truncating file

[butthead]

scenario

I have a file that is 200 bytes. I want to chop the last 50 bytes without rewriting the whole file. can I do this or must I resign my self to the rewrite. I am creating a database engine and have found the hardest part of the whole thing so far is handling the delete in an efficient manner. if the table gets too large a rewrite of the table could be time consuming.

thanks for the help

tomcruz.net

 

[LastCyborg]

Years ago I didn't know how to delete a record in a file, what I did was to create a temporal file and then copy what I want that the file storage



---LastCyborg---

 

[LastCyborg]

I think there aren't another way to do this



---LastCyborg---

 

[butthead]

I was thinking that I will have to create some rules as to when to rewrite the file. I must determine how much slack is acceptable and how to hide the empty records. I suppose when the slack reaches a certain amount the rewrite will follow. I must also track the empty records until the file is rewritten. I wonder if this is the "pack" process that I have seen in the BDE.

just more details to attend to...

tomcruz.net