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Info

Zeta is using attributes to set the file type. Attributes are a far more advanced way of setting the file type, compared to the old file extensions used in other operating systems: .exe, .gif and .html.

 

Info

Changes you make in this window apply to all files that you selected in the Tracker window.

 

 

 

 
FileTypes - What Fileformat?

A file's file type describes the data that the file contains. File types are used by the system - and Tracker in particular - to figure out how to deal with a file. For example, the file type determines which application opens a file when you double-click it. FileTypes lets you change the characteristics that pertain to a particular file type, and also lets you set the file types of specific files.

When you launch FileTypes you see this window:

The left side of the window is a scrolling list of all the file types known to your system. File types are broken into broad categories (application, audio, image, etc.). The system adds new file types automatically when you install new applications; you can also manually add and remove types from the list via the dialogs accessed through the Add... and Remove buttons beneath the scrolling list.

A file type is associated with the icon that appears in the Icon box. Double-clicking in the Icon box (which will be empty if the type doesn't yet have an icon) launches the Icon-O-Matic application, which lets you create and modify icons.


The File Extensions section displays the file name extensions (such as ".html", ".gif", and so on) that are associated with a file type. If a file doesn't have a file type assigned to it already, the system will look at the file's extension to try figure out what the type should be. After the type is assigned, the file's extension is ignored (by the file-typing mechanism).

The file type Description is a human-readable description of a file type.

The Preferred Application is the app that's launched when you double-click a file of the given type. See "The FileType Add-on" section, below, for a description of ways to do this.

The Extra Attributes section lists the additional attributes that are associated with a file type. A Tracker window knows how to display these extra attributes when it's in List View mode. Although you can add and remove attributes yourself, it's best to leave these operations to applications and the system.

 

The FileType Add-on
Another way to access FileTypes is to use the FileType add-on in a Tracker window. This is a convenient way to change the file type, or other characteristic, of a specific file.

To launch the add-on, open a Tracker window, highlight one or more files, and select Add-Ons > FileType from the window's File menu or from the file's context menu.

In the File Type section is the file type associated with the file(s). There are four ways to change the type:

  • Enter (as text) the file type in the text field.

  • Click Select... and choose a type from the list of all types known to the system.

  • Click Same as... to make the type of this file the same as some other file (which you choose from the file selection panel that's displayed).

  • Drag and drop a file onto the File Type section of the panel; the file that you're examining assumes the type of the dropped file.

The Preferred Application section of the dialog lets you associate a particular application with the file(s) in one of these ways:

  • Choose an application from the popup menu.

  • Click Select... to bring up a file selection panel, and choose an application by locating it in the file system.

  • Make it the same as the application associated with another file via the Same as... button.

  • Drag and drop the desired application onto the Preferred Application section of the window.

The box on the right side of the window displays the file's icon (if it has one). To create a new icon or edit the existing one, double-click inside the box to launch the Icon-O-Matic application.

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