Knowledge Base

Operations on an HTML file or folder apply to similarly named folder or HTML file

Article ID: 252721

Article Last Modified on 3/29/2007

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

This article was previously published under Q252721

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

When you use any of the following commands on a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) file with a .htm or .html extension, or a folder, the same action may be applied to a similarly named folder, or HTML file, in the same location:

Copy
Cut
Paste
Move
Delete
Send to

For example:

If you move a file named Test.htm or Test.html, a Test_files or Test.files folder in the same location may also be moved.
If you delete a folder named Test_files or Test.files, a Test.htm or Test.html file in the same location may also be deleted.

When you use the Rename command to rename a file with a .htm or .html extension, such as a file named Test.htm, you may receive the following warning message:

Rename Warning!
If you rename this file, it will no longer belong to the folder Test_files.
To rename it safely, open the file, save it with a new name, and then delete the folder Test_files.
Do you want to rename this file anyway?

Also, if you rename a folder, such as a folder named Test_files, you may receive the following warning message:

Rename Warning!
If you rename this folder, the associated HTML file Test.htm might not work properly.
To rename the folder without damaging any files, open Test.htm, save it with a new name, and then delete the folder Test_files.
Do you want to rename this folder anyway?

CAUSE

This issue occurs because of the Connected Files feature implemented in Windows 2000.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To work around this issue, either perform the commands listed earlier in this article at a command prompt, or use Registry Editor to disable the Connected Files feature:

Use Registry Editor to view the following registry key, and then add the following value to this key, or modify it if the value already exists:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Value: NoFileFolderConnection
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 1

NOTE: This value is normally not defined, and file connection is enabled by default. A value of 1 disables file connection.

IMPORTANT: File connection should normally be enabled because other programs might depend on it. For example, Microsoft Internet Explorer uses the connected files naming convention when you save your Web page by selecting Web Page, complete (.*htm,*.html) in the Save as type dialog box. Disable file connection only if absolutely necessary.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

HTML documents often have a number of associated graphics files, a style sheet file, several Microsoft JScript files compatible with the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) 262 language specification files, and so on.

When you perform any of the commands listed earlier in this article on the primary HTML file, you usually want to perform the same command on its associated files as well to avoid breaking links. Until now, there has been no easy way to determine which files are related to any given HTML file other than by analyzing their contents.

Windows 2000 provides a simple way to connect a primary HTML file to its group of associated files. If Connected Files is enabled, when you perform any of the commands listed earlier in this article on a file or folder of associated files, the same command is performed on all connected files.

To create a group of connected files, the primary HTML file must have an .htm or .html file extension, and the associated files should reside in a subfolder of the parent folder of the primary file. The subfolder name must have the same name as the primary file without the .htm or .html extension, followed by one of the extensions listed later in this article. The most commonly used extensions are .files or _files. For example, if the primary file is named MyDoc.htm, naming the subfolder MyDoc_files defines the subfolder as the container for the connected files for this file. If you perform any of the commands listed earlier in this article on the primary file (or associated folder), the same command is performed on the subfolder and its files (or the primary HTML file).

For some languages, it is possible to use a localized equivalent of _files to create a subfolder for connected files. The following list contains the valid strings that can be appended to a document name to create a connected files subfolder. Note that some of these strings have a "-" character as their first character rather than a "_" or a "." character.

_archivos
_arquivos
_bestanden
_bylos
-Dateien
_datoteke
_dosyalar
_elemei
_failid
_fails
_fajlovi
_ficheiros
_fichiers
-filer
.files
_files
_file
_fitxers
_fitxategiak
_pliki
_soubory
_tiedostot

NOTE: This feature is sensitive to file extension case. For example, a subfolder named MyDoc_Files is not connected to MyDoc.htm.

Additional query words: thicket mirroring office

Keywords: kbenv kbprb KB252721

Microsoft KB Archive/252721

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