MacOS X Developer Preview 4 Release Notes Copyright © 2000 by Apple Computer, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The name of the Finder application has been changed to Desktop. The windows used to navigate disks and servers are called Finder windows. These changes were made to more closely match the terms used by novice users.
You should not rely on the name or location of the executable containing the Desktop application. The type and creator are the same as in previous versions of Mac OS: respectively 'FNDR' and 'MACS'. When sending an AppleEvent, use the type and creator to identify the target process. Do not rely on the process name.
Scripting, AppleEvents support and the Desktop application scripting dictionary are preliminary, incomplete and subject to change.
To request the Desktop application to update the content of a folder or to register an application, use the AppleEvent kAEFinderSuite /kAESync ('fndr'/''fupd'). The only parameter used, contrary to what the scripting dictionary indicates, is the direct object. The direct object can be a folder, a list of folders or a file. For an application to be registered using this mechanism the direct object must be an application object descriptor (cApplication). Note that sending this AppleEvent is only necessary if your applications changes the file system directly and you wish the changes to be reflected immediately. If you do not send this AppleEvent the Desktop application will reflect the change eventually, although possibly not immediately.
You can quit the Desktop application by sending it a kCoreEventClass/kAEQuitApplication ('aevt '/'quit') AppleEvent.
You can open applications, documents and folders by sending a kCoreEventClass/kAEOpenDocuments ('aevt'/'odoc') AppleEvent to the Desktop application.
AppleEvents for moving and copying are not yet implemented.
As in previous versions of Mac OS, the desktop is a container to which items can be dragged and where you can save files from the Save dialog. However, some changes have been made in order to better accommodate the multi-user nature of Mac OS X. Each user has their own Desktop folder, which is stored in their Home directory. You should use FindFolder() to find the exact name and location of this directory. The content of the Desktop folder created by previous versions of Mac OS on removable media is not displayed on the Desktop of Mac OS X. The Desktop folder appears as a regular folder in Finder windows.
You can choose to have removable media displayed on the desktop by using the Disks tab of the Desktop & Dock Preferences dialog. The Trash is always displayed in the Dock and not on the desktop.
Double-clicking on an item, or choosing one from the Go menu will retarget the frontmost Finder window or open a new one. To open a container window as in previous versions of Mac OS, press the option key while double-clicking on an item or while choosing an item from the Go menu. To close the previous window press the command and option keys down simultaneously.
Unlike previous versions of Mac OS permissions are always honored and cannot be ignored. In Mac OS X, permissions apply to both files and folders. The underlying permission model is the Unix permission model, however, the Desktop application presents the same simplified permission model as previous versions of Mac OS 9.
The way documents are associated with applications (binding) has been improved over previous versions of Mac OS to better support the exchange of files on the Internet and between heterogeneous networks. Detailed information on this topic was presented at WWDC is session "Application Packaging and Document Typing" and will be more generally available soon.
Briefly, both type and creator information and filename extension are valid ways to specify the type of a document. There are new and powerful options available to control how the binding works, although the implementation is incomplete.
The existing "Desktop Database" file is supported for compatibility with Classic applications only.
The Desktop application support file names of up to 255 Unicode characters. Additional restrictions may be imposed by the volume format. The Mac OS Extended volume format (HFS+) supports 255 Unicode characters.
There are some known problems displaying and entering filenames containing characters outside of the ASCII range. These problems will be fixed in the next release.
Files marked as invisible in previous versions of Mac OS remain invisible in Mac OS X, however, now files whose name starts with period (.) are also considered invisible. These files will not be visibile in Finder windows.
Q: "While attempting to login I get an error message stating that a problem was detected and repaired. What does that mean?"
A: The Desktop application tried to detect when it was not shut down correctly. If the Desktop detects that it was not shut down correctly, it attempts to repair its prefences as best as possible and continue execution. The message is to let you know that the Desktop needed to repair some of its preferences in order to execute correctly. Some of your settings may need to be reset.
Q: "I try to launch an application but I get an error message, 'Sorry the application could not be completed. An unexpected error occurred (error code 13).' What can I do?"
A: Make sure the permissions are set up correctly on the application. If it's a packaged application, the directory which contain the application must also have proper permissions.