CLI Fails On Duplicate Files With Wildcards: Issue & Fixes

Aug 8, 2025 by Henrik Larsen 59 views

CLI Fails Handling Duplicate Files with Wildcards: A Deep Dive and Solution

Hey guys! Ever run into a frustrating glitch when using command-line tools? Today, we're diving deep into a specific issue with the Voxel Optimizer's CLI (cli.exe) that pops up when handling duplicate files using wildcards. This can be a real head-scratcher, especially when you're trying to batch process your voxel files. Let's break down the problem, how to reproduce it, what the expected behavior should be, and how to work around it. So, grab your coding hats, and let's get started!

Understanding the Issue: The Duplicate File Dilemma

When using the CLI with wildcards, the Voxel Optimizer is designed to convert multiple files at once. Imagine you have a folder full of .vox files, and you want to convert them all to .glb format. The natural way to do this is to use a wildcard like voxel/*.vox to tell the CLI to process all files ending with .vox in the /voxel directory. Sounds simple enough, right?

The initial conversion usually goes off without a hitch. You run the command, and the CLI happily churns through your files, creating the corresponding .glb files in the output directory. But here's where the trouble begins. If you try to run the same command again, either with or without modifying the original .vox files, the CLI throws a fit. It outputs an error message like Unsupported file format: glb, which is super misleading because it did successfully create .glb files the first time around. This behavior is unexpected and can lead to a lot of confusion and wasted time.

The root of the problem lies in how the CLI handles duplicate filenames when using wildcards. It seems like it's not correctly overwriting existing files or managing the output process when it encounters files that already exist. This is a classic case of a software bug where the intended behavior (overwriting files) doesn't match the actual behavior (crashing with an error).

Why is this a big deal? Well, in a typical workflow, you might be iteratively modifying your voxel models and re-running the conversion process to see the changes. If the CLI fails every time you try to re-convert, it completely disrupts this workflow. You're forced to either manually delete the existing files or come up with some other workaround, which is far from ideal. This is especially frustrating when you're working on a large project with many files. Imagine having to manually manage hundreds of files every time you want to update your models! It's a recipe for madness.

This issue highlights the importance of robust error handling and file management in command-line tools. A well-designed CLI should gracefully handle common scenarios like duplicate files, ensuring a smooth and efficient user experience. In the next sections, we'll delve into the exact steps to reproduce this bug and discuss potential solutions and workarounds.

Reproducing the Bug: A Step-by-Step Guide

Okay, guys, let's get our hands dirty and reproduce this bug ourselves. This way, we can confirm the issue and better understand the conditions that trigger it. Here's a step-by-step guide to replicate the problem:

Set up your voxel files: First, you'll need a directory containing some .vox files. Create a new folder (e.g., /voxel) and place a few .vox files inside it. You can use any .vox files you have lying around or create some simple ones for testing purposes. The content of the .vox files doesn't really matter for this bug; it's the filenames and the presence of existing output files that trigger the issue.
Run the initial conversion: Now, open your command prompt or terminal and navigate to the directory containing cli.exe. Run the following command:
```
path/to/cli.exe voxel/*.vox --output *.glb --mesher greedy
```
Make sure to replace path/to/cli.exe with the actual path to your cli.exe file. This command tells the CLI to convert all .vox files in the /voxel directory to .glb format, using the greedy mesher. The output files will be named the same as the input files but with the .glb extension. This first run should complete without any errors, and you'll see your .glb files created in the output directory.
Run the command again: This is where the magic happens (or rather, the bug appears). Without modifying anything, run the exact same command again:
```
path/to/cli.exe voxel/*.vox --output *.glb --mesher greedy
```
You should now see the CLI fail with the error message Unsupported file format: glb. This confirms that the issue is triggered when the CLI encounters existing .glb files with the same names as the intended output.
Try different output formats: To further verify the issue, try using a different output format, such as .obj or .ply. The result will be similar – the CLI will fail, but the error message might be slightly different (e.g., Unsupported file format: obj). This indicates that the problem isn't specific to .glb files but rather a general issue with handling duplicate files during the output process.

By following these steps, you should be able to reliably reproduce the bug. This is crucial for demonstrating the issue to the developers and for testing any potential fixes or workarounds. Now that we've confirmed the bug, let's talk about what we'd expect to happen in this situation.

Expected Behavior: Overwriting Files Like a Champ

So, what should happen when we run the CLI command a second time? The expected behavior in this scenario is that the CLI should overwrite the existing output files. This is a common convention in command-line tools – if you run a command that produces a file with the same name as an existing file, the tool should either overwrite the existing file or provide an option to do so.

Think about it: in most workflows, you'll be iterating on your models, making changes, and re-converting them. It would be incredibly cumbersome if you had to manually delete the old output files every time you wanted to re-convert. Overwriting existing files is the most efficient and user-friendly way to handle this situation.

Ideally, the CLI should behave as if you were calling it for each individual input file separately. In other words, it should process each .vox file, check if the corresponding .glb file exists, and if it does, overwrite it with the new output. This ensures that your output directory always contains the latest versions of your converted models. This expected behavior is critical for a smooth workflow and reduces the chances of errors or confusion. When the tool behaves predictably, users can focus on their creative work rather than wrestling with technical glitches.

But what if you don't want to overwrite the existing files? In some cases, you might want to keep the old versions around for archival purposes or comparison. A well-designed CLI should provide an option to control this behavior. For example, there could be a flag like --no-overwrite that prevents the CLI from overwriting existing files. If this flag is used, the CLI could either skip the files that already exist or output an error message, depending on the desired behavior. This flexibility allows users to tailor the tool to their specific needs and workflows.

In the absence of such an option, the default behavior should be to overwrite existing files. This is the most common and intuitive behavior for most users. The current behavior of the Voxel Optimizer CLI, where it fails with an error message, is far from ideal and needs to be addressed. Now that we know what should happen, let's discuss the environment in which this bug occurs.

Environment Details: Windows 11 and Voxel Optimizer 0.1.3

To ensure we have a clear picture of the issue, it's important to understand the environment in which it occurs. In this case, the bug has been observed on:

Operating System: Windows 11
Voxel Optimizer Version: 0.1.3

This information is crucial for the developers to reproduce the bug on their end and to identify the underlying cause. Operating system-specific quirks and version-related issues are common sources of software bugs. Knowing the specific environment helps narrow down the potential causes and makes the debugging process more efficient.

For example, there might be file system differences between Windows and other operating systems (like macOS or Linux) that could be contributing to the issue. Windows has its own way of handling file permissions, file locking, and other file system operations, which could interact with the CLI in unexpected ways. Similarly, different versions of the Voxel Optimizer might have different code paths or dependencies that could affect the behavior of the file overwriting process.

It's also worth noting that the bug might not be limited to Windows 11 or Voxel Optimizer 0.1.3. It's possible that the issue exists on other operating systems or versions as well. However, having concrete information about the environment where the bug has been observed is a valuable starting point for investigation.

If you're experiencing this issue on a different operating system or with a different version of the Voxel Optimizer, it would be helpful to report it along with your environment details. This can help the developers get a more complete picture of the problem and ensure that the fix addresses all affected environments. Now that we've covered the environment, let's discuss potential workarounds for this bug.

Workarounds and Solutions: Taming the Duplicate File Beast

Alright, so we've identified the bug, we know how to reproduce it, and we understand the expected behavior. But what can we do about it right now? While we wait for a proper fix from the Voxel Optimizer developers, there are a few workarounds we can use to mitigate the issue. These aren't ideal, but they'll allow you to continue working without getting completely blocked.

Manual Deletion: The simplest workaround is to manually delete the existing .glb files before running the CLI command again. This forces the CLI to create new files instead of encountering the duplicates. While this works, it's tedious and time-consuming, especially if you have a large number of files. It's also prone to errors – you might accidentally delete the wrong files or forget to delete them altogether.
Individual File Conversion: Another workaround is to avoid using wildcards and instead call the CLI for each individual .vox file. This can be done using a script or a batch file that iterates over the files in the directory and runs the CLI command for each one. This approach bypasses the issue with wildcard handling but is still more cumbersome than using a single command with wildcards.
Using a Script: A more sophisticated workaround involves writing a script that checks for the existence of the output files and deletes them before calling the CLI. This can be done using scripting languages like Python or Bash. Here's an example of a Python script that accomplishes this:
```
import os
import subprocess
import glob

vox_files = glob.glob("voxel/*.vox")
for vox_file in vox_files:
    glb_file = vox_file.replace(".vox", ".glb")
    if os.path.exists(glb_file):
        os.remove(glb_file)
subprocess.run(["path/to/cli.exe", "voxel/*.vox", "--output", "*.glb", "--mesher", "greedy"])
```
This script first finds all .vox files in the /voxel directory. Then, for each file, it checks if the corresponding .glb file exists. If it does, the script deletes the .glb file. Finally, it runs the CLI command with the wildcard, knowing that there won't be any duplicate files.

These workarounds provide temporary solutions to the problem, but they're not ideal. The real solution is for the Voxel Optimizer developers to fix the bug in the CLI itself. This could involve improving the file handling logic, adding an option to control overwriting behavior, or implementing better error handling. In the meantime, these workarounds can help you keep your workflow going.

Conclusion: A Call for Robust File Handling

In conclusion, the Voxel Optimizer CLI's failure to handle duplicate files when using wildcards is a frustrating bug that disrupts the user workflow. While workarounds exist, the ideal solution is a fix from the developers. This issue highlights the importance of robust file handling in command-line tools and the need for clear and predictable behavior. By understanding the problem, reproducing it, and exploring workarounds, we can better advocate for a fix and ensure a smoother experience for all Voxel Optimizer users. Let's hope the developers are listening and will address this issue in a future release! Happy voxel optimizing, guys!