Appendix.

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Q: How do you get it to randomly choose an application on the HD to infect?

A: Any file on the hard drive is stored in the directory. This includes documents, applications, system files, and so on. Files are found by using the directory (via the File Manager). If you wanted to choose an application that appeared as though it was a random choice, you can still move through the directory. Files are stored in the directory by an index, just like resources, and you can pick a random index number to check a random file. You can use Quickdraw's Random routine to pull out a number, check that index, and see if that file's type is 'APPL'. If not, simply choose another file. If you've found one, then you've got your random application. Granted that not all hard drives have 65536 files on them, so you may have to tone down the returns from Random, but that's simply mathematics. Note also that there are many small applications on the hard drive as well. TeachText, CompactPro, PrintMonitor, etc. This will also come up in the list of applications along with larger applications like Microsoft Word, Aldus Freehand, and the Finder itself. This method will not choose the System file (it has a type of 'zsys'), and documents, any desk accessories, or extensions/control panels. You can modify the routine to work with other file types as well.

Q: How can I include a bitmap or other separate resource data into my code?

A: You've got to use a little assembly (and disassembly) for this method, but it works wonders (the system's scroll bar CDEF use to use it). Create the resource you want to include in your favorite resource editor to suit your taste. Close the resource and re-open the sucker in hex. Copy all of the hex codes into the clipboard. Go into your development environment and at the very end of your code add a bit of assembly. Use the DC.B or DC.W operands to define a bytes or words (respectively) and re-define the complete resource for each byte or word in the resource (it might take a little bit of re-typing). Give this procedure (which never gets 'called') a name. Now, whenever you want to use this 'resource', simply replace the handle or pointer to the resource with this procedure pointer. There's no need to load anything (the entire code resource is already loaded), and the pointer is always valid. This method also saves you from using the Memory Manager for anything.

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