If you end the name of a File Sharing workspace with a space, Groove cannot synchronize the workspace

This is another Groove client issue. It’s minor, but potentially frustrating, because the error messages don’t identify the problem.

Here’s the scenario: You try to create a File Sharing workspace in Groove, but you enter a workspace name that has one or more spaces at the end of it (most likely because you pasted in a block of text – for example, a project name copied from an email message.) Next, you select the option "Create a new folder "workspace name" on my Desktop".

Groove returns the following error:

This folder cannot be synchronized by Groove

The workspace is not created, although, if you look, you’ll see that the Windows folder was (without, of course, the ending space in the name). At this point, you most likely try again. If you type in the name, workspace creation will mysteriously work. If you don’t change anything, you’ll have the same problem, and probably start wondering if you really need these files encrypted during network transmission, and if not, if there’s an easier way to share them to everyone on your project.

When I saw this bug, I set about trying to duplicate it, but the description was sparse. As I happens, I never use "Create a new folder "workspace name" on my Desktop". Without really thinking about it, I chose my usual option, "Create a new folder "workspace name" but let me select the location".

Groove returned the following error:

Changes received from others will not synchronize to this folder because the path name is longer than supported by the file system. Click OK if you want to continue and share it anyway, or click Cancel to select another folder.

After I clicked OK, I received the expected error, "This folder cannot be synchronized by Groove".

This error, although incorrect, provided a clue as to what was happening. Groove knows about illegal filenames. If you name a File Sharing workspace "Test?" and choose to have Groove create that as a folder, you will receive an error that the folder name contains an illegal character. However, the space is not an illegal character; you can name your workspace -- and its folder -- “Test resources”.

I suspect that what happens in the first scenario is that Groove checks the name – let’s say it’s "Test Resources " -- for illegal characters, and when it doesn’t find any, sends the name to Windows to create the folder. Windows strips the ending space or spaces and creates the folder. Then, Groove tries to do what it always does when you first create a File Sharing workspace – create an index of the folder. But when Groove asks Windows for the "Test Resources " folder, it doesn’t exist, so it can't be synchronized.

The workaround, of course, is to remove the space.

That’s all! Please be sure to look at the message that I posted early today for Guest blogger Ed Jolly. I’m leaving for a short vacation tomorrow, so I needed to post this week’s article today, which unfortunately has the result of pushing his post off the top screen of this blog.