data loss in a standalone... a bug?

[Michael Binder]

Hi everyone,
I've spent most of the past three weeks in great distress as I try to 
isolate a bug that is causing my standalone to lose data.

I think I have finally isolated the bug into a demonstration stack with 
the title: "myBuggyApp" and I have uploaded it to my user space (user 
name= 'michaelbinder') on rev online.

The bug (or my programming error) only manifests itself in a standalone.

I used the data saving method described by Sarah Reichelt in 
revJournal, in which substack "dataTemplate" is cloned to make a data 
file.

In myBuggyApp demonstration, the user data is validated and placed into 
custom properties of a custompropertyset of the dataTemplate substack.

When I save data to an existing data file, I use this code:
   -- the variable 'whichFile' contains the file path of the
   -- user's data file
   open invisible stack whichFile
   set the custompropertyset of stack whichFile to "allDataProps"
   set the customproperties["allDataProps"] of stack whichFile \
       to the customproperties["allDataProps"] of stack "dataTemplate"
   save stack whichFile
   close stack whichFile  --the destroystack of stack whichFile is true

In the big complex app that I have been working on, I do have a 
workaround.  I simply repeat this line twice:
set the customproperties["allDataProps"] of stack whichFile \
       to the customproperties["allDataProps"] of stack "dataTemplate"

I have no idea why the workaround works.  One source of distress to me 
is that the workaround DOES NOT work in the demonstration stack.

Before I report this bug I would like to know if it is indeed a bug, or 
have I made a programming error.  If it is a bug do any of you 
understand its nature or how to make a reliable workaround?

Thanks, in advance, for your comments...
Michael Binder