Does Pop Peeper modify opened EML files?

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lwc
Posts: 518
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2005 5:46 am

Does Pop Peeper modify opened EML files?

Post by lwc »

I've edited multiple local EML files and then opened them in Pop Peeper.
But my editor kept complaining some program tries to change my EML files.
It always happened as soon as I opened the files in Pop Peeper.
If that's so, why does Pop Peeper need to modify the files?

I've checked for actual changes and found none.
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Jeff
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Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2001 9:46 pm

Re: Does Pop Peeper modify opened EML files?

Post by Jeff »

What editor are you using? I use notepad++ and I've seen this behavior with non-.eml file (ie. not PP related). I usually ignore it and tell it not to reload the file. I've always suspected that something else is touching the file (e.g. Windows Defender/AV or Windows indexing the file) and causing this mostly-false report. The problem is that it doesn't happen predictably enough for me to investigate it; specifically, I'd want to see if the "modified" timestamp had changed.

So I tried your test -- I saved an .eml file, I opened it in notepad++, then I opened it in PP, and then went back to notepad++ to see if it would tell me it had changed. I tried this on several different files (sometimes changing the file in notepad++ before opening in PP; also pre-saved files), but it never flagged a change. Does yours behave this way consistently or is it random?

Conclusion: I don't think it's PP that's touching the file. It's probably something Windows-related (I don't think I run any 3rd party programs that would affect this). But it bothers me, too, when it happens and I would like to know what's causing it.
lwc
Posts: 518
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2005 5:46 am

Re: Does Pop Peeper modify opened EML files?

Post by lwc »

It's Notepad++, yes.

I've just tried to reproduce it but couldn't. When I started this thread they were EML files downloaded from Chrome. Do you think it was still Chrome not letting them go? But it was minutes after being downloaded and seemed to happen when PP opened them.
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Jeff
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Re: Does Pop Peeper modify opened EML files?

Post by Jeff »

It could be. But I still think that there's some process like an AntiVirus scan or search-indexing on the file occurring. The file that I see it most often (and it's maybe 1-3% of the times that I access it) is a .txt file. This is a file that I access multiple times a day, so it's not surprising that it's the one I see the behavior with, but I'm not able to duplicate the issue on-demand after trying again a few times...

I did a quick search on their forum and couldn't find anything. My version of NPP is a couple years old (7.4.1); what version do you have?
lwc
Posts: 518
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2005 5:46 am

Re: Does Pop Peeper modify opened EML files?

Post by lwc »

The latest, v7.7.1.
I suggest you upgrade, especially since it's portable (you can even use the PortableApps version which always retains settings upon upgrading).
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Jeff
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Re: Does Pop Peeper modify opened EML files?

Post by Jeff »

I just managed to consistently reproduce this:
1) I created a .eml file on my desktop (any .eml message will probably suffice)
2) Open and modify the file with notepad++ (e.g. space, backspace)
3) Save the file
4) Minimize notepad++
-> notepad++ immediately pops back and says that the file has been modified.

So, nothing to do with POP Peeper.

Notepad++ probably only checks if the file is changed when it gains or loses focus, which is probably why you thought it had something to do with PP -- even though the file changed *immediately*, notepad++ won't tell you until you've switched to a different app (ie. PP) and then back again.


btw, I tried updating to the latest version of notepad++, but none of my plugins ported over so I've reverted back until I have time. I did start up the latest version and it behaves the same with the above procedure.
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