Inside Macintosh: Files /

Chapter 3 - Standard File Package

This chapter describes how your application can use the Standard File Package to manage the user interface for naming and identifying files. The Standard File Package displays the dialog boxes that let the user specify the names and locations of files to be saved or opened, and it reports the user's choices to your application.

The Standard File Package supports both standard and customized dialog boxes. The standard dialog boxes are sufficient for applications that do not require additional controls or other elements in the user interface. The chapter "Introduction to File Management" earlier in this book provides a detailed description of how to display
the standard dialog boxes by calling two of the enhanced Standard File Package
routines introduced in system software version 7.0. You need to read this chapter if
your application needs to use features not described in that earlier chapter (such as customized dialog boxes or a special file filter function). You also need to read this chapter if you want your application to run in an environment where the new routines are not available and your development system does not provide glue code that allows you to call the enhanced routines in earlier system software versions.

To use this chapter, you should be familiar with the Dialog Manager, the Control Manager, and the Finder. You need to know about the Dialog Manager if you want to provide a modal-dialog filter function that handles events received from the Event Manager before they are passed to the ModalDialog procedure (which the Standard File Package uses to manage both standard and customized dialog boxes). You need to know about the Control Manager if you want to customize the user interface by adding controls (such as radio buttons or pop-up menus). You need to know about the Finder
if your application supports stationery documents. See the appropriate chapters in
Inside Macintosh: Macintosh Toolbox Essentials for specific information about these system software components.

This chapter provides an introduction to the Standard File Package and then discusses

• how you can display the standard file selection dialog boxes
• how the Standard File Package interprets user actions in those dialog boxes
• how to manage customized dialog boxes
• how to set the directory whose contents are listed in a dialog box
• how to allow the user to select a volume or directory
• how to use the original Standard File Package routines

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Chapter Contents

About the Standard File Package

Standard User Interfaces

Opening Files

Saving Files

Keyboard Equivalents

Customized User Interfaces

Saving Files

Opening Files

Selecting Volumes and Directories

User Interface Guidelines

Using the Standard File Package

Presenting the Standard User Interface

Customizing the User Interface

Customizing Dialog Boxes

Writing a File Filter Function

Writing a Dialog Hook Function

Writing a Modal-Dialog Filter Function

Writing an Activation Procedure

Setting the Current Directory

Selecting a Directory

Selecting a Volume

Using the Original Procedures

Standard File Package Reference

Data Structures

Enhanced Standard File Reply Record

Original Standard File Reply Record

Standard File Package Routines

Saving Files

Opening Files

Application-Defined Routines

File Filter Functions

Dialog Hook Functions

Modal-Dialog Filter Functions

Activation Procedures

Summary of the Standard File Package

Pascal Summary

Constants

Data Types

Standard File Package Routines

Application-Defined Routines

C Summary

Constants

Data Types

Standard File Package Routines

Application-Defined Routines

Assembly-Language Summary

Data Structures

Trap Macros

Global Variables