Getting Data In

Escaping backslashes for Windows paths in props.conf

Ranazar
Path Finder

In my props.conf I need a [source::] stanza to override some settings from a [sourcetype] stanza. The source is a file on a Windows server, so I take a look at the props.conf documentation, and follow these instructions:

When you specify Windows-based file paths as part of a [source::<source>] stanza, you must escape any backslashes contained within the specified file path.
Example: [source::c:\\path_to\\file.txt]

But that seems to be flat out wrong. If I use this:

[source::C:\\dir1\\dir2\\app.log]

it doesn't match. Change it to:

[source::C:\dir1\dir2\app.log]

and it matches.
Am I missing something obvious, or is the documentation just wrong?

0 Karma

skalliger
Motivator

As far as I remember, you don't have to escape any paths as long as they don't contain spaces. You can scroll to the end of the docs page and use the "provide feedback" form. The docs team should reply to you in a few days. 🙂

Skalli

Ranazar
Path Finder

Yeah, the doc team was really responsive when I reached out once before. I just wanted to make sure it's actually an error and not just a case of Idiot User.

0 Karma
Get Updates on the Splunk Community!

Data Management Digest – December 2025

Welcome to the December edition of Data Management Digest! As we continue our journey of data innovation, the ...

Index This | What is broken 80% of the time by February?

December 2025 Edition   Hayyy Splunk Education Enthusiasts and the Eternally Curious!    We’re back with this ...

Unlock Faster Time-to-Value on Edge and Ingest Processor with New SPL2 Pipeline ...

Hello Splunk Community,   We're thrilled to share an exciting update that will help you manage your data more ...