WinDirs XObject
Detects location of Windows directories
The WinDirs XObject allows you to detect the name of the Windows
and System directories. This can be very handy when you need to store
information in a standard location on every Windows machine. It's
often used to store a small private .INI file which indicates the
actual installed location of a Director presentation on the hard
drive.
The WinDirs XObject is free.
Note that Macromedia's free FileIO Xtra for Director 5 and later has a
cross-platform global
handler 'getOSDirectory' that serves much the same purpose as this older style XObject.
If you build installers with Indigo Rose Setup Factory or Stirling
InstallSHIELD, to name but two of the many serviceable Windows
installation generators, you can create a private .INI file in the
Windows directory which contains a section and a keyword value
with the user's choice of installation directory. Then your Director
code running from a CD can locate the installed software, using the
WinDirs XObject to locate the private .INI file.
This can also be particularly useful when designing
CDs that automatically run when inserted (using Windows 95's AutoRun
feature, and QuickTime 2.0 and later's AutoStart feature on the
Macintosh). The application that starts automatically can determine
whether to run the installer if no private .INI file yet exists, or
run the already-installed copy in the location on the hard drive
indicated by the private .INI file in the Windows folder.
There is no direct equivalent of the Windows or System directories on the Mac, so
the WinDirs XObject only exists for Windows. You can, however,
use the PrefsFolder XObject, also from Dirigo Multimedia, and also
free, to detect the Preferences folder on the startup disk, where
preferences files can be stored. Same strategy, but a slightly
different XObject implementation.
The WinDirs XObject is also distributed by g/matter (formerly known as
'gray matter design') in San Francisco;
you can contact them by Email at
support@gmatter.com
or visit their Web site at
http://www.gmatter.com.
A demo movie is enclosed with the WinDirs XObject which
demonstrates the use of the external. The demo movie is
in Director 4 format, but can be opened and used without
modification in Director 5. The demo movie contains a script
castmember with cut-n-paste Lingo handlers, to get you up and
running immediately.
I'd appreciate a note from you
if you pick up a copy of WinDirs here. I'll
keep you informed of updates. Email me at
gpicher@maine.com.
These packages contain the WinDirs XObject, a Director 4 demo movie, and
a ReadMe document.
Choose the most convenient format for downloading.
-
The .zip format is standard for PC shareware distribution. You can
uncompress this .zip file on a PC with PKZip
for Windows
(recommended) or
for DOS
(harder to use) from
PKWare, or with
WinZip.
You can also decompress the .zip file on a Mac
with
UnZip
or
ZipIt.
- The .sit.hqx format is standard for Mac shareware distribution,
and can be downloaded to either a Mac or a PC with
Stuffit Expander
for Mac
or
for Windows
from
Aladdin Systems.
Hopefully, storing the WinDirs XObject in these two formats will make it
accessible to
most anyone anywhere, no matter how you connect to the Internet.
The ZapApp XObject only runs on Windows,
but you should be
able to download it using a Mac.
Glenn M. Picher: Dirigo Multimedia
Back to Glenn's home page
Download the WinDirs XObject (.zip)
