- Joined
- Feb 5, 2016
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 0
Two equal files (even names) in one folder ???
- Thread starter Juris Berzins
- Start date
Cory Cooper
Moderator
- Joined
- May 19, 2004
- Messages
- 11,098
- Reaction score
- 500
Hello,
Hmmm...strange.
From the looks of the screenshot, the untitled folder/files are possibly synced/stored on Google Drive/Dropbox/iCloud Drive, due to the green checkmark icons?
C
Hmmm...strange.
From the looks of the screenshot, the untitled folder/files are possibly synced/stored on Google Drive/Dropbox/iCloud Drive, due to the green checkmark icons?
C
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2016
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 0
No, Dropbox has nothing to do with that. This is no any of the syncing faults.
My guess is there could be some glyph in a filename, which looks equal to another letter from regular symbols.
Maybe somebody knows a way how to find out what letters and symbols are used in a filename? If I just paste it as text in Word or Notepad it doesn't show any difference.
My guess is there could be some glyph in a filename, which looks equal to another letter from regular symbols.
Maybe somebody knows a way how to find out what letters and symbols are used in a filename? If I just paste it as text in Word or Notepad it doesn't show any difference.
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2017
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
- 0
Try pasting the file names into Word or a text editor, then show invisible characters. There may be a space hiding at the end of one of the file names.
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2008
- Messages
- 44
- Reaction score
- 0
I would try copying one of the files into another empty work folder. Then open it up to make sure it is what you think it is. Now try to copy the second file to the work folder. Does Finder complain about a file with that name already existing? If it doesn't, there must be a hidden difference in the names. If it does, I would guess that one of the original files was written to disk without using macOS's (or Finder's) routines, thereby bypassing the usual name check. (Under the hood, the file is identified by its location rather than its name, isn't it? Having two Jill Smythe's on the same street doesn't cause a postal system breakdown as long as they had different house numbers.)
It seems to me that I have seen this occasionally (rarely). I verify that one is 'real' and complete, and then delete the other, lest some otherwise 'well-behaved' program freak out over it and do something destructive.
BTW, do the two files have the same dates and other metadata? I wonder what would happen if you opened one GIF in an appropriate editor, made some minor change and then undid the change and tried to SAVE the file. It would have the same data, but a new Modified date. If that goes through without a hitch, what would happen if instead of SAVING the file you used SAVE AS, and used the (apparent) name of the other file? (I would expect you now to get an OS complaint.) Anyway, it's kind of fun to fool around with these oddities to see if any patterns emerge.
It seems to me that I have seen this occasionally (rarely). I verify that one is 'real' and complete, and then delete the other, lest some otherwise 'well-behaved' program freak out over it and do something destructive.
BTW, do the two files have the same dates and other metadata? I wonder what would happen if you opened one GIF in an appropriate editor, made some minor change and then undid the change and tried to SAVE the file. It would have the same data, but a new Modified date. If that goes through without a hitch, what would happen if instead of SAVING the file you used SAVE AS, and used the (apparent) name of the other file? (I would expect you now to get an OS complaint.) Anyway, it's kind of fun to fool around with these oddities to see if any patterns emerge.