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From: mdavis@pro-sol.cts.com (Morgan Davis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Desktop DB Reading
Message-ID: <1991May28.163630.8445@crash.cts.com>
Date: 28 May 91 16:36:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: crash.1991May28.163630.8445
Sender: root@crash.cts.com
Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA
Lines: 37

On Tue May 28, dowdy@apple.com (Tom Dowdy) wrote:
} > The DB file is a special tree format, I know.  But I can't glean much from
} > looking at its raw data.  Anyone else figured it out?
} 
} Why not just make the system calls to read the information that
} you are interested in out of the database?
} 
} Inside Mac VI documents the calls you need to make in order to read
} the desktop icons, etc.  It's lots easier and at the same time, safer,
} than trying to pull it off yourself.

It's too restrictive. You have to know which application or creator you're
interested in getting icon data for.  I want to be able to scan through the
entire database and access ALL the icon data for ALL the files on the
desktop.  The System 7 desktop manager does not make provisions for this.
The only way to do it would be to call the DM $FFFFFFFF times, once per each
possible creator in the 32-bit-long creator type.  This, clearly, is
unacceptable.

Why do I need this ability?  Because I need to update a program I wrote
called SunDesk Strip which managed a database of icl8 icons for use with the
SunDesk INIT.  SDS's function was to scan through your desktop file and match
icons with those found in a database of color icl8's and bw ICN#'s.  Matching
icons were copied to SunDesk Icons files so that you'd end up with an icon
file containing only the icons you need.  Under System 7, this has become
nearly impossible since the DesktopDF format has changed markedly, and cannot
be used unless you can interpret the DesktopDB tree.

}  Tom Dowdy                 Internet:  dowdy@apple.COM
}  Apple Computer MS:81EQ    UUCP:      {sun,voder,amdahl,decwrl}!apple!dowdy
}  20525 Mariani Ave         AppleLink: DOWDY1
}  Cupertino, CA 95014       
}  "The 'Ooh-Ah' Bird is so called because it lays square eggs."

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