Free Disk Necessary To Retructure A File

[Barry Wiseman]

Kenneth Brody wrote:
> Quoting Bob Stockler (Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:02:28 -0400):
> 
>> Ken Brody wrote (on Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 10:25:14AM -0400):
> [...]
>> | So, going from 400MB to 410MB needs 10MB free space, but going from 400MB
>> | to 390MB needs 390MB.  (This is why you are given the option of not doing
>> | the actual shrink.)  This is because not all systems on which filePro runs
>> | have the ability to truncate a file.
>>
>> Could not the shrinking filePro program have been written to
>> write the shortened records starting at the beginning of the
>> existing key file, then write free records to the balance of
>> the space occupied by the file?  This would result, according
>> to how much the records were being shortened, in it being just
>> a few bytes larger than it originally was.
> 
> What about all the records that will also be added to the other segment?
> (ie: the data segment if modifying fields in key.)
> 
>> If it's imperative that the file be truncated, most systems
>> support Perl, and it can then be used to do it.
> 
> Well, many systems filePro runs on now support the ability to truncate
> files.  That has not always been the case.
> 

I believe Ken is referring to a certain 20th-century Microsoft operating 
system.