Pathname, System files – APPLIED ENGINEERING Vulcan User Manual

Page 60

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2)

Put files within subdirectories like putting documents in
folders.

3)

Put subdirectories within subdirectories like putting
folders within folders.

Pathname

The name of the directory combined with the names of one or
more subdirectories is called a pathname. Volume names and
subdirectory names are preceded by a slash, “1”. (Note that some
applications add the slash for you.) For example, you could have
a volume named

/MY

.

DISK

and a file called

NY. FILE

on the

root directory of that disk. To access that file, you would use the
pathname

/MY.DISK/MY.FILE.

You could also have a file

JUL

.

AUG

in a subdirectory (folder) called

PHONE

on a disk called

/BILLS.

To access that file, you would use the pathname

/BILLS/PHONE/JUL DEC.

Refer to the diagram below.

JAN. JUN

JUL

.

DEC

JAN. JUN

JUL

.

DEC

ACCOUNT.SYSTEM

(file)

ZIPPY.FUEL

(subdir.)

GAS

(subdir.)

NITRO.NEDS

(subdir.)

WILD

FAMOUS

(subdir.)

THE KID

(files)

BO

.

BAGGINS

ProDOS Directory Structure

Now when an application asks you for the pathname of a file,
you’ll have a basic understanding of what it expects.

System Files

A system file is a ProDOS file that starts an application.
Typically, these files have the suffix

.

SYSTEM

(e.g.

/APLWORKS

.

SYSTEM, /ACCOUNT. SYSTEM

[see above], etc.). When

you boot ProDOS, it runs the first system file listed in its
directory. So, if BASIC.SYSTEM is the first system file on your
ProDOS boot disk, ProDOS will boot and then put you in BASIC.

App. E - A Brief ProDOS Tutorial

53

BILLS (root dir.)

PHONE (subdir.)

ELEC . (subdir)

JAN.JUN
JUL.DEC
JAN.JUN
JUL.DEC

(files)

(files)

(files)

(files)

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