Invalid VSS syntax: <syntax>

See Also

The syntax you entered is invalid in VSS. This error has the following cause and solution:

• You have entered a VSS file or project path that does not use valid syntax.

  In VSS syntax, every path starts with a dollar sign followed by a series of project names, which are separated by slashes and optionally followed by a file name. For example:

  • $/ is the root project.
    
    
  • $/Code is a subproject of $/.
    
    
  • $/Code/Win/Test.C is a file in the $/Code/Win project.

  Many parts of this syntax are optional. You can omit the dollar sign in most circumstances. You can also shorten the path by basing it on your current project; for example, if you are in $/Code, you can type WIN as a shorthand for $/Code/Win, Test.C for $/Code/Test.C, and ".." for the root.

File names can be any valid operating system file name, except for the following restriction that is specific to VSS. File names in VSS must not begin with a dollar sign ($), a semicolon (;), or a period (.), regardless of whether the operating system permits one or more of those characters.

Project names can include spaces and can be up to 256 characters long. Project names are not case-sensitive (for example, to VSS, Code and CODE are the same project).