jtn@potomac.ads.com (John T. Nelson) (09/14/90)
I am developing an application that will eventually be distributed widely. This application relies on file types. How can I get one or several file types assigned to my application and it's files? I guess I have to register them with Apple Development or something. Can anyone provide details on the process for doing this? -- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ORGANIZATION: Advanced Decision Systems GEOGRAPHIC: Arlington, VA UUCP: kzin!speaker@mimsy.umd.edu INTERNET: jtn@potomac.ads.com SPOKEN: Yo... John! PHONE: (703) 243-1611 PROJECT: The Conrail Locomotive/Harpsichord Fusion Program =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
stevec@Apple.COM (Steve Christensen) (09/14/90)
In article <9159@potomac.ads.com> jtn@potomac.ads.com (John T. Nelson) writes: > >I am developing an application that will eventually be distributed >widely. This application relies on file types. How can I get one or >several file types assigned to my application and it's files? I guess >I have to register them with Apple Development or something. Can >anyone provide details on the process for doing this? As I recall, you need to register them with Apple's Developer Tech Support group. They'll probably also tell you if those types are already used. You should be able to get in touch with them at macdts@apple.com... steve -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ whoami? Steve Christensen snail: Apple Computer, 20525 Mariani Ave, MS-81CS, Cupertino, CA 95014 Internet: stevec@goofy.apple.com AppleLink: stevec CompuServe: 76174,1712
ts@cup.portal.com (Tim W Smith) (09/14/90)
It's always seemed to me that there must be a better way to get file types and resource types than asking Apple. How about some sort of algorithmic method to generate them? For example, let's make the assumption that the only people who deserve to own file types, creator types, and resource types are people who own a Macintosh. From the serial number of the Mac, a number is derived. This number would be 1 for the first Macintosh produced, 2 for the second, and so on (serial numbers on the backs of the machines have some other information in them, so Apple would have to tell us how to map serial number to a manufacturing order count). The person who owns Mac #N is allowed to use types (N<<4) + i, 0 <= i <= 15 An alternative approach, which assumes that people who need to define types should have AppleLink accounts, would assign to the owner of AppleLink account Dnnnn type of the form (nnnn << 16) + i, 0 <= i <= 256 Tim Smith
pepke@gw.scri.fsu.edu (Eric Pepke) (09/14/90)
It's right there in IM-III in black and white, with the occasional coffee stain. Write to Macintosh Technical Support Mail Stop 3-T Apple Computer, Inc. 20525 Mariani Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014 Tell them the application signatures and the file types you want to register, and they'll say "OK" or maybe "no, pick some others." Eric Pepke INTERNET: pepke@gw.scri.fsu.edu Supercomputer Computations Research Institute MFENET: pepke@fsu Florida State University SPAN: scri::pepke Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052 BITNET: pepke@fsu Disclaimer: My employers seldom even LISTEN to my opinions. Meta-disclaimer: Any society that needs disclaimers has too many lawyers.
jwwalker@usceast.UUCP (Jim Walker) (09/15/90)
In article <33880@cup.portal.com> ts@cup.portal.com (Tim W Smith) writes: >It's always seemed to me that there must be a better way to get >file types and resource types than asking Apple. > >How about some sort of algorithmic method to generate them? [stuff deleted] >An alternative approach, which assumes that people who need >to define types should have AppleLink accounts, would assign [stuff deleted] > Tim Smith Please don't make that assumption! I have registered creator types for two freeware programs, and I assuredly don't have an Applelink account. An advantage of the current approach is that file types and creators can often be mnemonic. Apple's original idea, of course, had been that users would never see these codes, but now it isn't necessarily so. -- Jim Walker jwwalker@cs.scarolina.edu 76367.2271@compuserve.com
francis@magrathea.uchicago.edu (Francis Stracke) (09/25/90)
In article <33880@cup.portal.com> ts@cup.portal.com (Tim W Smith) writes: >It's always seemed to me that there must be a better way to get >file types and resource types than asking Apple. > >How about some sort of algorithmic method to generate them? Problem: at least some people would screw up, & overlap the types of somebody else. There is a hidden advantage to Apple's system, anyway: if you have a file, & you don't know what created it, it is at least theoretically possible to find out, provided that the creator is registered. I don't think I like your attitude about only Mac owners deserving file types. Many of us low-budget types (e.g., STUDENTS, dammit!) can't afford a Mac, but can do good things with other people's machines. Besides, your idea of setting aside a certain # of types for each machine wastes the types that would belong to people who don't program (the vast majority). Francis Stracke I don't represent anybody.