Master ANFS file pathnames

[KenLowe]

Hi folks,

According the ReadMe on the Lancelot disc, you can create an ADFS disc from the supplied DFS discs, and run the game from the ADFS disc. However, according to the ReadMe this only works on the Master. I assume the reason for this is that ADFS uses too much workspace on the Beeb.

With the ADFS and NFS file structures being very similar, I thought I would try to get my level 9 graphic adventure games running over Econet.

After hacking the main loader (!BOOT) file a little bit, I've been able to get the game running nicely on my beeb with IntegraB. I thought this might have been more challenging on the beeb because of the memory limitations, but it turns out that it's the Master which is causing me more issues!

The loader file is using full ADFS path names to load the various files. So, for example:

*LOAD :0.$.GCode2

It turns out that my PiFS (and L3FS is probably the same, but I've not tested) does not recognise :<DRIVE NUMBER>. Instead, it expects :<DRIVE NAME>, so something like this:

*LOAD :PiFSDISC.$.GCode2

With PiFS, it is quite easy to change the Name from 'PiFSDISC' to '0', and with that change, that issue disappears on my beeb. @cr12925 has also provided me with a PiFS update with options which allow me to give an alias to the <DRIVE NAME>.

...however, on the Master this doesn't work. If I try to access the file :0.$.GCode2, ANFS drops the leading ':' and passes only the remaining '0.$.GCode2' string to the file server. The PiFS (and I assume L3FS) interprets this as directory '0' instead of drive '0', and therefore fails to load the file. If I try to access the file :PiFSDISC.$.GCode2, ANFS retains the leading ':' and the file loads correctly.

Why is ANFS doing this (NFS on the beeb doesn't do this), and is there any way to work around this - other than to hack out the full pathname from the loader file?

[jgharston]

Yeah, it's annoying. Somebody's idea of "being helpful". Drop the drive reference, just refer to everything as $.etc.... and as long as you are on the same drive, everything will be fine.

[KenLowe]

Drop the drive reference, just refer to everything as $.etc.... and as long as you are on the same drive, everything will be fine.

Yeah, I was hoping I could avoid doing that. I've got to try and find all the different places in each of the files where filenames with full paths are being used.

[jgharston]

Drop the drive reference, just refer to everything as $.etc.... and as long as you are on the same drive, everything will be fine.

Yeah, I was hoping I could avoid doing that. I've got to try and find all the different places in each of the files where filenames with full paths are being used.

Programs should never embed drive references into absolute paths, as it stops them being used anywhere else.
*DRIVE 3
CHAIN "prog"
drive 0 leaps into life....

Really annoying. "How to piss off your people using your software, part 3"