Re: Snow Leopard - Lost File Extensions & Custom Icons

Pd <peterd.news@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
zoara <me18@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

However, the decision as to which application opens the file should
be
*mine*, not some upstart pipsqueak application whining that "I made
it
so it's mine and I'm keeping it".

A file of a given type should, by default, open in the default
application that handles that type. It should be possible to mark
that
same file to open in another app (without changing its type) but it
should be the user that makes the choice, nothing else.

What if I prefer the previous system, which is that the binding
defaults
to the application that created the file?

Then you'd be wrong, of course. And cast onto a pyre for your
transgressions.


Obviously to accommodate your
preference and mine, we need something like, oh, call it a
'preference'.

Cunning.


I guess the ideal would be an extra widget in the Save dialog for
setting the "open with" binding, which defaults to whatever is set in
the System Pref Pane for Open With...
o - creating application
o - default for file type

That would depend, I guess. Would a user be likely to want the 'open
this document with the app that created it' behaviour set differently
for each app (eg you get that behaviour in TextEdit but not in
GraphicConverter) or if they wanted it would they want all apps to
behave that way? The latter would be easier to implement (the system
could enforce the setting of creator codes, and one of your fancy
'preference' things could toggle the system between respecting the codes
and ignoring then), would reduce clutter (and potential confusion) on
already-cluttered save dialogs, and would be more consistent. But it
would be less flexible...


Maybe it could even have finer granularity than that, and each
application could have preferences for the default open binding.
Then I could use TextWrangler to save .txt files that always open in
TextWrangler, and save .html files to open in Safari by default except
for the occasional ones that I want to keep opening in TextWrangler.

Hmmm. That would have to be kept in the realm of advanced preferences, I
think. I'd like to see it but I think most users would be confused.

It's a somewhat moot point as many files (say, Numbers files) will only
ever be opened in their respective application. It's only things like
text or JPEG that need this sort of thing.

Hmmm. I wonder whether apps could be forced to set a code, which can be
their own code, another app's code, or a code representing 'the default
app for this file'. You could set it to default to 'this app's code', I
could set it to 'the default app' and... No, that wouldn't work, cos if
you sent me a file with a code set, it would open in your preferred app
rather than mine and that - now I remember - is one reason I hate
creator codes. It seems it would need to be a system-wide preference to
cater for both of us; I "ignore creator codes" but you "respect creator
codes".


So for the avoidance of confusion, the creator code needs to be called
something else, because it's really the OpenWith code.

Yes, but there are potentially two kinds of OpenWith codes. You can bind
a specific file to an app under Get Info, and I still want that ability.
I don't, however, want a file to open in an app just because that app
happened to create it.

So I think maybe there does need to be a creator code in addition to an
open-with code, to allow for different behaviours. Hmmm. Maybe if your
setting in the save dialog set an open-with code rather than the creator
code, we could end up with this:

Your Mac respects creator codes; mine does not.
A text file is saved in TextWrangler. The save dialog says something
about double-clicking this file opens it in TextWrangler; on your
machine that's based on the creator code, on mine it's the default app
for opening text documents. The value is not a creator code, but an
open-with code; it just defaults to different values on your system and
mine. It can be changed (to, say, BBedit) but that only changes the
open-with code; the creator code stays the same.

Now in TextEdit, the save dialog on your machine defaults to open-with
TextEdit. On mine it defaults to open-with TextWrangler.

Argh, no, cos if you send me the latter file it will have an open-with
of TextEdit when I want text documents to open with TextWrangler. Same
issue.

Bugger, I need to think about this some more. Apple are relying on me to
get this one right.

-zoara-


--
email: nettid1 at fastmail dot fm
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Determining how many instances of an app are running
    ... I understood that the OP wanted multiple instances to run, but was looking for a reliable way to cleanup some shared temp files? ... reliable implementation will have each instance of the app call CreateFile ... > should not be closed until the instance wants to exit. ... > fixed by making the opens the real sharing open. ...
    (microsoft.public.win32.programmer.kernel)
  • Re: Fastest way to read data to populate combo controls?
    ... The only real reason to ... So there is a way I can read a closed Excel file directly into the ... and the VB app opens that document. ... but keep the Word app object because I will use it later. ...
    (microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion)
  • Re: Relative Hyperlinks
    ... Word can open MHT files it opens, as they're encoded to let IE and Word know what app they were created in, by default (Check to see ... LINKS to the 2007 Office System ...
    (microsoft.public.word.newusers)
  • Re: dwShareMode Failure in CreateFile
    ... multiples of times by multiple instances of the same app. ... My guess, again, is that you're not actually opening the same file every ... the app that opens the file. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsce.embedded)
  • Re: dropping file onto a REALbasic app
    ... I also would not like my app to open *every* ... Then you need to add the file type to the App's AcceptFileTypes property. ... icon UNLESS the dropped TEXT file has the same creator code as the app. ...
    (comp.lang.basic.realbasic)