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Re: Questions about VFS format (interchange, faultproof)

To: REALbasic Betas <realbasic-betas at lists dot realsoftware dot com>
Subject: Re: Questions about VFS format (interchange, faultproof)
From: "Joseph J. Strout" <joe at realsoftware dot com>
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2002 13:20:30 -0700
At 12:00 PM -0700 4/28/02, Thomas Tempelmann wrote:

I assume the VFS format will not only be supported on Mac and
Windows, but it will be binary-compatible. That means, I can
use the very same VFS file in an app compiled for both Mac and
Windows, in both reading and writing. Is that so?

Yes.  (Of course if you find otherwise please report it as a bug.)

Can RS assure that its internal format is constructed in a way
that will make sure that even if RS adds new features to the
format, it is up- and downward compatible to apps built with
various (newer and older) versions of RB?

That's certainly the intent. The format is not as self-describing as, say, the RBBF (project file) format. But we have a high stake in maintaining compatibility, and it was designed with that in mind.

Does the format use redundant information? ...Then, a "rescue" app could
often be successful in restoring the entire VFS, perhaps with
losing only a few individual items, but without losing the entire
contents just because one part of the contents (or the directory)
got accidentaly damaged.

Yes, exactly so. We don't have such a rescue app or function to offer at this time, but it was designed to make such an app quite possible.

Cheers,
- Joe

--
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|    Joseph J. Strout           REAL Software, Inc.                |
|    joe at realsoftware dot com       http://www.realsoftware.com        |
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