Link 'cannot be passed to an external application to open it'

[Phantom54]

This used to work on the Base form I wrote to keep track of video files I have that are not in the IMDB database. Now it doesn’t. An example of the error Base shows me is: "“M:\Personal\Documentary\Iconic Leaders\Volume 2, Biography, Adolf Hitler- The Rise to Power, 1961.mp4"” cannot be passed to an external application to open it (e.g., it might not be an absolute URL, or might denote no existing file).

The pathway certainly exists on the PC I am using and I tested it using file explorer. What do I need to do to get Base to run files for me again via VLC?

[Wanderer]

@Phantom54

might not be an absolute URL,

Obviously this is no URL, or it would start with file: also space is not encoded and the double double quotes are puzzling too, even assuming the curly quotes being a feature of this site.
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I don’t know where you use this path, but if the subroutine expects an URL, you may need to ConvertToURL() before…

@Phantom54

to get Base to run files for me again

Again hints this worked before.
When? Version changed? Windows update? Works only on Tuesdays?
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PS: And I would have choosen another video as example.

[Phantom54]

Success!! The clue as to what was wrong is the comment you made about the double quotes. I use Windows File Explorer to obtain the text I need to inform Base what file I want opened. The text returned is enclosed in quotes. I simply needed to remove the quotes from the text.

I use a macro based on the one written by ratslinger in Link to external files from Base. Except for the glitch which is now solved, it works great.

I apologise for the concern caused when I used a video about Hitler as my example. I was focused on getting the problem explained rather than what the file was about.