Copying single multibyte characters with StrCpy

I have this function that takes a string that is a directory path and tries to figure out what's the upper most directory that has to be created.

For example, if the user wants to install the app to:
C:\Program Files\ABC\123

and ABC doesn't exist in Program Files, the function will return C:\Program Files\ABC, it makes it usefull for deleting all the directories that you've created upon uninstall.

The function looks like:

  ; FindTopLevelDirectory
  ; input, none, uses $INSTDIR
  ; output, top of stack (replaces, with e.g. C:\Program Files)
  ; the top-most parent of $INSTDIR that does not currently exist
  ; modifies no other variables.
  ;
  ; Usage:
  ;   Call FindTopLevelDirectory
  ;   Pop $R0
  ;   ; at this point $R0 will equal "C:\Program Files\NonexistantDirectory"
  function FindTopLevelDirectory
    ; $R2 directory path to installation
    ; $R3 counter
    ; $R4 temp counter
    ; $R5 temp string
    Pop $R2 ;the orginal string
    StrCpy $R3 "-1"
    StrCpy $R5 ""
    Loop:
    IntOp $R3 $R3 + 1
    StrCpy $R4 $R2 1 $R3
    StrCmp $R4 "" ExitLoop
    StrCmp $R4 "\" Directory
    StrCpy $R5 $R5$R4
    Goto Loop
    Directory:
    StrCpy $R5 "$R5"
    IfFileExists "$R5\*.*" "" ExitLoop
    StrCpy $R5 "$R5\"
    Goto Loop
    ExitLoop:
    IfFileExists "$R5*.*" +2
    Push $R5
  FunctionEnd 

The problem is when the path has Japanese characters, the statement

StrCpy $R4 $R2 1 $R3 

returns an invalid character, which is expected, because it's a multibyte character. I somtimes can detect this by doing the following instead:

         StrCpy $R4 $R2 1 $R3
         StrCmp $R4 "" "" Check
    ; try 2 bytes in case it's a multibyte folder.
         StrCpy $R4 $R2 2 $R3 
    StrCmp $R4 "" ExitLoop
    Check:
         StrCmp $R4 "\" Directory 

But sometimes the copying 1 character returns a valid character, even though it's part of a multibyte character, and I get what is commonly known as mojibake.

Does anyone have any ideas of a better way to copy one character at a time that handles multibyte characters? Or is there a better way to iterate over the parent directories of a path?

I'm using NSIS 2.01b if that helps.

Use GetParent to get the C:\Program Files\ABC bit, then use GetFileName to get hold of ABC.

All functions are on the NSIS Archive

-Stu

That has the same problem.

StrCpy $R2 $R0 1 $R1 

Have you tried getting the latest CVS, because maybe new support for these characters have been added.
I know that it will be a lot of work converting to the new NSIS2b4 format, but it's worth it.

-Stu

The latest CVS version won't help with this. But it does contain an example to what you're trying to do (folder stuff, not MBCS). You can find this example online, here.

To be to get one "real" character you should use CharNext with System.dll.

BTW, why are you comparing it to a quoted space?

With the GetParent and GetFileName functions, just blank out the lines that compare the variable to "" that come below the single character seperation.
It won't matter whether or not the character is invalid ("") or not then.

(All you want to look for is "\", so there is no need to check for "" which is usually the output got at the end of a string)

-Stu

I'm not comparing anything to a quoted space. It's an empty string. "" 🙂

So if i blank those lines, how does it know if it's reached the end of the string?

Haha, I'm going blind 🙂

Anyway, the only way you'd know what you're up against is by using CharNext or IsDBCSLeadByte. But you don't need either, just use the script I have attached, it's much more efficient.

Right, I see why that solution would work. There's a problem with it however, if the user had created an empty directory previously, then installed the application into that directory, the uninstall would delete the directory the user created beforehand even though it wasn't created by the application's installer.

This may or may not be the wish of the user. The safer route is to delete only the directories that the installer creates.

Originally posted by tderouin
So if i blank those lines, how does it know if it's reached the end of the string?

As long as the string has "\" in it then it won't need to go to the end of the string 😛

-Stu

$INSTDIR isn't terminated with a \ character.

?
If $INSTDIR is e.g. C:\quake2\dday, then it will see the "\" before "dday".

$INSTDIR is a run-time variable, so changes to whatever the user has entered.

-Stu

Right.
What about this example: C:\Program Files\ABC (C:\Program Files exists, ABC does not)

It checks to C:\Program Files\ finds it exists.
Keeps copying over characters. Copies A, then B, then C, then copies "" not "\" and just loops infinitely because we're not checking for the end of a string that's not terminated by "\".

Doesn't work, does it?

I don't understand why you think it won't work.
It checks for "\", then when it is found (it will be) it gets straight out of the loop, gets ABC from the string, then exits the function.
There is no way it will loop unless you're string has no "\" in it.

-Stu

I know it won't work because I tested it. Take a look at the loop:

    Loop:
    IntOp $R3 $R3 + 1
    StrCpy $R4 $R2 1 $R3
    StrCmp $R4 "" ExitLoop
    StrCmp $R4 "\" Directory
    StrCpy $R5 $R5$R4
    Goto Loop 

It loops copying over a character at time. When it has copied over the final C, it has nothing left to copy, so $R4 is "" on the next iteration. Since it's not terminated by "\", it continues to loop, $R4 continues to be "". Taking that statement out will cause it to loop infinitely if the string is not terminated by a back slash, guaranteed.

I am wondering now why you need the function...
Because, the $INSTDIR is created automatically anyway.

If $INSTDIR is C:\progra~1\abc\123 then subdirs abc and 123 are created anyway.

-Stu

Code is wrong.

StrCpy $R3 0

Loop:

    IntOp $R3 $R3 - 1

    StrCpy $R4 $R2 1 $R3

    StrCmp $R4 "" ExitLoop

    StrCmp $R4 "\" Directory

    StrCpy $R5 $R5$R4

    Goto Loop

-Stu

Right. But if you read my previous posts you'll see I'm worried about the uninstall process.

RMDIR $INSTDIR

only removes C:\progra~1\abc\123 and not C:\progra~1\abc.

There's a problem with what you want too...
What happens if the $INSTDIR is just C:\progra~1\abc?
abc will be removed, then you will remove the next directory down which is C:\progra~1!!!

-Stu

Are you that familiar with the NSIS code?

RMDIR removes the directory only if it's empty.

RMDIR /R removes the directory recursively.

In the previous code C:\Program Files\abc would be identified as the top level directory and stored in the registry. That would be the top most directory that would be removed, not C:\Program Files, not sure where you got the idea that the code would attempt to remove that directory.

Sorry, missed that.

Ok. I will right a small function for this because I think that it would be useful.

-Stu

There is a very simple solution to avoid comparing to "" and it's to simply append a back-slash to the end of the string.

As for deleting empty directories the user have created, unless you want to create the directories manually at install time and save in a log each directory created, that's what you've got.

Try this out.

Usage:
Push 2 ;check 2 last dirs
Push $INSTDIR
Call RemoveDirs

Function RemoveDirs

Exch $R0 ;input string

Exch

Exch $R1 ;maximum number of dirs to check for

Push $R2

Push $R3

Push $R4

Push $R5

   IfFileExists "$R0\*.*" 0 +2

   RMDir "$R0"

 StrCpy $R5 0

top:

 StrCpy $R2 0

 StrLen $R4 $R0

loop:

 IntOp $R2 $R2 + 1

  StrCpy $R3 $R0 1 -$R2

 StrCmp $R2 $R4 exit

 StrCmp $R3 "\" 0 loop

  StrCpy $R0 $R0 -$R2

   IfFileExists "$R0\*.*" 0 +2

   RMDir "$R0"

 IntOp $R5 $R5 + 1

 StrCmp $R5 $R1 exit

Goto top

exit:

Pop $R5

Pop $R4

Pop $R3

Pop $R2

Pop $R1

Pop $R0

FunctionEnd

-Stu

Just tested it, and changed 1 thing - works fine.
Re-copy the script.
I will put this on the archive.

-Stu

How are you calling it?

-Stu

That looks good. I'll give it a try.

However, how do you know how many directories are created? Would it involve iterating over $INSTDIR in SecCopyUI and create each directory piecemeal correct?

Then we'd probably have to copy a character at a time, right? 🙂 Which takes us back to the original problem. I have yet to try out NextChar, I'll post my findings when I am finished.

Thanks!

Look at my script.
It bypasses the problem that we had before.

By comparing the strlen with the minus (chop number)
Therefore, if the strlen and chop number are equal, then it has got to the end of the string.

If you want to find out how many subdirectories there are, use this:

Function SubdirsAmount

Exch $R0 ;input string

Push $R1

Push $R2

Push $R3

Push $R4

 StrCpy $R1 0

 StrLen $R2 $R0

loop:

 IntOp $R1 $R1 + 1

  StrCpy $R3 $R0 1 -$R1

 StrCmp $R1 $R2 exit

 StrCmp $R3 "\" 0 loop

  IntOp $R4 $R4 + 1

Goto loop

exit:

StrCpy $R0 $R4

Pop $R4

Pop $R3

Pop $R2

Pop $R1

Exch $R0 ;output

FunctionEnd

-Stu

So you're code should look like this:

Push $INSTDIR

 Call SubdirsAmount

Pop $R0



Push $R0

Push $INSTDIR

 Call UninstallDirs

-Stu