Bug: Save as PDF changes file name

[zeblon]

When I save my return as a PDF after e-filing, TurboTax changes the name of the saved file if I include a "." somewhere in the filename other than the extension. For example, if I save my return as "2021.MyReturn.pdf", it saves it as "2021.pdf". If I try to save it as "2021.Some.Name.pdf", it saves it as "2021.Some.pdf". It looks like there is some incorrect logic attempting to strip off the file extension even AFTER the extension was already stripped.

Even worse, if I save "2021.Joe.pdf" and then later save "2021.Mary.pdf", it will save both files as "2021.pdf" and doesn't even warn you before it replaces Joe's file with Mary's file. Joe's file is gone without warning and there's a good chance you won't notice.

This is in TurboTax Deluxe for windows desktop. If there's a better way to report bugs please let me know.

[HeatherPLO]

Please try to use a dash or an underscore when saving.  If this does not resolve your issue, please post here for further guidance.  

[edited 3/14/22 12:55 PM CDT]

[zeblon]

Well sure, once you know about the bug it's trivial to work around. But you have to notice it to know you need to work around it. Relying on the user to notice the program didn't do what you told it to is not a very good way to respond to a bug that can cause data loss.

[BobbyFez]

Still a bug in TurboTax 2023 asof today April 13, 2024, and equally annoying.

[VolvoGirl]

You can not use a period in the file name!   A period is only used to separate the name from the extension, the extension being .tax2023.   Why are people trying to enter a period in the name?  Just use a space or underscore _ instead.  It's not a Turbo Tax rule but a Microsoft Windows rule.  

[BobbyFez]

What rule is that?
I use periods in Microsoft and Windows documents all the time, except they do not appear to be accepted when saving a pdf fromTurboTax.

Periods are more useful and easier to use than hyphens or whatever.

As a test I saved a pdf from TurboTax after interspersing 8 periods in the name.

All the periods came through but the last word in the name just before .pdf was deleted

There is something quirkier going on.

As Zeblon stated, relying on the (non-coder) user to notice the program didn't do what you told it to is not a very good way to respond to a bug that can cause data loss.

Things should work the way you expect them to work.  Don't allow someone to enter characters without warning that the characters won't be accepted as inputted.

Can you point me to the rule in some lexicon of software omposition that says you can't use periods in filenames?

[VolvoGirl]

It's always been that way since computers came out.  

Window file names.  See this

Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces - Win32 apps | Microsoft Learn

It says to use a period to separate the base name from the extension. It says you can use the period in the path but doesn't say you can use it in the filename except between the base name and extension.

[zeblon]

VolvoGirl, I'm afraid you are very wrong. The 8.3 limitation on file names went away in 1995. The article you linked to does not say you can't use a period in a file name as you claim. It does list a number of characters you can't include in a file name, and the list does not include a period. 

You can verify this yourself by just trying it. Save a file in ANY Windows desktop application other than turbotax and include multiple dots in the file name. It will save just fine. And even turbotax will retain multiple dots in a filename, just not all of them. It will save 2024.FullReturn.zeblon.Final.pdf as 2024.FullReturn.zeblon.pdf. Multiple dots, just not all of them.

I'm a professional software engineer with 30+ years experience. Most of what I do is write desktop applications for Windows. I know the conventions.

I strongly suspect they have code to strip the extension from the file name so they can add the extension back on later. They apply this stripping logic twice. Not only that, they don't check if the extension they are stripping matches the extension they're going to re-add later in the process. Poor coding.