[MRTCore] MakePri returns an error code when a data element name attribute has consecutive slashes

[MarkIngramUK]

Attempting to compile a .resw file with a data element name attribute such as Key//Value (or, if convertDotsToSlashes is enabled in the config, Key..Value) will result in the error:

ERROR: PRI175: 0x80070057 - Processing Resources failed with error: The parameter is incorrect.

Visual Studio allows you to type in consecutive slashes, so there is a discrepancy there.

[MarkIngramUK]

Even if you try to work around this by encoding the slashes, e.g. \\ for two backslashes, MakePri will still return an error.

[huichen123]

slash character is reserved for resource map hierarchy separator in MRTCore. Just like you cannot have slash in a filename.

[andrewleader]

Thanks Hui, @MarkIngramUK can you workaround using slashes since slashes aren't supported by design?

Or would you like to keep this open as a feature request to support slashes? If so, we can leave it open to collect feedback from other developers and see if there's interest in supporting slashes.

[MarkIngramUK]

You can have a slash, and the slash forms part of the hierarchy, the problem I am reporting is that two consecutive slashes will result in a very unhelpful error message (I'm guessing because it's trying to find the sub-path name between the two slashes, resulting in an empty string).

e.g. I can compile resources that contain the data name Slash/Slash just fine (and dump out the file with MakePri -dump afterwards). It's the double slash that causes the error.

[MarkIngramUK]

@andrewleader I tried working around the problem by encoding the slashes, e.g. / but it seems they're decoded in the call to MakePri and interpreted as a slash too.

[andrewleader]

Thanks Mark - so what would you like to happen? Better error messages? The VS UI not allowing you to enter the double slash? Or have double slash actually supported?

Trying to understand what you'd like to see happen - not saying we'll be able to do what you want (or it might be a long time), but trying to collect what you (and others) would prefer to see 😊

[MarkIngramUK]

Thanks @andrewleader. I should probably point out that I'm manually running MakePri (via CMake), as opposed to having VS run it, but I don't think that's relevant. The main problems that I'm reporting (and would like to see improvements to) are:

1. The error message The parameter is incorrect is unhelpful in diagnosing the problem (see [MRTCore] MakePri returns an error code when a data element name attribute is longer than 255 characters #1229).
2. Visual Studio allows you to enter invalid resw values (I realise this probably isn't the location to report these errors, but I'm highlighting it anyway)
3. The XSD doesn't have an exclusion for slashes (i.e. no xs:restriction)
4. There's no way to work around the problem, or to keep a slash within the data name (i.e. it might be useful if a backslash could escape a forward slash, but unfortunately a backslash is also a separator).
5. The use of slashes within a data name doesn't appear to be documented anywhere? Apologies if I've missed it.

The priority problem is (1). It took me a while to keep chopping down my resw files to identify the problem, and then eventually work out that slashes create hierarchy. A helpful diagnostic with the offending line, and a message about double slashes or empty sub-path name would have been great.

The reason for (4) is that we are auto-generating the resw from other intermediate translation files, so don't fully control what the data name will be.