Fix-a-Fork

[eric]

It's an all too common problem, you download a file to your modern computer and transfer it to your vintage machine via BlueSCSI Toolbox, ftp, bbs, or copy it in via Cider Press. When you go to boot up your Mac you're file is just a generic icon and double clicking on it gives you this error: "The document "file.hqx" could not be opened, because the application program that created it could not be found." Drats!

That's where Fix-a-Fork comes in! Just drag any file, disk image, etc and it will look at the data fork and determine what type of file it is, then fix it for you!

Currently it supports:

• Disk Copy 6
• Disk Copy 4.2
• BinHex/hqx
• Mac Zip
• Mar
• Stuffit 1-5
• Compact Pro
• Mac Binary II/III
• and ~300 file types by file extension

Release 1.0.1-a

Fixed an issue where folders would not show the custom icon right away. Thanks jjuran for the help.
Accepted a patch from JCS to to better handle file ext checks.
Added error handler if type/creator could not be set.

Release 1.0.0-a

Source can be found here: https://amendhub.com/nulleric/Fix-a-Fork
Stuffit 1.5.1 + MacBin 4 archive can be found attached to this thread.

Beta1 can be found attached to this post as a Stuffit 1.5.1 archive and that archive binhex'd. ResEdit is also included for debugging type/creators. Please see the Read Me.1st in the archive for usage and other details.

Fix-a-Fork may not be copied, modified, or distributed. It is "provided "as is" without warranty.

Please note I do plan to publish the source code for 1.0 (or sooner) - but for now I'm using this as a learning experience.

This will be integrated into the BlueSCSI Toolbox apps as well as a standalone app.

Beta1 Known issues/behaviors:

• Custom Icons - If you do not have the app that registered an Icon for the type/creator that is set, you still wont have a custom icon - This is related to how MacOS handled icons.
• Custom Icons - If you have the window open when the type/creator is updated by FaF then you may need to close and re-open the window to see the updated icon. There may be a way for me to force a Desktop DB refresh of the file/folder.
• It will not work on MFS - and I don't currently plan to support it for 1.0

Beta 2 Plan:

• Add help - eg if you're on a 68000 processor and the archive is stuffit 5 - you're out of luck
• Add DND support for folders
• UX improvements

 

[SharedCow]

I’d be very interested to help. I’m currently in the throes of setting up a PowerBook, transferring lots of files and trying various apps.

 

[Mac84]

Awesome work! I'd love to test this out!

 

[3lectr1c]

Definitely going to use this...BUT! What if fix-a-fork itself loses its resource fork in the transfer

 

[Crutch]

Ooo I like it. Great idea, would love to give it a try.

(instant affordance suggestion: stick a “hand doing thing” design atop that icon so it looks like a utility application instead of a document )

 

[scj312]

Oooh, this is super useful! I’d love to test it out.

 

[Eric's Edge]

Count me in!

 

[max1zzz]

Would be interested in testing it too, I actually have a folder of resource fork stripped files that where uploaded to my server over the years, mostly a mix of Disk Copy and SMI images IIRC. Will send a DM when I get back form work

 

[flufflepuck]

I'd love to be a beta tester as well!

 

[eric]

I've uploaded beta 1 to the first post, give it a try! If you find an issue or unexpected behavior please be as detailed as possible. Say what you did, what you expected, and what actually happened. ResEdit is included to help your bug reports.

 

[mihai]

Works great in Infinite Mac (Basilisk II/SheepShaver have a mapping from file extension to type/creator code, but it's not foolprof). Happy to include it in the disk image (even its beta form) if you'd like.

 

[eric]

Thanks for the pointer on Bii/SS - I think vMac ImportFl also has a mapping (though it's wrong in some cases, but usually close enough). Please hold off on including it on Infinite Mac for now, would like to get a 1.0 before putting it in the hands of everyone

 

[Eric's Edge]

Tested on single and multiple files (about 20) of AIFF and MOD. Worked great on both. I also used a file that was already corrected without issue.
PowerBook G3 running OS 8.6.

 

[VicNor]

Sign me up

 

[eric]

Sign me up

It's posted on the initial post, give it a try! (opted for an open beta after i fixed a majority of the issues)

Anyone have any feedback on the UX? Is a dialog and drag and drop good enough for this app?

 

[TT/30]

I tried with several different files and works great.

It seems like these aren't recognized, but maybe they don't have resource forks?
.zip
.mid (midi)
.cpt
.sitx
.image

 

[eric]

I tried with several different files and works great.

It seems like these aren't recognized, but maybe they don't have resource forks?
.zip
.mid (midi)
.cpt
.sitx
.image

What do you mean when you say they're not recognized? does the app show an alert with an error saying it couldn't determine the type/creator?

zip, midi, cpt, image should all work - can you use ResEdit goto File -> Get info -> select the file and verify they do have the type/creator set?

.sitx is way too new isnt it? This is for system 6 through 9.

Note if you, say, dont have MacZip or Compact Pro installed you wont get their custom icons (as MacOS has no way to know what those icons should/would be)

If after that you have some files you still think should be fixed that are not please send them to me and I'll take a look.

 

[Eric's Edge]

It's posted on the initial post, give it a try! (opted for an open beta after i fixed a majority of the issues)

Anyone have any feedback on the UX? Is a dialog and drag and drop good enough for this app?

I prefer a simple user experience. Drag and drop just works.

 

[3lectr1c]

Posting here now from my PowerBook G4 DLSD. Pretty slow but it's still doable to use the forums on it.

The reason I'm here is that I'm bridging the beta over to a classic Mac OS system using it which I'll then test it out on. Let's see if it will recover the "forked" (haha) copies of FrameMaker 5.5 that I have.

 

[3lectr1c]

Worked fine on some stuffit files.
Did not work on system extensions and MacFilm files (the second of which is probably expected, it’s a small piece of software)