Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!crdgw1!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!gvgpsa!treehouse!andyp From: andyp@treehouse.UUCP (Andy Peterman) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer Subject: Re: Standard File and Working directories... Message-ID: <914@treehouse.UUCP> Date: 25 Jun 91 17:40:39 GMT References: Organization: The Treehouse Lines: 29 In article chuck@brain.uucp writes: >Given the raft of Tech Notes on the subject, and the general noise concerning >them, I get the impression that Working Directories have fallen from grace. >Do they serve a purpose anymore? Why would I ever use one? (This IS a serious >question.) Whose idea were they anyway? (NOT a serious question.) I had a long conversation with DTS a few months ago and they are trying to get people to stop using working directories. They say that they may not be supported in the future. As of now, the only place you need to create a working directory is when you launch a new application. In most other cases, you can usually get by with a volume reference number and directory id. Working directories were created when the HFS file system was created as a way to keep older applications compatible. Before HFS, all an application needed to know to locate a file is a volume reference number. SFGetFile would then return either a volRefNum or a working directory refNum and the application wouldn't know the difference. You'll notice under 7.0, you now can get an FSSpec record back from the new StandardGetFile and in other places, such as the Resource Manager's FSOpenResFile or HOpenResFile, you must use the vRefNum and dirID. As soon as everyone stops using 6.0.x (I'm not holding my breath), working directories should disappear. -- Andy Peterman | Everything you know treehouse!andyp@gvgpsa.gvg.tek.com | is wrong! (916) 273-4569 | FST