vfs.directory

data type

Library: File system utilities (OMVFS)
Import : omvfs.xmd

Purpose

The vfs.directory data type represents a directory location. Once a connection to a directory has been established using either of these functions, that connection can be used by other OMVFS functions.

Related OMVFS library functions:

The following functions

vfs.connect—create a connection to a directory location expressed using the file scheme for URLs,
vfs.connect-directory—create a connection to a directory location expressed using the file scheme for URLs,
vfs.file-directory—get the directory location of the specified file, and
vfs.disconnect—discard a directory connection that is no longer needed,

are used to establish and discard directory connections. omvfs.directory objects are used by the following OMVFS library functions:

vfs.change-directory—change the current working directory.
vfs.copy—copy a file or a directory.
vfs.delete-directory—remove an existing directory from the virtual file system.
vfs.delete-file—remove an existing file from the virtual file system.
vfs.describe—obtain a description of a file or a directory.
vfs.directory-name—return the name of the current working directory.
vfs.link—create a symbolic link for a file or subdirectory. (Unix only)
vfs.list—list the files and/or subdirectories in a directory.
vfs.make-directory—create a new subdirectory under an existing directory on your local file system.
vfs.move—move a file or a directory.
vfs.open—open a file.

Example

This example shows a connection to a directory being established, and that connection being used by other OMVFS functions.

  import "omvfs.xmd" prefixed by vfs.
  
  process
    local vfs.directory directory-handle
    local vfs.file      file-handle
    local stream        properties variable
  
    set directory-handle to vfs.connect "file:///omprogs/"
    set file-handle      to vfs.open "jean-sibelius.txt" on directory-handle for vfs.read-mode 
  
    vfs.describe-file file-handle into properties
    output "    Name:   " || properties{"name"} || "%n"
    output "    Size:   " || properties{"size"} || " bytes%n"
    do when properties{"isdir"} = 0
      output "    Type:   file" || "%n"
  
    else
      output "    Type:   directory" || "%n"
    done
  
    output "Contents:  " || vfs.reader of file-handle || "%n"

Depending on the state and contents of the file system, this program might produce output such as:

  Name:   file:///omprogs/jean-sibelius.txt
      Size:   115 bytes
      Type:   file
  Contents:  "Pay no attention to what the critics say; no statue has ever been erected to a critic."
       -- Jean Sibelius

Usage Note

To use omvfs.directory in your program, you must import OMVFS into your program using an import declaration such as:

  import "omvfs.xmd" prefixed by vfs.