Technical Q&A PLAT15

Using SourceSafe without MPW or Toolserver

Q: We are using SourceSafe for cross-platform source-code control (Mac and Windows). In the current version, while even the DOS version has a somewhat-graphical user interface, the Mac version runs as an MPW tool and only supports an ugly command-line interface.

I have been assigned the task of putting a pretty GUI on it for our artists to use, since these people have never seen a command line. I need to find a way to do this without requiring them to have MPW or Toolserver on their machines. Where can I find source code, sample code, and/or documentation that explains how to run an MPW tool from another application - without having MPW or Toolserver available?

A: Short of rewriting SourceSafe as a stand-alone application, there is no way to achieve what you want to do. SourceSafe is a tool that is a small part of a large integrated environment - MPW. When you take MPW away, SourceSafe cannot run, because it requires the services that MPW provides. These services include file management, memory management, standard I/O, and others. If you want to run SourceSafe without MPW or ToolServer, you have to replace this functionality. Apple does not recommend that you try this without the source code for MPW, which Apple will not release. For additional information, see "Writing and Building MPW Tools," which is Chapter 9 of Building and Managing Programs in MPW