Info-Mac Archive File Name and Placement Conventions revision 17 Jul 93: DRAFT VERSION --- File Names ---------------------------------------------------------- File Names Must: Contain ONLY lowercase letters, numbers, and dashes. Begin with a letter, not a number or dash. Be 50 characters or less with its directory name(s). Use dashes where words are separated (but not too much). Exclude periods from version numbers. Exclude references to compression software. End with one of the following suffixes: .hqx Binhexed .txt text .shar Unix shell archives .uu Unix uuencoded .bin MacBinary format (rarely used) .etx Setext (only for Tidbits issues) Some examples: DrawNothing 1.41 -> draw-nothing-141.hqx doIt Now 0.9b -> doit-now-09b.hqx QuickTime 2.0 -> quicktime-20.hqx Specific File Format To identify the format of the file more specifically than the suffix does, use an extension JUST BEFORE the suffix. Some common ones: -msdos MS-DOS program -unix Unix program -ps Postscript code -etx Setext text format -msw Microsoft Word -fkey Mac fkey utility -hc Hypercard stacks Descriptive Extensions Some info about files should be placed in file name extensions: -demo incomplete version for demonstration purposes -updt a utility to update a file to a newer version References to Common Mac Things System software: sys607, sys7, sys701, sys71, sys7-finder Not: system-7, system-seven, system7, finder7, finder-7 Mac models: mac-512, mac-plus, mac-se, mac-ii, se30, iici, lcii mac-portable, powerbook, centris-610, quadra-700 Not: power-book, pb, ii-vx, Other software: resedit, quicktime, mactcp System operations: startup, shutdown Date Format The format for dates is "file-name-YY-MM.???" where YY and MM are the numbers of the year and month, respectively. If necessary "-DD" (the day) may be added after the month. Conventions for Specific Directories app/ Filemaker stuff should begin with "filemaker-" per/ File names should include an issue number or date (not both) dev/a4d/ File names should end in one of the following extensions: -ext externals -demo commercial demos -db example databases -info documentation and information -util utilities that don't plug directly into 4D or a database -src native 4d source code dev/src/ File names should end in one of the following extensions: -c C source code -pas Pascal source code -plog Prolog source code info/ Software and hardware company info should begin with "vendor-" info/hdwr/ Specific mac model info should begin with the model name --- File Placement --------------------------------------------------- Things should be archived by topic as much as possible. Some directories are more specific than others, text/ and prn/ are quite definite, whereas app/ and cfg/ are more general. Things should be placed in the most specific directory appropriate, ie: printer drivers in prn/, not cfg/. Generally, information files about software should be archived together with applications, whereas data (such as sounds and pictures) should be archived separately. For example, a picture goes in grf/, the utility to display it goes in grf/util/ and a review or collection of tips about that utility also goes in grf/util/. Hypercard stacks, desk accessories and other apps that provide info ABOUT MACS should be placed in the appropriate info/ or topic directory, not in card/ or app/. --- Archive Directories ------------------------------------------------ A directory at the archive has many components: + An entry in directory-contents.txt with a description of the directory's intended contents. + The directory itself, which is a short 3 or 4 character name. + A link to the directory that resides in the same directory as the real directory. Its name is descriptive and capitalized. If its name is two words normally separated by a space, the 2nd word is also capitalized. If its name is 2 words that represent different concepts, the 2nd word is capitalized and separated from the 1st by a dash. + An abstract file in the directory (an empty one must be created when a directory is installed). + A link to the abstract file that resides in help/abs/. Its name begins with the descriptive name of the parent directory (if any) followed by the descriptive name of the directory. Dashes are used in this name to separate words as they are in normal archive files. + A directory in the backmod/ar/ hierarchy whose name is the same as the directory's actual name.