[LSC] Long filenames in the official library

[Tore Eriksson]

An issue of not very high significance, but yet IMO worth mentioning is the column size of parts.lst and other tables in its likeness. It's quite convenient with max 8 (or 12, including extension) characters.

I too lean towards keeping 8.3, but I am aware of it's getting harder and harder to defend that position. So I will not initiate WW3 if we allow long filenames.

It will be interesting to see if Anders Isaksson's LDS Shell will render compiled LDS Scripts correctly using primitives with long file names. I don't think LDS.exe will be affected, even though it is a DOS program; LDS itself never opens those files but just treats primitive references as char strings. I'll get back with the results later.

/Tore

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Travis Cobbs 
  To: LDraw Standards Committee 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 7:19 PM
  Subject: [LSC] Long filenames in the official library


  Please read this thread on LUGNET if you have not already done so:

  http://news.lugnet.com/cad/?n=14492

  I think we should discuss whether or not to allow long filenames in files in the official library.  At this point in time, I'm personally leaning toward maintaining the 8.3 limitation, based mostly on Kevin's comment that supporting long filenames would require updates to LPub/LSynth.  Not so much that he has to update them, but that his need to update them could very well indicate the same need in many other LDraw-compatible programs.  Frankly, I'm surprised that they would need to be updated. 

  Unfortunately, I think that empirical testing of existing programs is the only way we're going to be able to have a good idea about current levels of support.  I for one don't relish doing those tests.  We can ask for program authors to chime in with a yea or nay on LUGNET, but I'll be surprised if get get a representative response. 

  --Travis




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