app-id-type: prefix doesn't match program definition file but instead opens its "._" sidecar file (Apple Double file on FAT/ExFAT SD card)

[porg]

Bug

• Pandafe's "prefix" RegEx/parser seems to have been made "too loose" (not strict enough) and it hence falsely matches the Apple double file representation (e.g. ._pcsx_rearmed.notaz) instead of the real program definition file (e.g. pcsx_rearmed.notaz).
• It then loads the Apple Double file, which is a binary file which has no YAML syntax, and hence program invocation fails.

How Pandafe's platform + program definition files work by design

In a platform definition file like /your-sd-card/pandora/appdata/pandafe/Platform/playstation the lines:

programs:
- pcsx_rearmed.notaz
default-program: pcsx_rearmed.notaz

refer to the program definition file /your-sd-card/pandora/appdata/pandafe/data/Program/pcsx_rearmed.notaz whose lines:

app-id-type: prefix
app-id: pcsx_rearmed.notaz

ensure that this PND reference will still work also when you upgrade a PND like PCSX ReARMed:

• The PNDs pnd_id remains the same (e.g. package.pcsx_rearmed.notaz) but its child id changes (e.g. from pcsx_rearmed.notaz.r22 to pcsx_rearmed.notaz.r23).
• But the app-id-type: prefix ensures that as long as the prefix is the same, and only the suffix changes (e.g. .r22 to .r23) the reference still works.

What are Apple double files? Essentially file.txt + ._file.txt (sidecar file)

• SD cards formatted as FAT or ExFAT used in a Mac, may result in so called Apple Double files.
• If a file contains additional metadata which the filesystem of a "pass-through" medium (such as a USB thumb drive or SD card formatted as FAT or ExFAT) does not natively support (e.g Finder Tags, Spotlight comment, xattr, file icon, show/hide suffix flag, etc) then the Mac saves that metadata into a sidecar file.
• Usually these are harmless: Dot files are usually invisible on Unix systems.
• But in case of Pandafe it leads to a false positive match.

Proposed Fix

• The prefix matches from the filename start. Nothing prior! Only that way it's an exact prefix match.

Workaround for Mac users: Clean invisible Mac Metadata files before unmounting your SD card

To see what Apple Double files you have on your SD card run this on your Mac Terminal:

find /Volumes/your-sd-card-name/ -name '.DS_Store' -print -or -name '._*' -print

In my case I had:

/Volumes/my-sd-card-name/pandora/appdata/pandafe/Program/._pcsx_rearmed.notaz

Which got taken instead of the real program definition file:

/Volumes/my-sd-card-name/pandora/appdata/pandafe/Program/pcsx_rearmed.notaz

To delete all invisible Mac metadata files from your SD card:

1. Close all Finder windows which have the SD card or any of its sub-folders open.

2. Close all apps which may have folders/files od that SD card open.

3. Now that nothing accesses the SD card anymore, scrub it from invisible Mac metadata files:

   find /Volumes/your-sd-card-name/ -name '.DS_Store' -print -exec rm {} \; -or -name '._*' -print -exec rm {} \;

4. Unmount the SD card from your Mac.

5. Physically eject the SD card and put it into your Pandora.