Thanks Ian, and well analysed! I need a text editor as I migrate fully from PC to iPad so I am grateful for your suggestions.
Out of interest, did you discover why this phenomenon does not also occur on the iPhone? Richard Donovan > On 16 Feb 2022, at 03:00, Ian Clark <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> >> I can’t try with J702 as it seems to have been removed from the App Store. > > No, it's called j701, not j702, and it's still there. > Type into the App Store searchbar: j7 > and you will see it listed. > > I can replicate the bug now, and it will be fixed in the next update of > j901 for iOS/iPadOS. > j901 does indeed capture ownership of text files with the extension: ".txt" > from Files app, which would otherwise show the text of the file using > QuickLook. It seems j701 does not have this bug, insofar as it's not > launched by Files app. > >> As a workaround until a solution is found, I can copy all my text files > from iCloud to DropBox and access them from there. > > You don't need to move all your text files with ".txt" into DropBox. > Instead of using Files app, why not download a 3rd party text editor from > App Store? After a quick glance through a search on "text editor", I'd > recommend QuickText (free, though it does limit you to editing only 15 > files a week unless you buy the Pro version for £4.49). It starts up in its > Document Picker, which is sufficiently like Files app to be reassuring. And > it seems to display every text file whatever the extension. Even the > J-owned files: ".ijs". > > Ian Clark > >> On Wed, 16 Feb 2022 at 00:38, Richard Donovan <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Hi Ian and thanks for taking an interest. >> >> I mean that I tap the file name of a text file from within the files app. >> This causes J901 to start up immediately. >> >> I should have said File Viewer rather than text editor. This a feature of >> the files app which displays the content of several files types such as >> text, photo and PDF files. >> >> Now it gets really interesting… >> >> I remembered that these same text files were also present in my DropBox. >> When I went to DropBox and tapped on a file there, it opened correctly, >> seemingly using the same inbuilt viewer. >> >> Also, I have a lot of files with a .gpx file type but contain text. These >> are displayed correctly so it appears the call to J is made only with files >> having a .txt ending. >> >> Also, >> >> If I remove J901 from my system, again, the problem goes away. >> >> I can’t try with J702 as it seems to have been removed from the App Store. >> >> A most peculiar problem. >> >> >> I hope the above helps in debugging; if you need any more info, or want to >> watch a screen recording of this phenomenon in action, please let me know. >> >> As a workaround until a solution is found, I can copy all my text files >> from iCloud to DropBox and access them from there. >> >> >> Richard Donovan >> >>>> On 16 Feb 2022, at 00:28, Ian Clark <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Richard Donovan wrote >>>> when I try to access a text file it triggers J instead of the text >> editor! >>> >>> What exactly do you mean by "access"? That's a highly ambiguous term >> where >>> iPadOS is concerned. Read? Write? Edit? >>> Do you mean: "open" a textfile by tapping on its icon in Apple Files app? >>> >>> What exactly do you mean by "the text editor". On iOS/iPadOS there is no >>> "the" (as Yoda might say). See below. >>> >>> In stark contrast, macOS has TextEdit.app – which is indeed "the" text >>> editor, although there are others (e.g. BBEdit). TextEdit will try to >> edit >>> any file you drag'n'drop onto its icon. And ⌘I will let you specify >>> TextEdit.app as the "owner" for a whole range of inappropriate filetypes >> & >>> extensions. iOS/iPadOS emphatically does not allow any of that. >>> >>> There's a known bug in j901 for iOS: it interfaces badly with the (Apple) >>> Files app. This is a messy area, and Apple has changed how Files app >>> behaves over the last 2 years, especially its a.p.i – how 3rd-party apps >>> communicate with it. From what you're saying, they've changed iPadOS to >>> behave differently from iOS. If so, this is a Files app bug, because I >> can >>> see no logical reason why iOS and iPadOS should behave differently here. >>> >>> There is only one j901 release for both platforms, though Apple does >>> "fixup" an app between the developer uploading it to App Store, and the >>> end-user downloading it. Indeed j701 (the forerunner to j901) has been >> thus >>> tinkered with - and its App Store entry admits it. >>> >>> But there's the little matter of split screens, which iPadOS has to deal >>> with and iOS doesn't. So iPadOS can actually run both j901 in one screen >>> (editing a TXT file), and a 3rd-party text editor in the other (editing a >>> IJS file). I don't believe even Apple has anticipated what fun'n'games >> that >>> can lead to. >>> >>> What should happen is: when Files app is showing the icon for a data file >>> belonging to j901 viz. having the extension IJS, IJT, IJX, if you tap on >>> the icon it should (a) launch j901 (which it did last time I tried it) >> (b) >>> tell J901 to edit the tapped file (which, alas, j901 does not respond to, >>> because Files app is hopelessly buggy here, and the documentation is out >> of >>> date. This is a known j901 bug). >>> >>> I can't see how this particular j901 bug is causing it to capture all >> text >>> files, however. >>> >>> iOS (and iPadOS) do not (officially) support the editing of (general) >> text >>> files. Apple would rather you didn't know what a textfile was – indeed >> that >>> you didn't know what a *file* was (yes, really!) – and thought only in >>> terms of data owned by a particular app, such as Pythonista, Safari, >> j901, >>> etc. --Which isn't just down to the file's extension, e.g. TXT, which >>> iOS/iPadOS goes out of its way to hide from the end-user. >>> >>> However, App Store grudgingly hosts a number of 3rd-party general >> textfile >>> editors There's even a Terminal lookalike, and various versions of >> Python, >>> which can edit Python source files – and maybe TXT (IJS, IJT, IJX) too. >>> Which one are you using? It may be pretending ownership of more classes >> of >>> textfile than it is entitled to. Or else not defining its ownership in >> the >>> proper Apple way (which keeps changing every year or so). >>> >>> Which is "your" textfile editor? Until I know, I can't replicate your >> bug. >>> >>> I'll look into it, but it's all a vastly messy area, and one which Apple >> is >>> trying to deprecate by stealth. >>> Meanwhile, here's some things to try. >>> >>> 1. Shut down and restart your iPad, to help it sort out its priorities. >>> Does it now behave like your iPhone? >>> >>> 2. Delete j901. Does Files app launch the textfile editor? Repeat step 1. >>> Problem fixed? >>> >>> 3. Reinstall j901 again. Does the problem reappear? >>> >>> 4. Delete the textfile editor you're using, then reinstall it. This will >>> make iPadOS ask it "is this file one of yours?" before it asks j901. >> Repeat >>> step 1. Problem fixed? >>> >>> 5. The textfile editor ought to have an "open file" option of its own, >>> which is independent of Files app. Can you open your (previously >> captured) >>> TXT file that way? (Perhaps this should be step 0.) >>> >>> 4. Download j701 (it's still there on App Store) Which app gets launched >>> now when you try to edit a textfile? Delete j901. Which now? >>> >>> 5. Try every permutation of the above until a pattern emerges. (It's only >>> what I'm going to have to do.) >>> >>> Is anyone running an iPad on a back-version of iPadOS? Can you replicate >>> Richard's bug? >>> >>> Ian Clark >>> >>>> On Tue, 15 Feb 2022 at 16:18, Richard Donovan <[email protected]> >> wrote: >>>> >>>> Hi >>>> >>>> Since I installed J901 on my iPad when I try to access a text file it >>>> triggers J instead of the text editor! The problem does not occur on my >>>> iPhone. The version of iPadOS I have is 15.2.1 and the iPhone uses iOS >>>> 15.2.1 also. >>>> >>>> Is this a problem for anyone else? Has J stolen the file association for >>>> *.txt files?! >>>> >>>> Thanks, >>>> >>>> Richard Donovan >>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm >>>> >>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
