Export Filenames - minor glitch

Apologies if this has been reported before.

On export - and Graphics output -the pound sign # gets changed to a dash. E.g., MyPiece #1 gets saved as MyPiece -1

The # character is “legal” in file names on Windows and MacOS, but it has a special meaning in the more general context of a URL (where it indicates a location within a web page, for example) and usually requires special treatment when writing scripts that deal with file names.

IMO it is probably safer for Dorico not to use it, on the basis that “just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should do something”. It could lead to unexpected behaviour if you are accessing files remotely over a network, for example.

The characters / ? # @ all have “special” meanings in a URL.

(And pedants should feel free to replace URL with URI or URN if they want to!)

This user would much prefer that this be allowed - if you’re going to create a URL out of an mp3 or PDF then you should be aware of what you’re doing.

This isn’t going to change any time soon. Avoid using “special” characters in your filenames if possible. Dorico will sanitise them if it has to.

Daniel - As always, thanks for prompt response. It’s a bit frustrating that I can create the My Piece #1.dorico but not the mp3, but OK. Not critical.

Could I at least put in a request to have an option to add YYMD to the filename without the dashes? E.g., for My Piece 1, the PDF/mp3 could be My Piece-20200404.pdf instead of My Piece-2020-04-04.pdf? The additional dashes in the filename really clutter things up. Thanks!

You find an eight digit date without any kind of separation easier to read? You must surely be in the minority.

Not the first time I’ve been told that . . . :slight_smile:

Self deprecating humor aside, it depends on the context. In most situations (e.g. in the heading of a score) dashes are good for readability (actually my preference is for slashes, but dashes are OK) - but in a list of files I find it distracting. Yes, you can also sort by last date modified/created, but having that date in the filename is still easier to deal with.

Edit added: But yes, I don’t expect this to get a high priority in the new features queue . . . .

I add a six-digit date code (yymmdd) to to the file name of each revision of my files, so I don’t depend on the program to add it. It lets my muddled mind go back to earlier version when needed and keeps me from confusing them, and it results in shorter filenames.

I realize this is not the case for everybody.

That’s basically what I’m doing as well.