What is the max file size for V7x64?

serwei lee

Hi guys,

I was trying to open a log file of 4.5GB, but got the usual error message that it’s too big.
Doesn’t x64 allow huge files?

Thanks

serwei lee

Sorry, it should be 2.5GB.

serwei lee

Hi,
can anyone advise?
Is it a technical limit (e.g. always 2GB and below) or resource limit?
Thanks!

Claudia Frank

@serwei-lee

currently, as far as I understood the source, on x64 the file can be ~2GB (2146435072 Bytes) large.

unsigned __int64 bufferSizeRequested = fileSize + min(1<<20,fileSize/6);
if (bufferSizeRequested > INT_MAX)
{
  ::MessageBox(NULL, TEXT("File is too big to be opened by Notepad++"), TEXT("File size problem"), MB_OK|MB_APPLMODAL);

Cheers
Claudia

serwei lee

So INT_MAX is int32? Hmm which means bufferSizeRequired maxes out 2.5GB max…
unsigned is also 4GB.
For x64 it should be allowed to grow more…
Feature Request! :)

Claudia Frank

@serwei-lee

as far as I remember, didn’t double check, the 2GB per buffer is a scintilla limit.
But I might be wrong or “outdated”, so, anyone (or everyone), correct me if I’m wrong.

And just to alleviate the concerns for those who think that, because of that limit,
x64 doesn’t provide advantage over x86, this is false. Remember an x86 application
can only address 2GB memory (well it can address 4 but 2 are reserved for system),
which means if it has loaded a file which already exceeds this limit it can’t open
any further, whereas the x64 npp version can now, in theory, have multiple 2 GB files open. Why “in theory”, because I don’t know if anyone has already tested if this is the
case and you need to have the amount of ram available and …

Cheers
Claudia

dail

@Claudia-Frank

2GB per buffer is a scintilla limit.

I believe so also. Some of the newer versions of Scintilla have better support for 64 bit but not sure if or how that affects the maximum size limit

@serwei-lee

For x64 it should be allowed to grow more

These kinds of comments concern me because lots of users think that once N++ can open “huge” files that it will work fine. There are several operations N++ does that are a huge performance hit if the file is large. Some can be disabled (auto-completion, backups, etc) while others can’t. Not to mention if additional plugins are installed.

Scott Sumner

I agree strongly with @dail 's comments. The 64-bit version of Notepad++ is something that simply must be done as a matter of evolution, not something that (for me and likely a lot of others) is currently all that useful. At the moment, there is very little to be gained by using the 64-bit version, and a lot to lose (most plugins are not available in 64-bit form, and the potential issues dail points out). These things will change with time, and of course the developers extending the code to 64-bit is the right move. For users (especially non-newbies), the choice is currently not so clear…

Tom Jenkins

If I am understanding this, Scintilla is for coding? If that’s the case, can it be turned off on a file type basis? I don’t edit source code even approaching 2G, but I frequently need to open data files that exceed this size for problem shooting. I currently resort to using other editors that can do this. I’m being pushed to select such and editor for all work regardless of costs.

Scott Sumner

@Tom-Jenkins

If you don’t need to change (“edit”) these large files, why not just use a “viewer” that specializes in big files, e.g. glogg ?

Scintilla is an editing component that is embedded in Notepad++; really, it’s the heart of it. It can’t be “turned off”.