Problem opening files from inside topics when using PortableFileAssociator

[iLiAS]

Hello again Argey,

I am having a very strange problem. I can't open any files from inside
topics. Ok, here's what's going on.

I use a portable file association program called
PortableFileAssociator. What it basically does is, when it runs it
backs up and overrides the system's file associations with the ones
that I have configured it with. So it basically redirects double-
clicks and the like to portable software of my choice on my external
HD. When PortableFileAssociator closes, it restores back the system's
own associations. It works like a charm and has done so for well over
a year that i am using it daily for hours on end (my portable working
enrironment is the one I use even at my own PC actually, so
PortableFileAssociator is always running).

Topicscape, however, doesn't work with it. With PortableFileAssociator
running, when I double-click on a file from inside a topic, I get a
system dialog box "Windows can't open this file", which is the dialog
you get when you double-click on an an unknown filetype (this is even
for very common filetypes with out-of-the-box system associations such
as .jpg). When I disable or quit PortableFileAssociator, then I can
launch the file with its default program (which is Windows Photo
Viewer on my Win7 PC) and it works as expected.

Now, it would be logical to blame this "unconventional" file
associations scheme that I am using, except that Topicscape, out of
hundreds of apps that I have used or evaluated for over a year that I
am using this system, is the only program that has ever done this.

Is there anything different in how Topicscape passes file open
requests to the system?

I already have a suspicion of what may be happening. I just run a
little test here. I put a file called "test.jpg" in a topic, and then
I tried to open it by double clicking on it in the occurrences list.
The system dialog came up saying this:

------------------------------------------------
Windows can't open this file:

File: test.jpg"

To open this file, Windows needs to know what program you want to use
to open it. Windows can go online etc. etc. etc.
-----------------------------------------------

Now, notice the file name as it appears in this dialog. It has a
double-quote at the end. If so, then windows thinks the extension of
the file is .jpg", for which of-course there's no association. Could
it be possible that Topicscape erronously passes that ending double-
quote along with the file name to the system?

TIA for your attention to this Argey. As you can imagine, this is a
show-stopper for me at the moment.

Cheers,

-ilias.

[Argey]

Hello Ilias,

Topicscape is written mainly in Java, compiled to native code. It has
native code for various calls to Windows APIs for file operations for
performance reasons (and for other usability functions that Java does
not support). Maybe there is something different in that chain that
PortableFileAssociator does not handle.

We know nothing about the double quote, I'm afraid.

I'm really sorry, but the Windows regsitry dependencies anyway make it
unlikely that Topicscape will work as a portable application.

Best regards,
Argey