Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!mips!apple!claris!UUCP!peirce
From: peirce@outpost.UUCP (Michael Peirce)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: writing a text file
Message-ID: <0B010004.dliboeb@outpost.UUCP>
Date: 25 Apr 91 02:41:40 GMT
Reply-To: peirce@outpost.UUCP (Michael Peirce)
Organization: Peirce Software
Lines: 40
X-Mailer: uAccess - Mac Release: 1.1.b1


In article <1991Apr24.074449.1148@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu>, kpmiller@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Kent P Miller) writes:
> 
> Ok.  Here's another one of my patented Stupid Questions (tm).
> 
> I need to pump a few lines of text to a file.  So, I'm looking through IM and
> it says
> FSWrite(refNum:integer; var count:longint; buffPtr:Ptr):OSErr;
> 
> I wouldn't know a buffPtr if it bit me on the butt.  What is it, and where can
> I go to purchase one?

A bufPtr just points to the data you want to write, the count tells
it how many bytes to find at that address.  For example (off the top
of my head):

PROCEDURE WriteAString(refNum : integer; theString : str255);
VAR
	howMuch	: longint;
	dataPtr	: Ptr;
BEGIN
	howMuch := LENGTH(theString);
	dataPtr := Ptr(LONGINT(@theString)+1);
	IF FSWrite(refNum,howMuch,dataPtr) <> noErr
		THEN ReportError;
END;

Notice that you have to point one beyond the string's address to skip
over the pascal length byte.

Also, count is a VAR parameter because it returns the number of bytes
that were actually written to the file.

You also might want to send CR's out after each string...

-- michael

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