Fix-a-Fork

TT/30

New Tinkerer
Sep 17, 2023
19
6
3
California
ResEdit goto File -> Get info -> select the file and verify they do have the type/creator set?
That's why I was asking if they don't have resource forks. If I open those files with ResEdit, it says they don't have a resource fork and opening them will add one. I am guessing they don't by default. I did see the type/creator get set after agreeing to open the files except for sitx (you confirmed it's not supported).

1700286519634.png
 

eric

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 2, 2021
822
1,303
93
MN
scsi.blue
I've never ran across a sitx file - does any OS9 or earlier apps support creating it?
Answering my own question:

This is the free distributable version of StuffIt Standard Edition 7.0.3 (separate installers for Mac OS 8.6-9 and for OS X) and version 8 (for Windows.) These versions were released at the same time and were meant to be distributed together. This is the first version to support the ".sitx" archive format, and the last to run on Mac OS 8/9.

Fun fact, there are only 155 .sitx files on the garden.
 

Crutch

Tinkerer
Jul 10, 2022
292
226
43
Chicago
That's why I was asking if they don't have resource forks. If I open those files with ResEdit, it says they don't have a resource fork and opening them will add one. I am guessing they don't by default. I did see the type/creator get set after agreeing to open the files except for sitx (you confirmed it's not supported).
You can see/change type & creator info in ResEdit without actually opening the file. Chose “File —> Get File/Folder Info…” before opening anything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eric

3lectr1c

Active Tinkerer
May 15, 2022
604
280
63
the United States
www.macdat.net
I can defiantly add it! Just need to grab a file to see.
The MacFilm one was weird - I had grabbed a copy of the Bad Apple converted video straight from the website, never left a mac in the transfer process, but it is an unrecognized "file" and MacFilm wouldn't play it back.
I downloaded the zip file option though, maybe I need to get the raw film instead.
 

TT/30

New Tinkerer
Sep 17, 2023
19
6
3
California
I've never ran across a sitx file - does any OS9 or earlier apps support creating it?
I now see you looked into this, here was my response. It was a file for a 68k PPC app from macintoshrepository that can run in System 7. Apparently it is used for Stuffit 7? If that is correct, Stuffit 7 can run on Mac OS 8.6.

You can see/change type & creator info in ResEdit without actually opening the file. Chose “File —> Get File/Folder Info…” before opening anything.
Thanks, I was just using drag and drop on ResEdit.
 

eric

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 2, 2021
822
1,303
93
MN
scsi.blue
d - I had grabbed a copy of the Bad Apple converted video straight from the website, never left a mac in the transfer process, but it is an unrecognized "file" and MacFilm wouldn't play it back.
This is actually expected - http (even when going from a mac webserver to a mac web client) will only transfer the data fork. Sometimes it appears to do both, but thats only because it's bin'd or hqx'd and being decoded on the fly by the browser/client. This happens with http/ftp/hotline/etc - I think the only place it doesnt happen is Apple Share.
 

reukiodo

New Tinkerer
Aug 30, 2023
7
1
3
After trying with a bunch of different files, it's interesting that some .img were given 'Disk Copy document' which opens with 6.3.3 while others were given 'Disk Copy 4.2 disk image' which still opens with 6.3.3. Along a similar vein, .sit were given a variety from 'Stuffit 1.5.1 archive', 'Stuffit Deluxe 3 archive', or 'Stuffit Expander document'.

Fix-a-Fork didn't seem to do anything to .dmg .cdr .iso .image .toast .jpg .html or .png files. I would guess .dmg and .image goes to Disk Copy, where .cdr .iso .toast goes to Virtual CD/DVD Utility, and .html .png .jpg goes to browser?
 

eric

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 2, 2021
822
1,303
93
MN
scsi.blue
So then… is there no way to get it to playback then?
I took a look - it seems there is a magic string "film" at offset 0 so I will add this.

If you download the RAW version - the fork is missing for sure, but they provide the sit/zip/etc that preserve the fork as well. Normally apps do allow you to do a File->Open to work around missing type/creator - though I'm in an emulator right now and MacFilm doesn't like that.

After trying with a bunch of different files, it's interesting that some .img were given 'Disk Copy document' which opens with 6.3.3 while others were given 'Disk Copy 4.2 disk image' which still opens with 6.3.3. Along a similar vein, .sit were given a variety from 'Stuffit 1.5.1 archive', 'Stuffit Deluxe 3 archive', or 'Stuffit Expander document'.

Fix-a-Fork didn't seem to do anything to .dmg .cdr .iso .image .toast .jpg .html or .png files. I would guess .dmg and .image goes to Disk Copy, where .cdr .iso .toast goes to Virtual CD/DVD Utility, and .html .png .jpg goes to browser?
DC6 is a very odd format and there is almost no documentation - all the metadata is in the fork so it's difficult to tell without guessing if it's a DC6 or not.

If it's DC42 I can look for markers at offsets to tell, and those should be right.

sit 1-5 should be handled correctly as I look for markers at offsets.

dmg is too new - cdr and iso i'll add - toast should be correct.

Images are all set to Graphics Converter types (maybe a bad assumption, maybe not)

html is set to TEXT MOSS (guessing mozilla?)

But all these comments really get to the heart of the next thing to think about - some users prefer different apps for different files - eg: I want to use Netscape vs IE vs PageMaker for my html documents. This gets a little less important later (in OS8+) with internet config and assigning file types by extension at the system level.

Thanks for all the testing and feedback!
 

reukiodo

New Tinkerer
Aug 30, 2023
7
1
3
This is awesome! And I look forward to testing out the next version also.

Have you considered making an Extension that auto-fixes on the fly when a file is opened if it has nothing assigned already? I don't know if an Extension can keep the drag-n-drop functionality of an app, but that would be really cool too.
 

fogWraith

Antiques Dealer
Sep 2, 2021
101
88
28
Fun fact, there are only 155 .sitx files on the garden.
Nobody likes them, not even we do :v

Anyways, I was wondering if you'd be adding something that reads the headers of the files you drag and drop on the application, sometimes I download files which names are a tad bit too long, so they are truncated ... as a busy guy, I don't have time to remember what file extension the file I clicked had ;)

Other than that, it has worked fairly well so far, still haven't tried the interface (drag and drop, for the individual on the move)
 

eric

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 2, 2021
822
1,303
93
MN
scsi.blue
Anyways, I was wondering if you'd be adding something that reads the headers of the files you drag and drop on the application
I do that now for the ones I can, sit, bin/hqx, images, cpt, mar, etc,etc - not all files have magic/headers unfortunately so extensions are the fallback.

Have you considered making an Extension that auto-fixes on the fly when a file is opened if it has nothing assigned already? I don't know if an Extension can keep the drag-n-drop functionality of an app, but that would be really cool too.
I'm not sure how one would go about that. Many apps can register for opening all files. In later versions of classic macos it does ask you which app you'd like to open it with, and if you would select fix a fork it would fix it. But there's no generic way (i know of) to do that.
 

Mk.558

New Tinkerer
Nov 11, 2023
10
4
3
Curious question: Is it possible to restore the "application element" of certain types of self-extracting archives, or a .img Disk Copy 6 self-mounting image, or Read-Only Compressed image? I'd imagine we can figure out certain elements of it because I reckon the resource fork just has the application element, which reads from a certain hex address on the data fork data. If all the mini-application launchers are the same, the only thing different would be the contents, right?
 

reukiodo

New Tinkerer
Aug 30, 2023
7
1
3
Many apps can register for opening all files.
🤔
Instead of registering for ALL files, would it be possible to register the app specifically/only for blank/unknown TYPE code? That way Fix-a-Fork would only open if there is no TYPE code set?

If this were possible, then downloading any file would just mean trying to open it twice: first open would result in Fix-a-Fork correcting the TYPE/CREATOR codes, and second open would really open the file in the correct app. Or am I missing something more fundamental?
 
Last edited:

eric

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 2, 2021
822
1,303
93
MN
scsi.blue
Curious question: Is it possible to restore the "application element" of certain types of self-extracting archives, or a .img Disk Copy 6 self-mounting image, or Read-Only Compressed image? I'd imagine we can figure out certain elements of it because I reckon the resource fork just has the application element, which reads from a certain hex address on the data fork data. If all the mini-application launchers are the same, the only thing different would be the contents, right?
Defiantly something I've thought about and if it works the way you describe would be pretty easy - but I think SMI images pre-date DC6 and there may be other aspects (compression, disk type, etc) that may make this more difficult.

Instead of registering for ALL files, would it be possible to register the app specifically/only for blank/unknown TYPE code? That way Fix-a-Fork would only open if there is no TYPE code set?
I'm not aware of a way to do this, but if you or someone knows it may be possible. I've only seen FREF's **** for any file type (including not set) and fldr for folders.
 

reukiodo

New Tinkerer
Aug 30, 2023
7
1
3
I wouldn't consider myself qualified as a programmer to know if it's actually possible... it was just a thought.
 

Byte Knight

Tinkerer
Oct 21, 2021
90
72
18
Works great! As mentioned above, it would be nice to have .image files (there are a bunch on Macintosh Garden) in Disk Copy format.
 

ctb

New Tinkerer
Jul 1, 2022
7
6
3
Is there a process for requesting file types to be added to a manual way of adding them.? I play around a bit with eMates and Newtons and there a few files types that would be helpful.
 

eric

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 2, 2021
822
1,303
93
MN
scsi.blue
Works great! As mentioned above, it would be nice to have .image files (there are a bunch on Macintosh Garden) in Disk Copy format.
.image you would assume are disk copy 6 correct? (also see earlier comments on dc6 format)

Is there a process for requesting file types to be added to a manual way of adding them.? I play around a bit with eMates and Newtons and there a few files types that would be helpful.
Just post them here! I'll setup a project on github or something once 1.0 is done to track issues/features.