does delete the file but reports back it did not.  I have followed the calls, its really passed straight through to the Windows API. And the return value the same.

One thing I have found out is he used VeraCrypt, not on the drive my app is saving to but its loaded in memory.  So, question, are you using any sort of file or disk encryption ?

Davo

(Too mature to join in the Windows kicking. But the stories I could tell.....)

[garlar27]

I used to have de same problem. This is how it happened:
   1- CopyFile to backup location
   2- Clean or regenerate the file to add new data
   3- Sometimes the PC was shutdown until the next day
Result: some times the backup file/s where missing

Never could find the problem source and I Blamed the OS file cache.

Changed the CopyFile for Rename/Move and the problem disappeared ...

[cdbc]

Hej Birger

Her er lige en måde at gøre det på 

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. procedure THKCollection.BackupDb; { ok }
2. var
3.   BackupFilename: string;
4.   Buffer: array[0..4095] of byte; { 4 Kb buffer }
5.   InStream,OutStream: TFileStream;
6.   Cnt,I,Res: Int64;
7. begin
8.   BackupFilename:= AppSettings.BackupPath;
9.   FillChar(Buffer,4096,0); { 11.05.2015 bc }
10.   if BackupFilename <> 'Not defined' then begin
11.     { now construct the actual backupname with a date and .bak extension }
12.     BackupFilename:= ExtractFilePath(AppSettings.BackupPath)+ExtractFileName(AppSettings.Databasename); ;
13.     system.insert('_',BackupFilename,length(BackupFilename)-3); // +_
14.     system.insert(bcDateToStr(now),BackupFilename,length(BackupFilename)-3); // +19.04.2015
15.     BackupFilename:= ChangeFileExt(BackupFilename,'.bak');  // *.bak
16.     if FileExists(BackupFilename) then DeleteFile(BackupFilename); { 09.05.2015 bc }
17.     if fDb.Connected then fDb.DisConnect; { sanity check }
18.     InStream:= TFileStream.Create(AppSettings.Databasename,fmOpenRead);
19.     try
20.       InStream.Seek(0,fsFromBeginning);
21.       OutStream:= TFileStream.Create(BackupFilename,fmCreate);
22.       try
23.         OutStream.Seek(0,fsFromBeginning);
24.         Cnt:= InStream.Size; Res:= 0;
25.         { implemented by hand }
26.         while Cnt > 0 do begin
27.           if Cnt > 4096 then I:= 4096 else I:= Cnt;
28.           InStream.ReadBuffer(Buffer,I);
29.           OutStream.WriteBuffer(Buffer,I);
30.           dec(Cnt,I);
31.           inc(Res,I);
32.         end;
33.         if Res <> InStream.Size then raise Exception.Create('Backup failed! Db-file and backup-file differs in size!');
34.         { implemented in TStream, uses much bigger buffer }
35. //        OutStream.CopyFrom(InStream,InStream.Size);
36.       finally
37.         FreeAndNil(OutStream);
38.       end;
39.     finally
40.       FreeAndNil(InStream);
41.     end;
42.   end;
43. end;
44.  

Håber du kan få et par ideer 
Ellers så bare spørg.
mvh. Benny ~ cdbc

[winni]

Engelsk venligst

[ezlage]

I have this:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. procedure TMyStripForm.BackupFile(aFile:string); // Laver backup af databasen
2. var
3.   idx : integer;
4.   oName, bName : string;
5. begin
6.   for idx := 2 downto 0 do begin
7.     oName := aFile;
8.     if idx > 0 then oName += '.backup_'+IntToStr(idx);
9.     if FileExists(oName) then begin
10.       bName := aFile+'.backup_'+IntToStr(idx+1);
11.       CopyFile(oName, bName, [cffPreserveTime, cffOverwriteFile]);
12.     end;
13.   end;
14. end;

And it has been functioning.
So - needed to use he backup.
Deleted original and renamed .backup_1 to original.
Kind of the whole idea.
and it also functioned.
With the exception, that the original is now no longer copied to .backup_1

from
https://wiki.freepascal.org/CopyFile

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. type
2.  TCopyFileFlag = (
3.    cffOverwriteFile,
4.    cffCreateDestDirectory,
5.    cffPreserveTime
6.    );
7.  TCopyFileFlags = set of TCopyFileFlag;
8.  
9. function CopyFile(const SrcFilename, DestFilename: string): boolean;
10. function CopyFile(const SrcFilename, DestFilename: string; PreserveTime: boolean): boolean;
11. function CopyFile(const SrcFilename, DestFilename: string; Flags: TCopyFileFlags=[cffOverwriteFile]): boolean;

Anybody has a workaround - or an explanation for that matter?

I tested your code here and I didn't found any problem. Everything worked as expected. Try to do a "Cleanup and build", check if there is some external program locking the file after you rename it (antivirus, indexer or something like that). Check also if there is some special character or custom permissions at the file or directory.