Templot Club Archive 2007-2020                             

topic: 515Warning -- SVR SignalBox data files
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posted: 5 Aug 2008 18:49

from:

Martin Wynne
 
West Of The Severn - United Kingdom

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Dear all,

When I first developed the Windows version of Templot 10 years ago, I searched quite hard for other users of the .box file extension. The only one I could find was an obscure preferences file for something called Lotus Notes, which is or was "an integrated desktop client option for accessing business e-mail, calendars and applications on an IBM Lotus Domino server".

Which isn't something likely to be found on a home computer, so I thought it safe to adopt the .box extension for Templot's storage box data files.

But it seems that the SVR's SignalBox simulator program is also using the .box extension for its parameter files. I don't know why my searching didn't find that, perhaps SignalBox is a more recent program.

It's unfortunate to say the least -- two railway-hobby applications using the same file extension. :(

During installation of Templot there is an option to associate .box files with Templot, and it's ticked by default so I imagine most users have done that. It means that Windows now regards all .box files on your computer as belonging to Templot, describes them as Templot Data Files, puts the yellow hard-hat icon on them, and launches Templot if you double-click on them.

Which is bad news if the .box file in question is actually a SignalBox parameter file. :(

There's more bad news -- Templot will actually load such a file into the storage box. It thinks it's in the old pre-0.45 format and complains about the info file being missing, but loads the data part anyway. It's very likely that if you go anywhere near the storage box, Templot will throw a wobbly and crash. But if you stay on the pad area and store templates, they will actually go into the storage box, and you can save the resulting file directly from the pad.

The result is a file similar to the one which Martyn posted -- a corrupted .box file containing
a mix of SignalBox data and Templot data. Which you could reload and continue using several times, but the end result is inevitable -- Templot will crash at some stage and you will lose your work because there is no valid file containing it.
____________________

So this leads to a couple of important warnings:

1. If you download or get given .box files from anywhere, you shouldn't assume that they are clean Templot data files, just because they appear to load ok. You can safely view them for interest, but don't add them to your own files, or use them as a starting point for further work, without testing them first.

It easy to test them. Go to the storage box and click through every template in turn, starting from the first. If they all display on the box correctly the file is ok. If it's not ok, you will get floating-point error messages, and very likely Templot will terminate, usually with a fail code 24 message.

2. If you have a copy of the SignalBox program, all will be fine if you stick to the default setups. Templot keeps its data files with the program in the C:TEMPLOT folder and looks there for them.

SignalBox keeps its data files with the program in its own SIGBOX folder. Windows will make them look like Templot files by calling them Templot Data Files and giving them a Templot icon -- but you know better!

On the other hand, if you adopt the daft Microsoft idea of muddling all your data files together in a folder called My Documents or similar, there is a real risk of confusion. 
_________________________

Clearly I shall have to do something about this, so that Templot won't load damaged files. It will mean that it can no longer load files in the older pre-0.45 format, which will be unfortunate if you still have some old files and want to use them.

Many thanks to Martyn Harrison and Howard for alerting me to this -- at least I think I mean thanks! :)

regards,

Martin.   

posted: 5 Aug 2008 19:37

from:

Dave Summers
 
Urchfont, Devizes - United Kingdom

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It appears from http://www.svrsig.org/software/News9k.html that the Signalbox app was developed for RiscOS-based machines during the mid-1990s and ported to the PC-format in Feb 2004.
Since Templot has been with us since at least the late-1990s, I feel that the moral high ground (along with the new headache) belongs to you, Martyn!
Cheers
Dave

posted: 5 Aug 2008 21:46

from:

Martin Wynne
 
West Of The Severn - United Kingdom

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Dave Summers wrote:
Since Templot has been with us since at least the late-1990s, I feel that the moral high ground (along with the new headache) belongs to you, Martin!
Hi Dave,

Thanks a lot! Just what I want on top of everything else. A load of moral high ground! :)

The Windows version of Templot was first shown in public at the Gauge 0 Guild's exhibition at Telford in September 1998, so we are just approaching 10 years of Templot. :)

The first copy went off-site in August 1999.

regards,

Martin.

posted: 6 Aug 2008 00:19

from:

JFS
 
United Kingdom

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Hello Martin,

Guess what - not only do I have SignalBox on my machine, I have Lotus notes as well - though fortunately it is not the machine with Templot on it!!!  I just did a *.box on that machine and the only thing which came up was a WINWORD.box - which is non-associated and contains "Word template information" - good old Bill! Lotus Notes through up nothing - but it does win my prize as the flakeyest piece of software ever written - or is that cobbled together?

In my humble view the idea of the file extension as an identifier is well past its sell-by date.  The world of multimedia apparently agrees - if you re-name a .avi file and change the extension to, say .wmf, it still runs fine - the player checks what it actually is rather than what it says it is. 

Perhps the loss of a little backward compatibility is a small price to pay for added security in the case of Templot.

Best Regards,

Howard.



posted: 6 Aug 2008 15:55

from:

Brian Lewis
 
United Kingdom

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Martin Wynne wrote:
The Windows version of Templot was first shown in public at the Gauge 0 Guild's exhibition at Telford in September 1998, so we are just approaching 10 years of Templot. :)

Yup. I can well remember you showing it to me.  ....and I am embarrassed to say, whilst the finished result is everything I would want, getting there is still one of life's little mysteries.

Truly a case of travelling hopefully, rather than arriving :)

Regards

Brian Lewis

posted: 6 Aug 2008 16:30

from:

Andy B
 
 

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I have Lotus Notes on my work laptop, and a quick search of *.box brings up a 'mail.box' file.

I don't know what it does exactly, but its 'Date Modified' shows the time that I logged-on this morning, and it's about 3MB in size.

I don't have Templot installed on this machine (yet!), so can't comment if there are any problems with Notes trying to use a track template for email!

Martin - if you would like me to check this out I could do.

Andy
Last edited on 6 Aug 2008 16:35 by Andy B
posted: 6 Aug 2008 16:47

from:

Andy B
 
 

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Was going to edit the message above, but thought an addition might be clearer.

From Lotus Notes help glossary:

"outgoing mail database

A file (MAIL.BOX) that temporarily stores outgoing mail that users create when not connected to a mail server."

It is located in a sub-folder along with all the other mail files and database files (e.g. local address book) - so to pick up on Martin's earlier point, I think Lotus software files were traditionally kept together unlike Bill's.

Oh, those far-off days of Lotus 1-2-3, and AmiPro, before MS Office got a grip on the world!

 

Andy

 
Last edited on 6 Aug 2008 16:48 by Andy B
posted: 6 Aug 2008 18:04

from:

Peter Ayre
 
 

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I only load files from storage box after templot is up and running.
I don't have the associated program link for box file types, but if I did and it was going to cause confusion then I would remove the link.

Rather than try and find a new extension name, why not just add a little note to the instructions that the extension dot box (short for storage box) should not be confused with dot box (short for signal box) extension used by SVRSIG program, or the dot box extension used by any other programs.

Just my thoughts.

Best regards,
Peter



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