Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!oberon!sdcrdcf!csun!polyslo!dorourke
From: dorourke@polyslo.UUCP (David M. O'Rourke)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: What is the Desktop file?
Message-ID: <2419@polyslo.UUCP>
Date: 11 May 88 07:17:57 GMT
References: <440008@hpdstma.HP.COM>
Reply-To: dorourke@polyslo.UUCP (David O'Rourke)
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 59

In article <440008@hpdstma.HP.COM> dave@hpdstma.HP.COM (Dave Waller) writes:
>Well... I've been hearing alot about the "desktop" file and I have searched
>high and low to find out exactly what it does and how I can manipulate it...
>and come up with nothing! Anyway, I'm breaking down and asking the net
>if they could give me some info on it:
>
>What does it do?

  The desktop is used by the finder to maintain several lists of information
that it uses while manipulating the directory of a Macintosh disk.  Just
some of the things it keeps in this file are:
   1) I list of Icon's and who they belong to, so that it knows what an
      application and it's documents look like.
   2) A list of applications so that when you "open" a document file the
      finder knows who/what/and where that application can be found so 
      that it can launch it for you.
   3) A list of the comments in the get info window of the file.
   4) Icon positions and window positions for the subdirectories.


>What can you do to it without some sort of custom program to manipulate it?

   This is a file created by the finder, it is not there for you to manipulate.
And besides it's not easy.  If you want to find out how to browse though it I
can recommend "Macintosh Programming Secrets" by Scott Knaster from Addison-
Wesley Publishing.  It give a very lengthy explaination about how to find
icons, comments, ect.  But the format of the Desktop file is not specified
in any "offical" documentation and is one of the most likely canidates for
modification at Apple's slightest wim.
   The relationship's between the various resources is not a simple one, and
I can't think of any reason to manipulate this file directly, except if you're
makeing an alternate finder.  But in that case you could make your own sort of
custom type desktop that your program uses, unless you want your programs
changes to appear in the regular finder.  But I wouldn't recommend messing with
it.

>And most of all, HOW DO YOU DELETE HIDDEN FILES?? Besides desktop. there
>is another hidden file in my System folder that I'm not sure what it's
>for (also, I can't remember the name right now and I'm at work) but I know
>it's there because I can "see" it with ResEdit. How does one deal with these
>ghostly apparitions that are showing up in my system folder??

  You can use ResEdit {by selecting the file name and choosing clear from  the
edit menu}, or any other finder substitute to delete invisible files.  I can
recommend FEdit Plus, DiskTop, and MacTree, or you could whip up a little
application to do it for you.


David M. O'Rourke

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| dorourke@polyslo | Disclaimer:  All opinions in this message are mine, but  |
|                  |              if you like them they can be yours too.     |
|                  |              Besides I'm just a student so what do I     |
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