NAME

       SoFile — node that reads children from a named file

INHERITS FROM

       SoBase > SoFieldContainer > SoNode > SoFile

SYNOPSIS

       #include <Inventor/nodes/SoFile.h>

          Fields from class SoFile:

     SoSFString          name

          Methods from class SoFile:

                         SoFile()
     SoGroup *           copyChildren() const
     static SoType       getClassTypeId()

          Methods from class SoNode:

     void                setOverride(SbBool state)
     SbBool              isOverride() const
     SoNode *            copy(SbBool copyConnections = FALSE) const
     virtual SbBool      affectsState() const
     static SoNode *     getByName(const SbName &name)
     static int          getByName(const SbName &name, SoNodeList &list)

          Methods from class SoFieldContainer:

     void                setToDefaults()
     SbBool              hasDefaultValues() const
     SbBool              fieldsAreEqual(const SoFieldContainer *fc) const
     void                copyFieldValues(const  SoFieldContainer  *fc,  SbBool  copyConnections =
                              FALSE)
     SbBool              set(const char *fieldDataString)
     void                get(SbString &fieldDataString)
     virtual int         getFields(SoFieldList &resultList) const
     virtual SoField *   getField(const SbName &fieldName) const
     SbBool              getFieldName(const SoField *field, SbName &fieldName) const
     SbBool              isNotifyEnabled() const
     SbBool              enableNotify(SbBool flag)

          Methods from class SoBase:

     void                ref()
     void                unref() const
     void                unrefNoDelete() const
     void                touch()
     virtual SoType      getTypeId() const
     SbBool              isOfType(SoType type) const
     virtual void        setName(const SbName &name)
     virtual SbName      getName() const

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
       copyChildren() method  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.

METHODS

                         SoFile()
          Creates a file node with default settings.

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

     static SoType       getClassTypeId()
          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

                                                                                    SoFile(3IV)()