Introduction
Although MFS are used for a great variety of purposes, the basic structure and logic is much the same for any MFS. This section provides general information about the construction and programming of an MFS.
MFS Basics
An MFS is a subroutine like any other in OpenInsight. Because of this, developers are free to create an MFS in any manner they choose, as long as the calling protocols for the subroutine are observed. An MFS can be written in BASIC+, in C, C++, or in assembly language. Developers can choose the language best suited to the application of the MFS, and to their coding preference. For example, an MFS that compresses data might best be coded in a low-level language for speed purposes.
Filing System Access
OpenInsight file operation requests originate in BASIC+ commands such as READ, WRITE, DELETE, LOCK, UNLOCK, SELECT, READNEXT, or in System Monitor routines such as ATTACH_TABLE, DELETE_ROW and LIST_TABLES. Developers write these commands into their programs, or execute the routines from the System Monitor, to control the flow of data to and from the file.
When a program or routine executes, each file-oriented statement becomes a call to the filing system. For example, if an BASIC+ program encounters a READ statement, and the file being read is a Linear Hash file, OpenInsight generates a call to the program RTP57, the Linear Hash BFS, with the appropriate "read" code.
Because BASIC+ is independent of filing systems, the call arguments for filing system subroutines use a standard protocol. BASIC+ produces the same subroutine call for all filing systems, always using the same arguments. A
READ statement, for example, always produces the same BFS call, regardless of what filing system is actually being accessed by the read logic. By extension, all MFSs must use the same calling conventions.
