Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!ima!think!barmar
From: barmar@think.COM (Barry Margolin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: What is the Desktop file?
Message-ID: <20665@think.UUCP>
Date: 11 May 88 04:53:21 GMT
References: <440008@hpdstma.HP.COM>
Sender: usenet@think.UUCP
Reply-To: barmar@kulla.think.com.UUCP (Barry Margolin)
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 27

The Desktop file is used by the Finder to keep extra information about
files that only it needs.  It contains copies of all the icons that
are in use for files (so that the Finder doesn't have to open all the
files that it is displaying), it contains the locations of all
applications keyed by their creator string (used to find the
application when you double click on a document), and it contains the
finder comments.  In the MFS file system it also kept all the folder
and icon location information; in HFS this is stored in file system
directories.

As for other invisible files, there are some other applications that
maintain some internal data in invisible files.  I think this used to
be more common than it is now, and it is probably more common with
games.  For example, some game disks have their startup screens in
invisible files.  Finally, some virii may create invisible files; for
example, I think the Scores virus creates an invisible Desktop file in
the System folder (as opposed to the root folder, where the real
Desktop file lives).  Your best bet is to use something like the
DiskInfo DA or ResEdit to look at the creator string of the invisible
file, and then see if you can find an application with that creator.


Barry Margolin
Thinking Machines Corp.

barmar@think.com
uunet!think!barmar