POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.documentation.inbuilt : Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation Server Time
19 Mar 2024 07:44:44 EDT (-0400)
  Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation (Message 1 to 9 of 9)  
From: Kenneth
Subject: Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation
Date: 8 Apr 2017 21:10:01
Message: <web.58e988c6ebea2d9e883fb31c0@news.povray.org>
I don't know if this is specific to the Windows platform, but there's a small
error in the v3.7.1 beta 5 documentation, as well as on the current wiki page at

http://wiki.povray.org/content/Reference:File_Output_Options

 re: Output_File_Name. I think the docs' errors have been there for awhile,
actually.

In Windows, if I want to specify my own folder location for output renders, I
have to write it like this-- with double quotes at beginning and end--

Output_File_Name="C:\Users\Computer\Documents\Kens POV-Ray rendered IMAGES\"

The documentation doesn't mention those double quotes. Leaving them out causes a
(non-fatal) render error, but the image isn't written to a file (as far as I can
tell.)

The Windows-specific included documentation doesn't mention this either, at
1.4.7 The Render Window.


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From: Kenneth
Subject: Re: Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation
Date: 8 Apr 2017 21:15:01
Message: <web.58e98a6e3f18d4cf883fb31c0@news.povray.org>
Forgot to include this location as well (in POV-Ray's included documentation)--

3.2.4.2 Output File Name


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From: Thorsten Froehlich
Subject: Re: Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation
Date: 9 Apr 2017 02:05:01
Message: <web.58e9ce133f18d4cfa3977ae70@news.povray.org>
"Kenneth" <kdw### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> I don't know if this is specific to the Windows platform, but there's a small
> error in the v3.7.1 beta 5 documentation, as well as on the current wiki page at
>
> http://wiki.povray.org/content/Reference:File_Output_Options
>
>  re: Output_File_Name. I think the docs' errors have been there for awhile,
> actually.
>
> In Windows, if I want to specify my own folder location for output renders, I
> have to write it like this-- with double quotes at beginning and end--
>
> Output_File_Name="C:\Users\Computer\Documents\Kens POV-Ray rendered IMAGES\"
>
> The documentation doesn't mention those double quotes. Leaving them out causes a
> (non-fatal) render error, but the image isn't written to a file (as far as I can
> tell.)
>
> The Windows-specific included documentation doesn't mention this either, at
> 1.4.7 The Render Window.

It is not required as long as the name does not include spaces. This has been
the case since 3.6 iirc. I am pretty sure it was documented somewhere in the
command line reference section. If I had to guess, it would be in the
introductory section of the command line reference...


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From: omniverse
Subject: Re: Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation
Date: 9 Apr 2017 03:35:00
Message: <web.58e9e3f63f18d4cf9c5d6c810@news.povray.org>
"Thorsten Froehlich" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> "Kenneth" <kdw### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > I don't know if this is specific to the Windows platform, but there's a small
> > error in the v3.7.1 beta 5 documentation, as well as on the current wiki page at
> >
> > http://wiki.povray.org/content/Reference:File_Output_Options
> >
> >  re: Output_File_Name. I think the docs' errors have been there for awhile,
> > actually.
> >
> > In Windows, if I want to specify my own folder location for output renders, I
> > have to write it like this-- with double quotes at beginning and end--
> >
> > Output_File_Name="C:\Users\Computer\Documents\Kens POV-Ray rendered IMAGES\"
> >
> > The documentation doesn't mention those double quotes. Leaving them out causes a
> > (non-fatal) render error, but the image isn't written to a file (as far as I can
> > tell.)
> >
> > The Windows-specific included documentation doesn't mention this either, at
> > 1.4.7 The Render Window.
>
> It is not required as long as the name does not include spaces. This has been
> the case since 3.6 iirc. I am pretty sure it was documented somewhere in the
> command line reference section. If I had to guess, it would be in the
> introductory section of the command line reference...

I had to go looking for it but it is there. Can be found in section 2.2.8.2 at
very end. Here's that portion:

If a file or path contains blanks the whole file and path specification has to
be put in quotes. You may either use a double-quote or a single-quote, but you
have to use the same at the beginning and end. For example:
 +I"my file.pov"
 +I'my file.pov'
 Input_File="my file.pov"
 Input_File='my file.pov'

By using either single or double quotes it is possible to specify files whose
name or path contains either as part of the name. For example:
 +I"file's.pov"
 +I'my "big" file.pov'
 Input_File="file's.pov"
 Input_File='my "big" file.pov'


Might not be the most obvious place unless looking for it there, since this is
under the (POV-Ray for Windows help) POV-Ray Tutorial > Getting Started >
Setting POV-Ray Options > Using INI Files

Guess I just thought the quoting was mentioned in the Reference > Command-Line
and INI Options

Found another mention about quoting, end of section 1.3.2 Special Command-Line
Options and highlighted:

Note: When supplying a filename with spaces in it, you will need to enclose the
filename itself within quotes.


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From: Kenneth
Subject: Re: Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation
Date: 9 Apr 2017 05:05:00
Message: <web.58e9f8803f18d4cf883fb31c0@news.povray.org>
Ah yes, you're both correct. I knew I had seen that information *somewhere*
during the past years. It has only been recently that I needed to look it up
again, while working with the 3.7.1 betas (which install a 'fresh' copy of the
povray.ini file; I needed to re-add my output folder location to it, as a
library path.) I assumed the double-quote info was in one or the other
'Output_File_Name' locations I mentioned, as that seemed a logical place to
look.

I would suggest adding a short note to 3.2.4.2 at least, mentioning this.


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From: Alain
Subject: Re: Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation
Date: 9 Apr 2017 22:55:21
Message: <58eaf419$1@news.povray.org>

> "Kenneth" <kdw### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>> I don't know if this is specific to the Windows platform, but there's a small
>> error in the v3.7.1 beta 5 documentation, as well as on the current wiki page at
>>
>> http://wiki.povray.org/content/Reference:File_Output_Options
>>
>>  re: Output_File_Name. I think the docs' errors have been there for awhile,
>> actually.
>>
>> In Windows, if I want to specify my own folder location for output renders, I
>> have to write it like this-- with double quotes at beginning and end--
>>
>> Output_File_Name="C:\Users\Computer\Documents\Kens POV-Ray rendered IMAGES\"
>>
>> The documentation doesn't mention those double quotes. Leaving them out causes a
>> (non-fatal) render error, but the image isn't written to a file (as far as I can
>> tell.)
>>
>> The Windows-specific included documentation doesn't mention this either, at
>> 1.4.7 The Render Window.
>
> It is not required as long as the name does not include spaces. This has been
> the case since 3.6 iirc. I am pretty sure it was documented somewhere in the
> command line reference section. If I had to guess, it would be in the
> introductory section of the command line reference...
>
>
>

Since 3.1g, probably sooner, it's possible to dirrect your image to any 
user specified folder.
The use of quotes, single or double, is mandatorry whenever you have 
space anywhere in the path. It must be as old as the introduction of 
long file names, way back to 1995.
Before that, spaces where not allowed at all, and the use of quotes was 
never needed.


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From: Mike Horvath
Subject: Re: Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation
Date: 10 Apr 2017 01:18:35
Message: <58eb15ab$1@news.povray.org>
On 4/9/2017 10:55 PM, Alain wrote:
> Since 3.1g, probably sooner, it's possible to dirrect your image to any
> user specified folder.
> The use of quotes, single or double, is mandatorry whenever you have
> space anywhere in the path. It must be as old as the introduction of
> long file names, way back to 1995.
> Before that, spaces where not allowed at all, and the use of quotes was
> never needed.

Is it also necessary to escape all backslashes in strings? I never could 
remember for sure.


Mike


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From: clipka
Subject: Re: Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation
Date: 10 Apr 2017 08:01:35
Message: <58eb741f$1@news.povray.org>
Am 10.04.2017 um 07:18 schrieb Mike Horvath:
> On 4/9/2017 10:55 PM, Alain wrote:
>> Since 3.1g, probably sooner, it's possible to dirrect your image to any
>> user specified folder.
>> The use of quotes, single or double, is mandatorry whenever you have
>> space anywhere in the path. It must be as old as the introduction of
>> long file names, way back to 1995.
>> Before that, spaces where not allowed at all, and the use of quotes was
>> never needed.
> 
> Is it also necessary to escape all backslashes in strings? I never could
> remember for sure.

I'd strongly recommend to use forward slashes in POV-Ray, even when
using the Windows version. POV-Ray for Windows is designed to fully
support them.

(Besides, modern Windows versions themselves are also designed to
support forward slashes; there are just a few niches, such as various
inbuilt commands of the "good" old command prompt, where there are some
caveats.)


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From: Kenneth
Subject: Re: Output_File_Name -- missing double quotes in documentation
Date: 10 Apr 2017 17:15:00
Message: <web.58ebf5193f18d4cf883fb31c0@news.povray.org>
Alain <kua### [at] videotronca> wrote:

>
> Since 3.1g, probably sooner, it's possible to dirrect your image to any
> user specified folder.
> The use of quotes, single or double, is mandatorry whenever you have
> space anywhere in the path. It must be as old as the introduction of
> long file names, way back to 1995.
> Before that, spaces where not allowed at all, and the use of quotes was
> never needed.

I'm thinking more of 'new users' (or older users who don't know or remember the
'special case' of using double-quotes when there are spaces, vs. no
double-quotes when there are no spaces.) *Years* ago, when I first began adding
my own folder path(s) to the povray.ini file, I didn't know this rule (or where
to look for it in the docs), and could never figure out why my folder paths
worked sometimes but not at other times. I naturally assumed the answer would be
in the 'Output_File_Name' sections; but the only examples there are written
without double quotes-- simply because those examples don't happen to have any
spaces. ;-)

If I am any example of a 'typical' Windows user, I would assume that others like
me would not know to look in 'command line' references in the docs to find this
special rule-- one reason being that the Windows GUI version of POV-Ray doesn't
really *require* command-line input (i.e., the GUI menus-- and resolution .ini
file-- take care of most if not all of POV-Ray's functions, with the
command-line being a secondary consideration and rarely used.) Hence, no reason
to look *there* for the info. This is my main argument for adding the
special-rule info somewhere in the Output_File_Name section(s)... as that seems
a logical place for it to be. Or at least putting a link there to the proper
section(s) of the docs.


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