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Re: Unsatisfactory 'file_test()' behavior [message #28433]

Mon, 17 December 2001 07:23

Paul van Delst
Messages: 364
Registered: March 1997

Senior Member

David Fanning wrote:
>
> Matt Feinstein (mfein@clark.net) writes:
>
>> If I do
>>
>> e = file_test('')
>>
>> that is, test for the existence of a file whose name is a zero-length
>> string, I get e = 1. This is not good ! (Using IDL v5.4 WinNT 4.0).
>
> The reasons for this are obscure, but have to due
> with the quantum properties of vacuums. It turns
> out that you can never say that a particular
> unit of space is "empty", since quantum fluctuations
> cause physical elements to appear, however
> briefly.

But, you can only claim this if you can quantify the non-emptiness in some way. IDL apparently
can. And the answer is '1'. That's pretty cool.

paulv

p.s.:

IDL> print, !version
{ x86 linux unix 5.4.1 Jan 16 2001 32 32}
IDL> print, file_test('')
0

Looks like it may have something to do with the, uh..er, "fluctuating properties" of Windows.

--
Paul van Delst Religious and cultural
CIMSS @ NOAA/NCEP purity is a fundamentalist
Ph: (301)763-8000 x7274 fantasy
Fax:(301)763-8545 V.S.Naipaul

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[Message index]

		Re: Unsatisfactory 'file_test()' behavior By: Paul van Delst on Mon, 17 December 2001 07:23
		Re: Unsatisfactory 'file_test()' behavior By: David Fanning on Mon, 17 December 2001 07:01
		Re: Unsatisfactory 'file_test()' behavior By: Dick Jackson on Tue, 18 December 2001 08:09

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