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From: lunatic@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Lunatic)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Desktop Application Icons
Summary: Some additional information
Keywords: icons, finder, finder.data, finder.root, finder.def
Message-ID: <5813@lindy.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 16 Nov 89 09:34:36 GMT
References: <2503.cortland.info-apple@pro-houston> <5159@internal.Apple.COM> <3412@hydra.gatech.EDU> <36477@apple.Apple.COM>
Sender: news@lindy.Stanford.EDU (News Service)
Reply-To: lunatic@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Lunatic)
Organization: UCSC Undergrads
Lines: 74


In article <36477@apple.Apple.COM> dlyons@Apple.COM (David Lyons) writes:
>In article <3412@hydra.gatech.EDU> ccastbs@prism.gatech.EDU (Shannon Bell) writes:
>>Recently, I bought Copy II+ 8.something, and I noticed that under GS/OS,
>>the icon for Util.System is placed in the lower left corner of the 
>>desktop, like a Macintosh does. How does the finder decide that it should
>>do this, and is there an easy way to have it do this with other applications?
>
>Yes, you can do it yourself:  make sure your disk is not write protected, and
>that you have chosen "save Finder information to disk" in Preferences in the
>Finder (it's probably on already unless you turned it off on purpose).
>
>Then open the disk, drag the icon where ever you want on the desktop, and
>close the disk's window.  Whenever you insert that disk in the Finder, the
>icon will appear on the desktop.
>
   \_/
    |ou still have to do something to get Finder to actually write that
information onto the disk.  Unless something has been changed in Finder
for 5.0.x, just closing the disk's window won't do it.  If "Save Finder
information to disk" is on, writing the position of any icons on the
desktop to disk consists of highlighting the disk and then selecting
"Eject" under the "File" menu or pressing <Open-Apple>-E, dragging the
disk into the trash can, double-clicking on an application file's icon,
or selecting "Shutdown" under the "Options" (?) menu.  If "Save Finder
information to disk" is NOT on, you can STILL get it to "force" save
the information by holding down the <option> key while performing one
of these operations (except for pressing <Open-Apple>-E, I believe).
Note that if you have a hard drive Finder will most likely not let you
eject it or drag it into the trash can.  In this case, you must double-
click on an application's icon, or select "Shutdown" and select any of
the three options. This also works to save the directory information in
a folder when you hold down <option> and click in the folder's "close"
box (again, it won't work with the key-equivalent <Open-Apple>-W).

>(FYI, the Finder uses files called Finder.Data, Finder.Def, and Finder.Root
>to remember how you have arranged things on your disks.  These files don't
>normally show up while you're in the Finder.  They're also "invisible", so
>they *may* not show up in other programs, either.)

   \/\/hat these files contain:

Finder.Data - One in every folder whose content info is saved. Contains
              the positions and colours of the icons within the folder's
              open window.
Finder.Root - One per disk, located in the root directory. Contains the
              positions and colours of all the icons from that disk
              which are on the desktop.
Finder.Def  - One on startup disks only, located in the root directory.
              Contains the preferences you have set in "Set Preferences"
              under Finder's "Options" (?) menu.  Also contains the 8x8
              pattern Finder uses to fill the background in the desktop.

I can't remember which, but either Finder.Data or Finder.Root contains
the positions of the folder windows on the desktop when they are opened.

>-- 
>
> --Dave Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc.          |   DAL Systems
>   AppleLink--Apple Edition: DAVE.LYONS      |   P.O. Box 875
>   America Online: Dave Lyons                |   Cupertino, CA 95015-0875
>   GEnie: D.LYONS2 or DAVE.LYONS         CompuServe: 72177,3233
>   Internet/BITNET:  dlyons@apple.com    UUCP:  ...!ames!apple!dlyons
>
>   My opinions are my own, not Apple's.


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