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From: lasky@iris.ucdavis.EDU (Ty Lasky)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Help with File Manager
Keywords: Volume Reference Number, Name, File Name.
Message-ID: <8170@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu>
Date: 15 Jan 91 02:18:03 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu
Reply-To: lasky@iris.ucdavis.EDU (Ty Lasky)
Lines: 34

I need some help with the File Manager. I need a fairly permanent way to
refer to data files, i.e. a way that works between reboots. It is my
understanding that the best way to do this is a combination of a volume
name, working directory ID, and a file name. I have a few questions about this.

1.  If I am using SFGetFile to allow the user to select a file, then I
believe I have the name and the volume reference number (or is it the
working directory ID?). Now, how do I get the volume name?

2.  How do I find out the drive number of the current default volume? I
know that the hard disk is volume 1, and externals are 2, but how do I
REALLY find out what a drive number is? If I know the drive number, I
can then just use GetVInfo to find out any other info that I want to know.

3.  Assuming that I have a volume name, file name, and working directory
ID, how do I then set the volume to that volume, and then set to the
correct directory? I know how to use SetVol to set the directory, and
right after calls to SFGetFile and SFPutFile, but I can't seem to set
the default directory to one on  another drive in a simple test program.

4.  Inside Mac, and other references, keep saying that routines like
GetVol return either the volume name OR the directory name. Which is it?
Under what circumstances? This is really not clear to me. Is it
something to do with MFS vs. HFS?

Am I on the right track here? Please send me any responses by e-mail, as
I can't really get to the group right now.

Thanks in advance,

Ty A. Lasky
lasky@iris.ucdavis.edu

An aspiring Mac programmer.