4D MountPack 1.0.2

This package contains several external functions and commands to mount shared AppleShare volumes programmatically from within an 4th Dimension application. Also to unmount them and to provide some information directly usable with the main commands.
You can also use most of the abilities of this 4D external with HyperCard since an HyperCard XFCN (external function) is now available from the same author.

The external needs the System 7.x or the AppleShare Workstation 3.0 'AppleShare Chooser extension' installed to work.
To use it with System 6 you can install a more recent version (Workstation 3.0.1 or from System 7.1) of the AppleShare Chooser extension with that system (only versions 6.0.4-6.0.8). The external does test for the chooser extension version. If an error occurs while determining the version or the version is not recent the external command will not be executed and an error is returned.

When using System 7 the AppleShare extension file MUST be in the Extensions Folder, otherwise it will not be found.

What is it good for? Well, I don't know all possible uses. Use it for whatever you like. It may be usefull in a multi-user application where a shared volume is mounted with general usable reports or search files. Perhaps automate backing up or distributing new software (i.e. the structure file). Because it doesn't need user 'interference' you can mount a volume with a secret password. Do something and unmount it again.

But first a word about volume passwords. Although these are not implemented and ignored by the AppleShare File Server and File Sharing software, their use is defined in the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) specifications. The difference between an user password and a volume password is that the latter allows you access to a volume while the first only allows you to connect to the server. With Apple server software these two functions are combined into one password, that's the reason why you can't mount different volumes on the same server using different user names. The latest AppleShare chooser extension however (AS 3.0.1 or included with System 7.1), can handle servers asking for a volume password.
Some other third party file server software, which emulate an AFP Server from e.g. an UNIX box, support this feature.

One large disadvantage about working with only the volume name is that, while the Finder allows volumes with the same name to mount, the external does not. The Finder keeps a list of volumes not based on the name but on a unique number. The external works only with the volume name, which means when two or more volumes have the same name the command is executed for the volume which was mounted first.
It's possible to implement using a unique number, but since most of you won't mind I left it as it is.