Skip to content

Troubleshooting File Permission Issues When Generating Apps with AppGini

One of our users recently encountered a puzzling issue while generating application files with AppGini on Windows. We thought sharing their experience—and the steps we took to resolve it—could help others who might face something similar.

The Problem

The user reported that, after making changes to their app and clicking "Generate" in AppGini, they received an error message:

"AppGini can't write to this folder. Please select a folder that you have write access to."

Folder Permission Error

This was confusing, as the user had already set the folder permissions to allow full access. Interestingly, AppGini was able to save the .axp project file in that folder, and if a new folder was created, AppGini could generate all files there without any issues.

Initial Troubleshooting

We suggested the following checks:

  • Folder Location: Ensure the folder was not a network drive (it was on the Desktop).
  • Antivirus Settings: Whitelist AppGini.exe in antivirus software (the user tried this with Avast, but it didn’t help).

Despite these steps, the problem persisted: the old folders could not be written to, but new folders worked fine.

Digging Deeper

Based on this, we expanded our troubleshooting. If you encounter a similar issue, here’s a comprehensive checklist to try:

1. Check Windows File and Folder Permissions

  • Right-click the folder > Properties > Security tab.
  • Ensure your user account has Full Control.
  • Check Advanced settings for inherited permissions or deny rules.

Folder Security Settings

2. Check for Read-Only or Locked State

  • Uncheck the "Read-only" attribute in folder Properties.
  • Use a tool like LockHunter to detect if any process is locking the folder or files.

3. Run AppGini as Administrator

  • Right-click AppGini.exe and select "Run as administrator."

4. Check Folder Ownership

  • In Advanced Security Settings, ensure your user account owns the folder.
  • Reset permissions using the command line if necessary.

5. Compare Old vs. New Folder Properties

  • Create a new folder alongside the old one and compare their properties and permissions.

6. Check for Path Length or Special Characters

  • Ensure the folder path is under 260 characters and contains no special characters.

7. Check if Files are Blocked

  • If folders/files were copied from another computer, see if there’s an “Unblock” button in Properties.

8. Temporarily Disable Antivirus

  • Test with antivirus fully disabled, not just with AppGini whitelisted.

9. Check for Sync/Backup Interference

  • If using OneDrive or similar, move the folder outside any synced directories.

10. Try Generating to a Subfolder

  • Create a new subfolder inside the problematic folder and use that for output.

11. Check AppGini Settings and Logs

  • Restart AppGini and your computer.
  • Look for any additional error messages or logs.

Final Thoughts

In this case, the most likely culprits were hidden Windows permissions or ownership issues on the old folders. Resetting permissions or creating a new folder typically resolves the problem.

We hope this checklist helps if you ever face a similar situation.