Following is an explanation of why you may need to use this utility:
System 7.53, Update 2 introduced a potentially serious bug into TattleTech version 2.51 and earlier.
This bug only affects you under the following conditions:
1) You used TattleTech 2.51 or earlier to specifically modify the attributes of a Folder (not a file) using the "File/Folder Info… / Set" feature
AND
2) You were running System 7.53, Update 2 or later
If you are in this category, please be sure to read the rest of this document to see if you need to make any repairs to your volume. If you are not affected, you are still strongly urged to update to version 2.52 which works around the bug. If TattleTech 2.52 did not come with this utility (TT-Volume Fix), it can be accessed via the following URL:
ftp://ftp.decismkr.com/dms/tattletech2.52.sea.hqx
It should also be available on AOL, CIS, Info-Mac, UMich and other sharware sites now or very shortly.
>BRIEF DESCRIPTION
In certain circumstances (i.e. changing certain attributes of a folder at the root level of a volume) the bug can cause a volume's icon to disappear from the desktop and/or prohibit you from changing the name. The volume and the data on the volume are not otherwise affected. The bug is potentially serious because the user would probably conclude that the volume is damaged, yet of the standard volume repair utilities only Norton (3.1) seems to detect and repair the problem.
>BUG DESCRIPTION:
System 7.5.3 Update 2 introduced a change in behavior of a routine which TattleTech, prior to version 2.52, used to determine which folder was selected for modification. Because of this, the attributes of the enclosing folder are changed instead of the selected folder.
The most serious manifestation of this problem occurs when the user changes the attributes of a folder at the root level of the volume. In this case, the attributes of the folder which represents the root directory of the enclosing volume are modified. If the user happened to set the "isInvisible bit", the icon of the volume does not appear on the desktop either immediately or the next time it is mounted. The data on the drive is fine, the icon simply is not showing. Similarly, if the "nameLocked" bit was set, the name of the volume cannot be edited. Both of these situations are very disconcerting and potentially serious.
The effect of changing the remaining two attributes for a root level folder is less serious. In this case, the "hasCustomIcon" attribute determines what icon is displayed for the volume and the "hasBeenInited" attribute determines whether the Desktop database is re-initialized with the volume data the next time the volume is mounted.
>FIX:
If the folder was not at the root level of the volume (i.e. visible at the main level when you open your volume on the desktop), you can use TattleTech 2.52 or later to select that specific folder and change the attributes back to what they should be. In the case of invisible folders, various utilities (e.g. Now Find) can be used to locate them if you're not sure which ones may have been modified.
If the folder which you modified was at the root directory of your volume, you will need to use the "TT-Volume Fix" utility to reset the attributes to their proper states. Complete instructions for using the utility are available in the utility itself. This utility is included with version 2.52 of TattleTech and is also available via the following URL:
ftp://ftp.decismkr.com/dms/ttvolfix1.01.sea.hqx
Some technical details regarding the bug are available at the end for programmers.
If you have any questions, problems, comments, etc. please do not hesitate to contact me.
My apologies for any problems or inconvenience this may have caused.
John Mancino
mancino@decismkr.com
-------------------------------------
>BUG DETAILS (Intended for Programmers)
This information is provided in the event that your program depends upon the same behavior of the Standard File package.
The change in behavior introduced by System 7.5.3, Update 2 involves the value of the GetSFCurDir zero page global in conjuction with the use of the Standard File routines. TT relied upon this variable to return the ID of the currently selected folder.
Standard file routines normally do not return with a specification for just a folder - they require that a file be chosen. One of several methods that allow you to return just a folder specification involves adding an extra button to the dialog (to indicate that a folder is the desired object) and then to use CustomGetFile with a custom filter proc. Some implementations of this allow you to select a folder from the standard file list and then exit via the button to indicate the selected folder is the desired folder. Another method forces the user to open the desired folder in standard file and then exit via the button. TattleTech uses the former method.
To do this, TattleTech returns the sfItemCancelButton via the filter proc when the special "folder" button is pressed. The filter proc subsequently receives the sfHookLastCall psuedo-item from standard file and replies with the sfHookOpenFolder pseudo-item. Upon completion, GetSFCurDir always contained the directory id of the selected folder. Under System 7.5.3, Update 2 and later it returns the directory id of the parent folder.
The use of sfHookOpenFolder is was method (among others) to avoid having to force the user to actually open the desired folder. The documentation is not specific regarding whether this use of the sfHookOpenFolder pseudo-item is non-standard and may be a method which which other programs employ.
