474404 - Firefox opens files and does not release them, making them inaccessible for either modification or deleting.

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Firefox :: File Handling, defect)

Description

[Heidi Stevenson]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; en-US; rv:1.9.0.5) Gecko/2008120122 Firefox/3.0.5
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; en-US; rv:1.9.0.5) Gecko/2008120122 Firefox/3.0.5

It has taken a long time to narrow this problem down to Firefox. I develop websites. Files that have been opened by Firefox are often locked, so that they cannot be modified or deleted by other programs. That it is Firefox that's doing this is confirmed by use of Microsoft's Process Explorer and the fact that closing Firefox allows the files to be processed accurately.

Worse, exiting the page from Firefox, but leaving Firefox open, does not resolve the problem.  Files are still locked, making it impossible to modify them.

I'm using Blumental's WeBuilder.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open .html or .shtml file locally (not via server) with WeBuilder.  (This problem does not occur with .css files.)
2. Display file with Firefox.
3. Make a change - any change - with WeBuilder and attempt to save.

Please note that the file is sometimes saveable on the first try.  But always by the second attempt to save, an error is produced.
Actual Results:  
A WeBuilder error is returned: The file cannot be saved with the specified name. 

If is also impossible to delete the file until Firefox is exited.

Expected Results:  
Firefox should release the file so that it can be modified or deleted.

Please note that this problem exists only when dealing with local files.  Obviously, it has nothing to do with files served by an ISP. 

Although there is no program or system crash, the problem is quite severe for website developers.

Comment 1

[Kevin Brosnan]

Works for me using MS Word 2007, MS Visual Studio 2005, Komodo Edit 5.0.3 or Notepad and Firefox 3.0.5. Made a simple html document and added text to it alternating between typing a word and saving the document in the text editor and reloading the document in Firefox. Repeated several times for each editor.

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; en-US; rv:1.9.0.5) Gecko/2008120122 Firefox/3.0.5

If you use any extensions please give Firefox's safe mode a try http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Safe+Mode

Comment 2

[Heidi Stevenson]

Kevin, I'm not sure that what you've done duplicates what I did.

I have tried the same thing with Notepad 2, and as you noted, the problem couldn't be duplicated.  In fact, I was able to delete the file when Notepad was open.

However, I don't think that answers the problem.  It does happen in conjunction with WeBuilder. I have tried creating a file with Notepad 2, saving it, displaying it in Firefox, and then opening it and attempting to resave it with WeBuilder.  At that point, the error message occurs - and the file become undeletable through Windows.  Process Explorer identifies the program that's holding the file open as Firefox.

The fact that it doesn't happen with other programs does not mean that it's only a Webuilder problem.  It's a WeBuilder AND Firefox problem, with the onus of the issue on Firefox, since it's identified as the program that keeps the files from being changed or deleted.  (And that includes being deleted by Windows.)

Comment 3

[Nochum Sossonko [:Natch]]

There's a known problem with file uploads that get locked, are you perhaps experiencing that?

Comment 4

[Heidi Stevenson]

Hi Natch,

I don't think so, but am not positive that I'm clear about your meaning.  The problem I'm referring to involves files on my local machine, not ones uploaded to a server.  If you're using the term upload to mean files that Firefox displays, then that is likely the same issue.  I'd like to check it out if that's the case, and if it is (and it's old and resolved), then close this bug report.

Comment 5

[Nochum Sossonko [:Natch]]

I was referring to files that you select to upload in firefox you can't delete them on your local drive anymore. This has been known to happen with certain extensions, so if you could try this on the latest nightly in safe mode, that would help.

Latest Nightly: ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/nightly/latest-mozilla-central/

Firefox Safe Mode: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Safe+Mode

Comment 6

[Swarnava Sengupta (:Swarnava)]

Firefox 3.0 is now EOL, please try latest version of Firefox and feel free to open if it reproducible on latest build
* http://getfirefox.com
for support
* https://support.mozilla.org/questions/new