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From: folta@tove.cs.umd.edu (Wayne Folta)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: User definable objects in Finder 7.0
Message-ID: <33918@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 3 May 91 01:14:07 GMT
References: <1991May2.115300.2662@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE> <33872@mimsy.umd.edu> <1991May2.151148.9565@umiami.ir.miami.edu>
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Reply-To: folta@tove.cs.umd.edu (Wayne Folta)
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Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
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>> If System 7.0 allows you to hide or remove the trashcan from the desktop,
>> you could write a trashcan-work-alike that examines the files you drop
>> on it and files them in different directories, depending on their color.
>> Then an INIT could trash these directories on differing schedules: the green-
>> file folder every night, the orange-file folder weekly, and the red-file
>> folder never.
>
>I see a couple of possible problems with this though.
>
>1) Hey, what about us guys without color macs? :) (I know it's just an example)
>2) If you drag a file onto an application (which this trash substitute would 
>have to be), it will launch and be slow EVERY time you put something into it. 
>In fact, what if it was already launched? Do you have to quit each time?

I thought of this after posting my original. I think the solution is to make
the program in question a "headless" (or "faceless"?) program like Backgrounder.
That way, you'd be asking an already-running program to open the file. This is
pretty fast for most programs I've used that handle this correctly.

I guess an easier idea is to have a background program watching the trashcan
folder, pulling items out that shouldn't be thrown away too hastily and
moving them to a folder where they are flushed weekly.

BTW, I have heard that Sys 7.0 allows you to paste any icon onto any file.
Does anyone know if this is true? Even for folders?
--


Wayne Folta          (folta@cs.umd.edu  128.8.128.8)