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Re: Creator code and file extension
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Re: Creator code and file extension

At 23:41 Uhr -0500 08.10.2003, Charles Srstka wrote:
Type/creator codes seem to be deprecated. Binding files to custom applications is still available though, just through a different mechanism, and it can be set in the Get Info panel, under "Open With:".

There's a huge difference between binding files to custom applications using "Open With" and using a creator code:

Imagine you have two applications that create PICT files. One creates bitmapped PICTs, the other actually creates vector data. You want to edit all vector PICTs with the application they were created with, and all bitmap PICTs with the bitmap drawing application you used to create them.

With creators, they will be assigned to the app that created it by default, which means you lose no data. Without them, you could end up (worst case) in a situation where the Finder opens all PICTs in the bitmap drawing application, and you'd have to go to each vector PICT file and manually change its application to the vector app.

With creators, the Finder "knows" what app created a document (or at least which app last saved it, since some apps assign changed files their creator). This allows you to do cool things, like open all PICTs created using Graphicconverter in Photoshop by default, while still using Freehand to edit vector PICTs it created itself.


There are also advantages to having both type codes and file suffixes. E.g. traditionally HTML files had the type 'TEXT' and the suffix '.html'. Which means, every stupid text editor simply registered for type 'TEXT' and the Finder had a way of detecting even text files that had no suffix, while binary files weren't opened in text editors.


You can see that I'm strongly in favor of metadata. I don't care whether it's kept in HFS+ node entries or in a box full of starving crazed weasels, but metadata like "creator" and "type" are very useful, and I do hope Apple extend this and don't stop using it. :-)
--
Cheers,
M. Uli Kusterer
------------------------------------------------------------
"The Witnesses of TeachText are everywhere..."
http://www.zathras.de
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 >Re: Creator code and file extension (From: Charles Srstka <email@hidden>)



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