newbie: OS X and answer file ?

[Monte Goulding]

> At 8:31PM -0700 6/3/03, Dar Scott wrote:
> >>> Probably the engine needs to be updated to look at both extensions
> >>> and types for OS X files.
> >
> >I like it.  Maybe this can apply to all files, not just to OS X files.
> >On some systems the extension or the type is simply ignored.
>
> It would only apply to Mac OS and OS X, I suppose, because Unix and
> Windows don't have the concept of a file type.
>
> I think previous posters have correctly identified the problem - OS X
> applications don't all set file types, and OS X recommendations have
> been kind of schizophrenic about the whole type-vs-extension thing,
> so you can't necessarily expect consistently-set file types. (Although
> in my opinion any well-behaved application ought to set them correctly.)
>
> A while ago I suggested a syntax extension to answer file to allow
> specifying one or more of either or both type and extension:
>
> ------
>   answer file prompt [{with|of} fileSpecList]
>
> <fileSpecList> = <fileSpec> | <fileSpecList> or <fileSpec>
> <fileSpec> = extension <extString> | type <typeString>
>
> Specifications are one of two types: a filetype (or set of types, for
> backward compatibility) or an extension. Anything following "of type" is
> parsed 4 characters at a time until you run out, and used as a filetype.
> Anything following "with extension" is treated more or less the
> same way as
> the Unix form. You can have as many of these specifications as you want in
> the statement, separated by "or".
>
> Example:
>   answer file "Hello" of type "JPEGPICT" -- as now
>   answer file "Hello Again" of type "JPEG" or type "PICT" -- equivalent
>   answer file "Goodbye" with extension "*.jpeg" or extension "*.pict"
>   answer file "You again?" of type "JPEG" or extension "*.jpg" or
> extension ".jpeg"
>
Why introduce extension when we already have filter? Also the point that Dar
and I are making is that surely the engine can work out if it needs to use
the filter, type or both (for OS X) rather than everyone writing platform
specific code.

Monte