Unable to find file in VBScript - vbscript

Question

The VBE encoder section works (from prior experience but this time around it cannot find the required file. The file is in the %temp% folder so there are spaces in the path but I have used the "" as can be seen in the code. The MsgBox shows the correct file and I can confirm its existence but the code fails when fso.GetFile.
This is part of a larger script that is called with the target file (full path) as the argument. The target file is previously created by the calling script.
Main script (gets called with target file):
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set wshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
textFile = WScript.Arguments(0)
GetExtension = fso.GetExtensionName(fso.GetFileName(textFile))
If LCase(GetExtension) = "vbs" Then
Set oFilesToEncode = WScript.Arguments
Set oEncoder = CreateObject("Scripting.Encoder")
For i = 0 To oFilesToEncode.Count - 1
file = """" & Trim(oFilesToEncode(i)) & """"
MsgBox file
If fso.FileExists(Left(file, Len(file) - 3) & "vbe") Then fso.DeleteFile(Left(file, Len(file) - 3) & "vbe")
Set oFile = fso.GetFile(file)
Set oStream = oFile.OpenAsTextStream(1)
sSourceFile = oStream.ReadAll
oStream.Close
sDest = oEncoder.EncodeScriptFile(".vbs", sSourceFile, 0, "")
sFileOut = Left(file, Len(file) - 3) & "vbe"
Set oEncFile = fso.CreateTextFile(sFileOut)
oEncFile.Write sDest
oEncFile.Close
Next
End If
WScript.Quit
Section of calling script:
Do While fso.FileExists(strTempVBS) = False
Loop
strKey = "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Engineers-Toolbox\Multi-Tool\Installed\Path\"
value = wshShell.RegRead( strKey )
arg = " " & strTempVBS
running = "C:\Custom\Multi-Tool\Multi-Tool.exe " & """" & arg & """"
wshShell.Run running, True
I have tried using hard coding the path to the exe to get it going, 'value' contains the path to the main script.

Answer 1

Do not prematurely add quotes around paths. I'm always confused why people keep doing this, because it creates more problems than it solves. Add double quotes when they're actually required, but not before.
FileSystemObject methods can handle paths with spaces without the additional double quotes. In fact, they will interpret double quotes in a path string as part of the path and throw an error, because they can't find a file with a double quote in its name (which would be invalid anyway).
Your check for the existence of a file also doesn't work, because you don't account for the quotes you added to the path string:
file = """C:\some\folder\file.vbs"""
WScript.Echo file
WScript.Echo Left(file, Len(file) - 3) & "vbe"
The output of the above code snippet is
"C:\some\folder\file.vbs"
"C:\some\folder\file.vvbe
Change this:
file = """" & Trim(oFilesToEncode(i)) & """"
into this:
file = Trim(oFilesToEncode(i))
and the problem will disappear.

Answer 2

Ok, the solution is to (predictably) add the quotes in the calling script, that way the VBS to VBE encoder section can remain standard.
strTEMP = wshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings( "%UserProfile%" ) & "\AppData\Local\Multi-Tool\"
strTempVBS = strTEMP & "observe.vbs"
strKey = "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Engineers-Toolbox\Multi-Tool\Installed\Path\"
value = wshShell.RegRead( strKey ) & " "
running = value & "" & chr(34) & strTempVBS & chr(34) & ""
wshShell.Run running ,True
Interesting was how the quotes are added. This made the called script find the required file even tho the full path contained spaces.