spaces at ends of filenames or directory names on Win32

[Larry Bates]

rtilley wrote:
> # Spaces are present before and after the XXX
> filename = ' XXX '
> 
> new_filename = filename.strip()
> 
> if new_filename != filename:
>     print filename
> 
> Macs allow these spaces in file and folder names. Which is OK. The
> problem arises when the file or folder is copied to a PC running Windows
> from a Mac. Windows allows the Mac to copy the file to it, but when
> Windows itself attempts to do anything with the file it strips the
> spaces and then tries to move it, copy it, etc and complains that the
> file isn't there!
> 
> I can rectify this by striping the spaces from the files and folders on
> the Mac before they are copied to the PC or mounting the Windows share
> from the Mac and running a recursive strip program I wrote, but Windows
> will not allow the whitespace removal directly from within Windows....
> how annoying!
> 
> For example... tell windows to move a file named ' XXX ' (one space
> before and one space after the filename). Windows will complain that
> file 'XXX' does not exist. It's correct of course, 'XXX' does not exist,
> but ' XXX ' does indeed exist.
> 
> Can anyone rescue me from this madness :(
> 
> Many Thanks,
> Brad

How about not naming files with leading and trailing spaces on
the Mac?  Seems like a bad habit that needs breaking ;-).

-Larry Bates