Shadow (OS/2)

In the graphical environment of the Workplace Shell (WPS) within the OS/2 operating system, a shadow serves as a representation of another object on the desktop interface.

Shadows function as proxies for various entities such as document, application, folder, hard disk, network share, removable storage devices, or a printer. Multiple shadows can correspond to a single original item. Performing a double-click on a shadow initiates the same response as double-clicking its source object. The context menu associated with a shadow replicates that of its target, with an additional "Original" submenu designed to help locate and manage the source item.

These shadows maintain a dynamic link; the original object may be moved or renamed without severing the connection. The WPS achieves this by tracking file rename events through OS-level notifications. However, if the target is renamed while WPS is not active, the shadow’s link will be disrupted.

Comparison with other link types

Shadows bear resemblance to aliases found in Mac OS, but differ in key aspects:

• Unlike aliases, shadows are not actual filesystem entities; they are instances of the WPAbstract class and their data is stored within the user INI configuration file, rendering them invisible to software outside the WPS API.
• The Workplace Shell does not provide functionality to repair broken shadow connections, although restarting WPS after the target becomes accessible often restores these links.

In contrast to symbolic links and shortcuts, shadows do not exist as filesystem objects and adjust automatically when their targets are relocated.

Compared with hard links, shadows can span across different volumes and consistently adopt their target’s name.

Visual indicators

On both the desktop and within subfolders, shadow icons may display titles with a font color distinct from other items, though they use the same font style when selected. When opened, shadow icons exhibit diagonal shading similar to other open objects like folders or applications until they are closed.

Creating and handling shadows

Users can generate shadows by right-clicking on an object and selecting "Create Shadow" from its context menu, which launches a dialog to choose where the shadow will be placed. Alternatively, shadows can be produced via drag-and-drop while pressing both the shift and control keys simultaneously.

The initial dialog view shows folders currently open under the "Opened" tab, beginning with the Desktop folder for quick access. Additional tabs labeled "Related," "Desktop," "Drives," and "Path" provide hierarchical folder browsing or allow direct text input of paths, including specifying drives (volumes).