[comp.sys.mac.misc] Get Info comments in System 7

aron@garnet.berkeley.edu (Aron Roberts) (10/05/90)

In article <26401@cs.yale.edu> favorini-francis@cs.yale.edu (Francis Favorini) writes:
>What's the scoop in System 7.0?  Do comments still get blown away with
>rebuilding the desktop? I.e. are they still mostly useless?  

  I'm fairly certain that System 7.0 will use the Desktop Manager for
all volumes other than floppy disks.  "Get Info" comments will now become 
more permanent and useful.  This will be reflected, as well, in new calls in 
the System 7.0 API which will allow programs to easily read and write these
comments.  Finally, Apple's enhanced Find File (or equivalent utility) for 
System 7.0 will allow one to search for files by Get Info comments.

  Under System 7.0, comments will no longer be lost by rebuilding the 
Desktop file (avoidable now only by using Fix Desktop, Minor*Repairs, or 
similar utility), and it will no longer be necessary to muck directly with 
FCMT resources in the Desktop file to read and write these comments.

>Also, it would be nice to be able to attach Get Info comments in the Standard 
>File dialogs, especially when creating a new file.  [Able to do this now
>with Ami under Windows, etc.]

  What an excellent idea!  Perhaps we can pass along the suggestion to
Apple that it offer a *standard*, variant form of SFPutFile that includes
this feature.  We don't want each application developer reinventing the
wheel, and should not have to rely on a freeware/shareware INIT to do this
(although I'd be among the first to use one if available :-).

Aron Roberts  Workstation Support Services . 219 Evans Hall
              University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720  
              aron@garnet.berkeley.edu . ucbvax!garnet!aron
              aron@ucbgarne.bitnet . (415) 642-5974