SoFile(3IV)

NAME
     SoFile (SoFile) - node that reads children from a named file

INHERITS FROM
     SoBase > SoFieldContainer > SoNode > SoFile

SYNOPSIS
     #include <Inventor_c/nodes/SoFile.h>

          Fields from class SoFile:

     SoSFString          name

          Functions from class SoFile:

     SoFile *            SoFileCreate()
     SoGroup *           SoFileCopyChildren(const SoFile *this)
     SoType              SoFileGetClassTypeId()

          Functions from class SoNode:

     void                SoFileSetOverride(SoFile *this, SbBool state)
     SbBool              SoFileIsOverride(const SoFile *this)
     SoNode *            SoFileCopy(const SoFile *this, SbBool copyConnections
                              = FALSE)
     SbBool              SoFileAffectsState(const SoFile *this)
     SoNode *            SoFileGetByName(const char *name)
     int                 SoFileGetByNameList(const char *name, SoNodeList
                              *list)

          Functions from class SoFieldContainer:

     void                SoFileSetToDflts(SoFile *this)
     SbBool              SoFileHasDfltVals(const SoFile *this)
     SbBool              SoFileFldsAreEq(const SoFile *this, const
                              SoFieldContainer *fc)
     void                SoFileCopyFieldVals(SoFile *this, const
                              SoFieldContainer *fc, SbBool copyConnections =
                              FALSE)
     SbBool              SoFileSet(SoFile *this, const char *fieldDataString)
     void                SoFileGet(SoFile *this, SbString *fieldDataString)
     int                 SoFileGetFields(const SoFile *this, SoFieldList
                              *resultList)
     SoField *           SoFileGetField(const SoFile *this, const char
                              *fieldName)
     SbBool              SoFileGetFieldName(const SoFile *this, const SoField
                              *field, SbName *fieldName)
     SbBool              SoFileIsNotifyEnabled(const SoFile *this)
     SbBool              SoFileEnableNotify(SoFile *this, SbBool flag)

          Functions from class SoBase:

     void                SoFileRef(SoFile *this)
     void                SoFileUnref(const SoFile *this)
     void                SoFileUnrefNoDelete(const SoFile *this)
     void                SoFileTouch(SoFile *this)
     SoType              SoFileGetTypeId(const SoFile *this)
     SbBool              SoFileIsOfType(const SoFile *this, SoType type)
     void                SoFileSetName(SoFile *this, const char *name)
     SbName              SoFileGetName(const SoFile *this)


DESCRIPTION
     This node represents a subgraph that was read from a named input file.
     When an SoFile node is written out, just the field containing the name of
     the file is written; no children are written out. When an SoFile is
     encountered during reading, reading continues from the named file, and
     all nodes read from the file are added as hidden children of the file
     node.

     Whenever the name field changes, any existing children are removed and
     the contents of the new file is read in. The file node remembers what
     directory the last file was read from and will read the new file from the
     same directory after checking the standard list of directories (see
     SoInput), assuming the field isn't set to an absolute path name.

     The children of an SoFile node are hidden; there is no way of accessing
     or editing them. If you wish to edit the contents of an SoFile node, you
     can modify the contents of the named file and then "touch" the name field
     (see SoField). Alternatively, you can use the  SoFileCopyChildren()
     function to get a editable copy of the file node's children. Note that
     this does not affect the original file on disk, however.

FIELDS
     SoSFString          name
          Name of file from which to read children.


FUNCTIONS
     SoFile *            SoFileCreate()
          Creates a file node with default settings.

     SoGroup *           SoFileCopyChildren(const SoFile *this)
          Returns a new SoGroup containing copies of all of the file node's
          children.

     SoType              SoFileGetClassTypeId()
          Returns type identifier for this class.


ACTION BEHAVIOR
     SoGLRenderAction, SoCallbackAction, SoGetBoundingBoxAction,
     SoGetMatrixAction, SoHandleEventAction
          Traverses its children just as SoGroup does.
     SoRayPickAction
          Traverses its hidden children, but, if intersections are found,
          generates paths that end at the SoFile node.

     SoWriteAction
          Writes just the name field and no children.


FILE FORMAT/DEFAULTS
     File {
          name  "<Undefined file>"
     }

SEE ALSO
     SoInput, SoPath