Subject Re: How to Catch In Use By another error? From michael <michael@abstractservices.com.au> Date Mon, 20 Nov 2017 17:13:06 -0500 Newsgroups dbase.getting-started Thanks Jan, Top tip. I think your right, i noticed that once before, file size is only stamped after the file is closed. Thank you. Jan Hoelterling Wrote: > Hello Michael, > > as you've found out, Exists() simply returns if the file handle has been > created. It does not tell you if the file in access by anything else. > > I have used two methods to accomplish what you describe (assuming I > understood correctly): > > 1) check the file size before opening the file. In my experience, the > file size will be 0 bytes until the file is closed. This is because > Windows only updates the file size that is reported to other programs > once the file is closed. This may not hold true if the file exists > before it is written to by the other program (in other words, if the > other program only appends to the file). > > 2) This method will only work if you create a new file (in other words, > you are not simply appending to the file). Write to your file under a > *different* name. Then, when that is complete, try to delete the other > file (the existing file with the target name) and rename your file to > that name. The delete & rename will only succeed if the file is no > longer in use. You would need to wait for a specified time between > attempts, and for the sake of the user, you should allow for a graceful > exit if the other process is "hung" and never releases the file. > > Your idea about using set reprocess to -1 will not work - that only > applies to access to DBF tables, not to files (at the operating system > level). Any attempt to open a file for write access will immediately > return success or fail. > > HTH, > > Jan