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From: enwall@apple.com (Tim Enwall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Pathname to wd ?
Message-ID: <8572@goofy.Apple.COM>
Date: 6 Jun 90 17:48:17 GMT
References: <1234600036@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>
Sender: usenet@Apple.COM
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc.
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In article <1234600036@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> ews00461@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
> How can I convert a full path name to a working directory refnum ?

Eric,

I don't know off-hand how to accomplish this.  Pretty much there are only 
a few routines I know of which RETURN a wdRefNum.  Most now return the 
real vRefNum.

I will say this though: in general, I and most people here in DTS, stay as 
far away from wdRefNums as possible.  True, StandardFile does return a 
wdRefNum (and there are others which do too), but I convert the wdRefNum 
to the real vRefNum/dirID pair with PBGetWDInfo.  And then I don't have to 
worry about the wdRefNum.  The whole Working Directory "thang" is there 
purely for compatibility with MFS directory structures, and is almost 
obsolete.

You CAN get the vRefNum and the dirID with the full pathname (I think 
PBGetCatInfo will work, or one of those).

Anyway, hope this helps.  (BTW: MPW provides some routines like 
PBHOpenResFile which return vRefNum/dirID pairs rather than wdRefNums.  
Those can be very useful).

Tim Enwall,
Developer Technical Support neophyte.