DOS ain't dead

Deep directories in DOS (Users)

posted by Ninho , 30.05.2010, 12:38

Jassena said :
> 67 characters is the documented path limit of MS/PC/DR/Free DOS.

Apologies for my less than accurate recollection. I said ca. 126, thinking of the DOS command line buffer rather than the file API. My real point however was that there is a rather short limit to path lengths a user or programmer can pass directly to the DOS API.

With all the respect, not sure it's exactly 67 either ! The complete path+filename including slashes and dots and a terminal NUL should fit in a 80-byte long buffer, so if you want to be able to access a 8.3 filename in the directory of interest, the limit for the path seems to calculate out as 66 chars; on the other hand a one letter long filename without extension should be accessible within a 77 char long directory ! :=)

There might be differences whether using the old style FCB functions than new unixish file API. Disclaimer : I'm just chatting (again!), not checking my facts...

> Maybe one can go deeper by navigating the directory tree, but I don't
> know whether it works in all versions.

It works in MS-DOS. Of course excluding additional complications caused by e.g. invalid characters in directory/file names.

> If Laaca was able to use a longer absolute path in FreeDOS, this is
> news.


--
Ninho

Complete thread:

• What can cause FAT damage - kernel 2039 or UIDE? - Laaca, 24.05.2010, 08:50 (Users)
  • BUG #2901916 | can cause FAT damage - kernel 2039 or UIDE? - DOS386, 24.05.2010, 09:20
  • What can cause FAT damage - kernel 2039 or UIDE? - Khusraw, 24.05.2010, 13:26
    • Buggy FreeDOS - DOS386, 06.06.2010, 15:59
      • Buggy FreeDOS - Laaca, 06.06.2010, 17:19
      • Buggy FreeDOS - Khusraw, 06.06.2010, 17:49
  • "Be Advised ..." About Using UIDE! - Jack, 24.05.2010, 16:18
    • "Be Advised ..." About Using UIDE! - Khusraw, 24.05.2010, 16:57
      • "Be Advised ..." About Using UIDE! - Jack, 24.05.2010, 17:21
        • "Be Advised ..." About Using UIDE! - Laaca, 24.05.2010, 18:15
          • "Be Advised ..." About Using UIDE! - Khusraw, 24.05.2010, 18:59
            • For the dummies - Khusraw, 24.05.2010, 19:28
              • For the dummies - Laaca, 24.05.2010, 21:07
                • For the dummies - Khusraw, 24.05.2010, 22:18
              • .. - DOS386, 03.05.2011, 09:43
          • You May Need "V8.0" MS-DOS! - Jack, 24.05.2010, 19:09
            • May Need "V8.0" MS-DOS! Or NOT ! - Ninho, 25.05.2010, 12:27
              • Deep directories in DOS - jassenna, 27.05.2010, 06:45
                • Deep directories in DOS - Ninho, 30.05.2010, 12:38