ASSOCTABLE Statement

Syntax:

  ASSOCTABLE assoctable-id [load-option][mem-option] [code-page]
  BEGIN
  association-name, file-match-string[, extended-attribute-flag]
     [, icon-filename]
    .
    .
    .
  END

Description

The ASSOCTABLE statement defines a file-association table for an application. This table associates the data files that an application creates with the executable file of the application. When the user selects one of these data files from File Manager, the associated application begins executing.

A file-association table can also associate icons with the data files that an application creates. The shell uses these icons to identify the data files graphically. Because a file-association table associates icons by file type, all data files having the same file type have the same icon.

You can provide any number of ASSOCTABLE statements in a resource script file, but each statement must specify a unique assoctable-id value. The file-association tables are written not only to the resources within your executable file, but also to the .ASSOC extended attribute. However, only the last file-association table specified in the resource script file is actually written to the extended attribute.

assoctable-id

Specifies the association-table identifier. This value must be an unsigned integer in the range of 1 through 65535, or a simple expression that evaluates to a value in these ranges. Character strings cannot be used as resource identifiers for this statement.
load-option
Specifies when the system loads the resource from the executable file into memory. This value must be one of the following: PRELOAD
System loads the resource when the application starts.
LOADONCALL
System loads the resource when the application calls the DosGetResource or DosGetResource2 function. This is the default option.
mem-option
Specifies how the system manages the resource when it is in memory. This value must be one of the following: FIXED
System keeps the resource at a fixed memory location.
MOVEABLE
System moves the resource as necessary to compact memory. This is the default option.
DISCARDABLE
System discards the resource if it is no longer needed.
code-page
Specifies a code page value. For a list of valid code pages see CODEPAGE Statement.
association-name
Specifies the name of the file type the application recognizes. This field must contain zero or more characters enclosed in double quotation marks.

Character values must be in the range 1 through 255. If a double quotation mark is required in the name, you must include the double quotation mark twice.

file-match-string
Specifies the file-matching string of a particular type of data file that the application creates. This field must contain zero or more characters enclosed in double quotation marks. You can only use characters that are valid in OS/2 file names and extensions and the OS/2 wildcard characters question mark (?) and asterisk (*).
extended-attribute-flag
Specifies the extended-attribute options. This value can be a combination of the following: EAF_DEFAULTOWNER
Specifies that the application containing the file-association table starts when the user selects any file matching the file-match-string field from File Manager.
EAF_REUSEICON
Specifies that the icon defined in the previous entry of the file-association table is used as the icon for the current data-file type.
EAF_UNCHANGEABLE
Specifies that the entry should not be edited.
icon-filename
Specifies the name of the file containing an icon. File Manager uses this icon to represent all application-created data files matching the file-match-string field. The file must be in the current directory.

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