[Shapelib] Delete or hide Shape from Shapefile

[Jelmer Baas]

Hello,

I'm looking for a way to remove or hide a shape in a shape file. I'm
using MapServer to draw it, so it needs to be supported by MapServer,
too. 

The PDF found on the shapelib page shows there's a shapetype 0 (Null
Shape), can't that somehow be used? Otherwise overwrite the style to
have a width of 0, something like that? I find it hard to believe that
ESRI apps rewrite the entire file when a single object is deleted... 

Despite already finding evidence that it's not possible
(http://lists.maptools.org/pipermail/shapelib/2004-May/000074.html), I
wanted to ask it nonetheless.

Any help would be appreciated,

With kind regards,
Jelmer Baas
Speer IT B.V.