Re: A probably dumb question:

["Roger Johnstone" <rojaws@mac.com>]

In article <a0o041$d63$1@opus.pdx.net>, stopspam@thesource.gs (Bart) wrote:

> Speaking as an old mainframer who followed the PC path before conversion to
> the TRUE RELIGION of Apple II I have a question on file type and associations:
>
> In the PC world, the 3 letters after the period denote the file "type".  This
> can be misleading in that a say gif or exe (picture or runable binary in PC
> land) might be given a "type" of txt (ASCII text file) for example.  Attempt
> to open it in a  ASCII reader like Notepad and gibberish is the reward.
> This brings me (almost) to the question:  If a file is created in say
> Coolwriter, and is a standard ASCII file, it may, or may not open in say
> AppleworksGS.  In like manner a jpg may or may not open in a picture viewer
> (name one here)
>
> In the Mac World (note I still have not got to the question?), if you click a
> file and the system doesn't know what it is, you get a nice dialoge asking:
> "Hey human!  where the heck is the app that you use on this?"  On the GS
> mostly I get a not so nice dialoge that says "An Application can't be found
> for this document".
>
> FINALLY A QUESTION!
>
> Is there any product that will allow you to  use Application "B" to open a
> file created in Application "A" by just "associating it WITHOUT HAVING A COPY
> OF APPLICATION A?  What I mean is;  I see a file with a nice pleasant icon
> denoting:  "Wow!  sone really cool app. must have created this file (at least
> the icon is pretty)"  but when I click I get the nastygram above, no file as
> pretty as its icon.  If I go the other way around: "Humm...I THINK this is an
> ASCII file, launch Coolwriter and see if it can open it,  now, what folder was
> that sucker in again?"... I can usually open it, but that system is based on a
> very uncertain utility:  my memory of files and file type openers (and from
> the app's file/open navigator, remembering where I left that dang file!).
>
> I want something as easy as in PC land "humm,  excel wont open this puppy,
> let's change the extension to "doc" and see what happens!" or a quickie thing
> that asks "Now human, I am smart, but I am not THAT smart!  Where exactly did
> you leave that copy of Appleworks?" Is there anything like that in the Apple
> II world?
>
> Thank'ee for reading and for any subsequent answers to this dumb question
>
> -Bart
> Keeper of the Network from Heck

If you hold down the option key while opening a file the Finder will ask you
which application to use to open it. The big problem is that I think you
need to have an icon file for that file type already present, which means it
won't work with unknown files, since you're unlikely to have an icon for
them! It's useful for opening a document in an application other than the
default one for that file type (it doesn't change the association, just
launches it once), but not very useful if the file type is unknown.

There's a Finder extension called Finder Binder which was published in GS+
magazine which does at least some of what you want. When you try to open an
unknown document in the Finder it takes over. Instead of "An application
can't be found etc." it lets you connect the document to an application, for
one time only, permanently, or for all documents of the same type. I don't
know where you can get any of the GS+ programs now.

You can do much the same thing manually with an icon editor, in fact that's
how Finder Binder works, it creates an entry in an icon file for each file
type binding.

If you need to change the file type rather than just which application is
associated with any given file type then you'll need a utility program. I
use Disk Access, a desk accessory from Seven Hills Software. There are
several shareware programs which do the same thing too. There's one (Super
Get Info?) which enhances the Finder's Get Info window so you can change the
file type there.

--
Roger Johnstone, Invercargill, New Zealand
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Apple II - Future Cop:LAPD - iMac Game Wizard - WarCraft II
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