Fix non-ASCII Windows path handling (platform-layer file reads + UTF-8 code-page manifest); fix watch-window replay double-launch; iPad trackpad momentum scrolling.

Author: efroemling

.efrocachemap

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-### 1.8.0 (build 22972, api 9, 2026-08-11)
+### 1.8.0 (build 22973, api 9, 2026-08-12)
 - Fully implemented asset packages (more on this soon)
 - Upgraded to Python 3.14. This gives us a few nice useful bits such as zstd
   compression to help speed up online stuff and also means we can get rid of all

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,4 +8,15 @@
   per-project edits.
 -->
 <Project>
+  <!--
+    Merge the UTF-8 active-code-page manifest into every exe so
+    narrow-string APIs treat char* paths as UTF-8 on Windows 10 1903+
+    (see utf8.manifest). Static-lib projects ignore Manifest items, so
+    applying this unconditionally is harmless there.
+  -->
+  <ItemDefinitionGroup>
+    <Manifest>
+      <AdditionalManifestFiles>$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)utf8.manifest;%(AdditionalManifestFiles)</AdditionalManifestFiles>
+    </Manifest>
+  </ItemDefinitionGroup>
 </Project>

ballisticakit-windows/Directory.Build.props

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
+<!--
+  Opts the process into the UTF-8 active code page (Windows 10 1903+),
+  so narrow-string CRT/Win32 APIs treat char* as UTF-8. The engine uses
+  UTF-8 std::strings throughout; without this, any narrow file API that
+  bypasses our Platform wrappers resolves paths through the legacy ANSI
+  code page and fails on non-ASCII paths (e.g. user-profile dirs).
+  Merged into every BallisticaKit exe via Directory.Build.props.
+-->
+<assembly manifestVersion="1.0" xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
+  <application>
+    <windowsSettings>
+      <activeCodePage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/SMI/2019/WindowsSettings">UTF-8</activeCodePage>
+    </windowsSettings>
+  </application>
+</assembly>

ballisticakit-windows/utf8.manifest

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
     "bauiv1lib": "buil"
   },
   "efrocache_repository_url": "https://files.ballistica.net/cache/ba1",
-  "engine_build_number": 22972,
+  "engine_build_number": 22973,
   "name": "BallisticaKit",
   "public": true,
   "python_paths": [
@@ -43,5 +43,5 @@
     "tests",
     "config"
   ],
-  "version": "1.8.0a80"
+  "version": "1.8.0a81"
 }

pconfig/projectconfig.json

@@ -274,6 +274,7 @@
     '.hlsl',
     '.gradle',
     '.xml',
+    '.manifest',
     '.java',
     '.kt',
     '.pro',

pconfig/spinoffconfig.py

@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@
 
 # Build number and version of the ballistica binary we expect to be
 # using.
-TARGET_BALLISTICA_BUILD = 22972
-TARGET_BALLISTICA_VERSION = '1.8.0a80'
+TARGET_BALLISTICA_BUILD = 22973
+TARGET_BALLISTICA_VERSION = '1.8.0a81'
 
 
 @dataclass

src/assets/ba_data/python/baenv.py

@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ def __init__(
         self._scrollwidget: bui.Widget | None = None
         self._columnwidget: bui.Widget | None = None
         self._my_replay_selected: str | None = None
+        self._replay_play_in_flight = False
         self._my_replays_rename_window: bui.Widget | None = None
         self._my_replay_rename_text: bui.Widget | None = None
         self._r = 'watchWindow'
@@ -394,6 +395,13 @@ def _on_my_replay_play_press(self) -> None:
             self._start_replay_playback()
 
     def _start_replay_playback(self) -> None:
+        # A double press (or a second confirm) would otherwise spawn two
+        # concurrent launch tasks: two launch_replay calls and a second
+        # transition-out on our root widget (seen in the field as
+        # 'ContainerWidget was set to transition out twice' reports).
+        if self._replay_play_in_flight:
+            return
+        self._replay_play_in_flight = True
         bui.app.create_async_task(self._prepare_and_play_replay())
 
     async def _prepare_and_play_replay(self) -> None:
@@ -406,6 +414,9 @@ async def _prepare_and_play_replay(self) -> None:
         # stranding them on a torn-down UI (mirrors how connect_to_party
         # preps with the gather UI still present).
         if not await bs.prepare_replay(path):
+            # Prep failed/cancelled; we're staying here, so allow
+            # another play attempt.
+            self._replay_play_in_flight = False
             return
 
         # Content is ready; now do the fade-out -> launch -> fade-in and
@@ -431,7 +442,11 @@ def do_it() -> None:
                 bs.new_host_session(mainmenu.MainMenuSession)
 
         bui.fade_screen(False, endcall=bui.CallStrict(bui.pushcall, do_it))
-        bui.containerwidget(edit=self._root_widget, transition='out_left')
+        # The user may have navigated away during the async prep above,
+        # in which case our window is already gone or on its way out;
+        # transitioning it out again logs a warning.
+        if self._root_widget and not self._root_widget.transitioning_out:
+            bui.containerwidget(edit=self._root_widget, transition='out_left')
 
     def _on_my_replay_rename_press(self) -> None:
         if self._my_replay_selected is None:

src/assets/ba_data/python/bauiv1lib/watch.py

@@ -51,8 +51,8 @@ auto main(int argc, char** argv) -> int {
 namespace ballistica {
 
 // These are set automatically via script; don't modify them here.
-const int kEngineBuildNumber = 22972;
-const char* kEngineVersion = "1.8.0a80";
+const int kEngineBuildNumber = 22973;
+const char* kEngineVersion = "1.8.0a81";
 const int kEngineApiVersion = 9;
 
 #if BA_MONOLITHIC_BUILD

src/ballistica/shared/ballistica.cc

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 #include "ballistica/core/core.h"
 #include "ballistica/core/logging/logging.h"
+#include "ballistica/core/platform/platform.h"
 #include "ballistica/core/support/base_soft.h"
 #include "ballistica/shared/foundation/exception.h"
 #include "ballistica/shared/generic/json_facade.h"
@@ -324,16 +325,33 @@ auto Utils::Sphrand(float radius) -> Vector3f {
 }
 
 auto Utils::FileToString(const std::string& file_name) -> std::string {
-  std::ifstream file_stream{file_name};
-  if (file_stream.fail()) {
+  // Open through the platform layer: on Windows a bare narrow
+  // std::ifstream/fopen resolves paths via the legacy ANSI code page,
+  // so UTF-8 paths containing non-ASCII characters (e.g. a user-profile
+  // dir) fail to open. Platform::FOpen widens to the wide-char APIs
+  // there. (Field case: language-blob reads under C:\Users\<non-ascii>
+  // permanently failing construct-mode bring-up.)
+  FILE* file = (g_core != nullptr && g_core->platform != nullptr)
+                   ? g_core->platform->FOpen(file_name.c_str(), "rb")
+                   : fopen(file_name.c_str(), "rb");  // Pre-core fallback.
+  if (file == nullptr) {
     throw Exception("Error opening file for reading: '" + file_name + "'");
   }
-  std::ostringstream str_stream{};
-  file_stream >> str_stream.rdbuf();
-  if (file_stream.fail() && !file_stream.eof()) {
-    throw Exception("Error reading file: '" + file_name + "'");
+  std::string out;
+  char buffer[16384];
+  while (true) {
+    size_t amt = fread(buffer, 1, sizeof(buffer), file);
+    out.append(buffer, amt);
+    if (amt < sizeof(buffer)) {
+      bool had_error = ferror(file) != 0;
+      fclose(file);
+      if (had_error) {
+        throw Exception("Error reading file: '" + file_name + "'");
+      }
+      break;
+    }
   }
-  return str_stream.str();
+  return out;
 }
 
 auto Utils::BaseName(const std::string& val) -> std::string {