Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!uwvax!oddjob!hao!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU!SCHMIDT
From: SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU (Christopher Schmidt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.xerox
Subject: Re: Directory listing
Message-ID: <12360548536.21.SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 22 Dec 87 18:01:01 GMT
References: <22.DEC.1987.08:21:35.ADRE@UK.AC.RUTHERFORD.GEC-M>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 21


	  Can anyone tell me  the  variable  that  the  current  directory
    listing is kept on, if there is such a variable.

	  I've noticed that the first time you ask for a directory listing
    of  a  newly  selected directory that it accesses the disk. However on
    subsequent directory calls to the same directory it seems not to.  For
    instance  you  can  remove  the  floppy disc and still get a directory
    listing ! So I assume the listing is kept on some mysterious  variable
    deep in the depths of Interlisp. Is this assumption correct ?

For each device there is an FDEV data structure on \FILEDEVICES.  Each
device has a (potentially) different method of caching directory listings,
if caching is done at all.  Since the data structures are ad hoc and not
guaranteed to remain the same across releases, you would be ill advised
to access them directly.

If you wish to maintain your own cache of a directory's contents you can use
Interlisp's (DIRECTORY '{DSK} '(COLLECT)) or Common Lisp's (DIRECTORY "{DSK}")
--Christopher
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