[Tutor] "Two" Card Monty with File Operations--Reading from Wrong Folder (W7?)

[Wayne Watson]

I have a  program called  TrackStudy.py and another called ReportTool.py 
Track runs above an Events folder  that contains txt  files that it  
examines.Report runs in an Events folder on the same txt files.  Neither 
is operated when the other is operating. Both only read the same files. 
I've been operating Report in another Events folder at another folder 
level. Both work fine that way.

I decided to copy Report into the Event folder below Track. If I run 
Track, it sees every txt  file in Events. However, if I run Track, it 
refers back to the other  Events folder, and works fine even though on 
the wrong set of files.

I've pretty much assumed  by observation, that these  programs  read the 
txt  files in alphabetical  order. It still seems the case.

There is one difference in Track on this. It uses:
           paths = glob.glob(final_string)
to locate  files. They always occur in the proper low to high sequence. 
Report produces the wrong files  in alpha  order.

The question is why does Report see the folder in the wrong folder? 
Although I think I've verified matters, I could be off. Is  there a  way 
to ensure  I'm really getting to the right folder?  There may be a Win7 
problem here. See below.

Here's a diagram that might help. Cap names means folder.

BINGO
EVENTS
   a1.txt
   a2.txt
   report.py

CARDS
   track.py
   EVENTS
     b1.txt
     b2.txt
     b3.txt

Now copy report.py to CARDS

BINGO
   EVENTS
     a1.txt
     a2.txt
     report.py

CARDS
   track.py
   EVENTS
     b1.txt
     b2.txt
     b3.txt
    report.py

While working on this problem, I came up with a Win7 puzzler. It amounts 
to this. If I search for files in EVENTS of CARDS for "b", it only finds 
one of the b-files. I had a long 1 hour talk with HP tech support. They 
had no answer, but will take it up with MS. It may be related to the 
first problem. Probably not, but curious. I suspect that Win7's new 
folder search has somehow used a filter. I had no idea of any filter use 
until I accidentally found it in W7 Help. Perhaps the filter was some 
how set. Not by me.

Here's a stab in the dark. Maybe the copied report.py really is a 
pointer to the other one?

-- 
             "There is nothing so annoying as to have two people
              talking when you're busy interrupting." -- Mark Twain