This document provides a detailed description of menu commands and dialog items for BrainHex. Most of this information is also available in either the BrainHex.readme document or in the Balloon Help within BrainHex.
ﾗ File Menu
･ New Data Fork (Command-N). Open an untitled window for creation of a data fork. When the window is to be saved, the user will be given a Save As... dialog.
･ New Resource Fork. Open an untitled window for creation of a resource fork. Same rules apply as the New Data Fork command.
･ Open Forkﾉ (Command-O). Open a fork of an existing file. The Open dialog presented allows you to select which fork to open. The custom radio buttons are described below.
･ Close (Command-W). Close the front-most window. If the window is dirty, the user will be asked whether to save, cancel or discard changes.
･ Save (Command-S). Save the contents of the front-most window. Only available if the window is dirty.
･ Save As... Save the contents of the front-most window to a new file, or over the top of an existing file. Selecting an existing file to replace will cause only the data fork of that file to be replaced.
･ Export Dump... Save the dump as a text file, formatted approximately equivalent to the fork window, for perusal via a text editor. Display options for the fork window, such as Decimal Addresses, Show All ASCII and Show High ASCII, also apply to the exported dump file.
･ Revert Forkﾉ Discard the current contents of the front-most window and re-read the data from the source file. Only available if the window is dirty.
･ Resolve Alias. If the front Fork Window is from an Alias file, this item causes the alias to be resolved and the default fork (as defined in preferences) of the original file referenced by the alias to be opened into a new Fork Window.
･ Launch File To ->. This item leads to the Launch File sub-menu, described below.
･ Page Setup... Standard stuff. Options set in the Page Setup dialog are saved and used as the default whenever BrainHex is run.
･ Print... or Print Selection... (Command-P). Print the frontmost window, or the selected portion of the frontmost window. Prints the contents of the fork, or selected lines of the fork, formatted approximately equivalent to the fork window. Display options for the fork window, such as Decimal Addresses, Show All ASCII and Show High ASCII, also apply to the print.
･ Quit (Command-Q). Quit BrainHex, first prompting to save any dirty windows.
ﾗ Edit Menu
･ Undo (Command-Z). Allows undo and redo of the latest fork-changing operation, including typing, cutting, pasting, deleting and use of the Edit Selection dialog.
･ Cut (Command-X). Copies selected data to the clipboard and deletes it from the fork displayed. This is available only if the fork is unlocked. Note that it is the DATA that is put into the clipboard, not the Hex or ASCII representation of the data viewed on the screen.
･ Copy (Command-C). Copies selected data to the clipboard and deletes it from the fork displayed. This is available whether the fork is unlocked or not. Note that it is the DATA that is put into the clipboard, not the Hex or ASCII representation of the data viewed on the screen.
･ Paste (Command-V). Paste the current contents of the clipboard into the open fork at the current cursor position, deleting any selected data. When pasting while in overwrite mode, the paste is still inserted prior to the current cursor position, and no existing data is deleted unless it is selected.
･ Clear (Command-,(comma)). Delete current selection.
･ Select All (Command-A). Select all data in the front-most window.
･ Preferences... Display the Preferences Dialog (see below) to allow customization of certain interface features.
NOTE: BrainHex' use of the clipboard (cut, copy, paste) is always based upon the data, not the representation of that data. For example, selecting a byte in a Hex box that is shown as "4A" and copying it to the clipboard will not copy the characters "4A", but rather the value 4A hex (74 decimal, or the ASCII character "J"). The reverse applies for pasting from the clipboard - if the clipboard contains the text "4A", and that is pasted into a Hex box, the characters "4A" will be inserted (as seen in the ASCII box), which will show a Hex representation of "3441".
ﾗ Tools Menu
･ Unlock (Command-L). Toggle between Read-Only and Modifyable modes. If switching from Modifyable to Read-Only, the user will be prompted to save, cancel or discard changes.
･ Insert Mode (Command-¥). Toggle between insert and overwrite typing modes. When in Insert Mode, the cursor will be a blinking vertical bar, and typing a character will be cause it to be inserted prior to the character to the right of the cursor, causing all following characters to be shifted one position to the right. When in Overwrite Mode, the cursor will be a box around the current character, and typing a character will cause it to replace the character in the box.
･ Show High ASCII (Command-H). Toggle between display of characters in the ASCII range 0x80 thru 0xFF as high-ASCII characters or a periods. This is useful when looking through binary forks for readable text values. Note that this mode varies the results of double-clicking in the ASCII text box of a window. When in High ASCII mode, High ASCII characters will be considered part of a word to be selected. When not showing High ASCII characters, they will not be considered part of a word to be selected. Note that disabling this mode automatically disables Show All ASCII mode as well, if it is on.
･ Show All ASCII. Toggle between display of generally non-displayable characters (represented by their Hex values in the Hexus font) and showing these characters as single dots. Note that enabling this mode automatically enables Show High ASCII mode as well, if it is not already on.
･ Decimal Addresses. Toggle between display of addresses in Decimal or Hexadecimal.
･ Shut Up! Toggle sound effects on and off.
･ Jump To... (Command-J). Display the Jump To Dialog (see below) to allow entry of a destination address or offset, and a count of bytes to select at the new location. If the dialog is cancelled, the current cursor position and selection will remain unchanged. If the Jump is executed, the previous position and selection information will be saved for use with the Jump Back command.
･ Jump Back (Command-B). Return to the cursor position and selection that were current prior to the last Jump... or Jump Back command.
･ Findﾉ (Command-F). Display the Find/Replace Dialog (see below) to allow entry of a Find Value to search for. A Find may or may not actually be executed, depending upon the button used to exit the Find Dialog.
･ Enter Selection (Command-E). Save the currently selected data as the new Find Value, without bringing up the Find dialog or actually executing a Find.
･ Find Again (Command-G). Find the next occurrence of the current Find value. If the shift key is held down, the previous occurrence will be found instead of the next occurrence. This item is not available if there is no Find value.
･ Replace (Command-T). Replace the current selection with the Replace value. This item is not available if there is no Find value or if no data is selected.
･ Replace & Find Again (Command-Y). Replace the current selection with the Replace value, then find the next occurrence of the Find value. Hold shift to find the previous occurrence instead. This item is not available if there is no Find value or if no data is selected.
･ Replace All. Replace all occurrences of the Find value with the Replace value from the cursor to the end of the file. Hold the Shift key to replace to the beginning of the file instead. This item is not available if there is no Find value.
･ Edit Finder Info... (Command-I) Display a dialog allowing information about the file to be viewed and modified, including file type and creator, comment and various Finder flags.
･ Edit Selection... Display a dialog allowing editing of the current selection (1-4 bytes) in a variety of formats.
ﾗ Windows Menu
･ Open "Other" Fork. Causes a BrainHex window with the "other" fork (data if editing resource, resource if editing data) to be displayed as the front window. If the other fork is not currently open, it will automatically be opened.
･ Next Window. If multiple BrainHex fork windows are open, switch to the next window in the list.
･ Previous Window. If multiple BrainHex fork windows are open, switch to the previous window in the list.
･ window list. Select any window from the list of open windows to jump directly to it. The window marked with the diamond is the current front window. Any window displayed with an underline has been modified since it was last saved.
ﾗ Launch Menu
This is a sub-menu of the Launch File To -> item in the File menu.
･ Creating Application. This item causes BrainHex to ask the Finder to open the front document with the application that created it, if possible. If the document is open and unlocked in any BrainHex Fork Windows, it will be locked and you will be prompted to save changes if necessary before BrainHex sends the document to its creating application.
･ Modify this menuﾉ This item calls up the Launcher Editor dialog, which lets you add and remove custom launcher applications from this menu.
･ custom launchers. Any other items in this menu are "custom launcher applications" which are configured via the Modify this menuﾉ item described above. Selecting a custom launcher causes BrainHex to ask the Finder to open the specified application, then to ask that application to open the front document. As with the Creating Application item above, BrainHex will lock any unlocked windows into this document before sending it to the chosen application.
ﾗ Dashboard
There are several icon buttons displayed at the top of a BrainHex window. These buttons generally provide alternative access to menu commands. The buttons include:
･ Unlock Fork (a Padlock, in locked or unlocked state). Same as Unlock Fork menu item.
･ Find... (a magnifying glass with an ellipses). Same as Find... menu item.
･ Find Again (a magnifying glass by itself). Same as Find Again menu item, except that it brings up the Find Dialog if no find string is currently defined. Like the Find Again menu item, holding the Shift key while clicking this button causes a backward search.
･ Replace (00 overwriting FF). Replace the current selection with the contents of the "Replace" data entered in the Find/Replace dialog.
･ Replace & Find Again (Combined Replace and Find buttons). Replace current selection thend Find next occurrence of the Find data. Again, Shift makes the search go backward.
･ Show All ASCII (a little F and a big F with or without a red circle and slash, representing the display of the character 0xFF when this mode is enabled). Same as Show All ASCII menu item.
･ High ASCII (the PI character (ｹ) with or without a red circle and slash). Same as High ASCII menu item.
･ Insert Mode (the letter B squeezing between an A and a C, or replacing the C). Same as Insert Mode menu item.
･ Jump (a Kangaroo). Clicking this button is equivalent to the Jump To... menu command. Clicking this button with the Shift key held down □is equivalent to the Jump To ... command with automatic execution - the Jump To Dialog will not be displayed.
･ Other Fork (a red trident). Clicking this button causes a BrainHex window with the "other" fork (data if editing resource, resource if editing data) to be displayed as the front window. If the other fork is not currently open, it will automatically be opened.
･ File Info: (box displaying current EOF, file type and creator). Same as Edit Finder Info... menu item.
･ Selection Info: (box displaying current selection offset (in decimal and hex) and length). Same as the Jump button.
･ Selected Value: (box containing current selection of 1-4 bytes as Decimal, Octal and Binary values). Same as Edit Selection... menu item.
ﾗ Open Fork Dialog
When you select the Open Forkﾉ menu item from the File menu, you are presented with the normal Open dialog, except that a group of radio buttons has been added to the bottom of the dialog. These radio buttons determine what fork of the selected file to open, and whether or not to resolve aliases. They can be selected by clicking with the mouse or by using Command-F or Command-Shift-F to switch to the next or previous option. The options include:
･ Preference. Open the default fork, as defined by the drag-and-drop option in the Preferences dialog.
･ Data. Open the data fork of the selected file.
･ Resource. Open the resource fork of the selected file.
･ Alias File. Show only Alias files in the current directory, and open the resource fork of the selected Alias file itself, rather than opening the original file the Alias file references.
ﾗ Find/Replace Dialog
The Find/Replace Dialog is displayed in response to selecting the Find... item in the Tools menu, or clicking on the Find button on the dashboard. The dialog contains the following items:
･ Data to Find. This is a text edit field that al□lows entry of an ASCII or Hex string to search for, based on the setting of the Edit Data In Hex checkbox. The string may be a maximum of 255 characters - that's 255 ASCII characters or 254 Hex characters. If the current string is longer than 127 ASCII characters, BrainHex will not allow it to be edited in Hex.
･ Replace selection with. This is a text edit field that allows entry of an ASCII or Hex string to replace the current selection with, based on the setting of the Edit Data in Hex checkbox. The same string limitatations apply as for Data to Find.
･ Edit Data in Hex (Command-H). This checkbox toggles between Hex and ASCII editing of the Data to Find. If the data is displayed in ASCII, then the Hex Search checkbox is turned on, the data will be redisplayed in Hex, and vice-versa.
･ Case Sensitive Search (Command-S). This checkbox toggles between case-sensitive and non-case-sensitive search modes. If the search is case-sensitive, the string "abc" will NOT match the strings "ABC" or "Abc". If the search is not case-sensitive, then the above strings would all match.
･ Find (Command-F). This button will cause the Data to Find to be saved as the current Find Value, then will close the Find Dialog and perform a search. If the Shift key is held down, the search will be backward through the file.
･ Replace (Command-T). This button will replace the current selection with the Replace value. Not available unless there is data selected and there is a Find value.
･ Replace & Find (Command-Y). This button will replace the current selection with the Replace value, then find the next occurrence of the Find value. Hold shift to find the previous occurrence instead. Not available unless there is data selected and there is a Find value.
･ Replace All . This button will replace all occurrences of the Find value with the Replace value from the current cursor position to the end of the file. Hold shift to replace backwards to the beginning of the file instead. Not available unless there is a Find value.
･ Don't Find (Command-D). This button will also save the Data to Find as the current Find Value and close the Find Dialog, but will not perform a search.
･ Cancel (Escape or Command-.). This button will leave the Find Value the same as it was when the Find Dialog was displayed, will close the Find Dialog, and will not perform a search.
ﾗ Jump To Dialog
The Jump To Dialog is displayed in response to selection of the Jump To... item in the Tools menu, or clicking on the Jump button on the dashboard. The dialog contains the following items:
･ Jump Value. This is a text edit field that allows the entry of an absolute or relative address (depending on the Relative Jump checkbox) to jump to, in Decimal or Hexadecimal numbers (depending on the Hex Addresses checkbox).
･ Selection Length. This is a text edit field that allows the entry of the number of bytes to be selected from the new cursor position after executing the Jump, in Decimal or Hexadecimal numbers, depending upon the setting of the Hex Addresses checkbox.
･ Relative Jump. This is a checkbox that indicates whether the new cursor position, upon execution of the Jump, will be the absolute Jump Value, or the sum of the Jump Value and the current Cursor Address.
･ Cursor Address. This is a static (unchangeable) text item showing the current cursor address, in decimal or hexadecimal numbers (depending on the Hex Addresses checkbox).
･ Relative Jump To. This is a static (unchangeable) text item showing what the new cursor position would be should a relative jump be executed based on the current Jump Value. This value is the sum of the Jump Value and the Cursor Address, and is displayed in decimal or hexadecimal numbers (depending on the Hex Addresses checkbox).
･ Hex Addresses. This is a checkbox that indicates whether the Jump Value, Selection Length, Cursor Address and Relative Jump To values are to be displayed as decimal or as hexadecimal numbers.
･ Jump. This button causes the dialog to be closed and the cursor position and current selection to be updated based on the information entered in the dialog. The previous position and selection information will be saved for use with the Jump Back command.
･ Cancel. This button causes the dialog to be closed and the cursor position and current selection to be left untouched.
The default values displayed in the Jump To Dialog when it is brought up are as follows:
･ If the current selection is 4, 6 or 8 bytes long, the first four bytes will be used as the default Jump Value (if within the range of the file), and the following 2 or 4 bytes (if available) will be used as the default Selection Length.
･ Failing that, if the Relative Jump To checkbox was set the last time the Jump To Dialog was executed, the dialog will default to the same values as the last time the Jump To Dialog was executed.
･ Failing that, the dialog will default to the Jump Back values (the last location jumped from) for the front window (initially zero).
ﾗ Preferences Dialog
The Preferences Dialog is displayed in response to selection of the Preferences... item in the Edit menu. This dialog allows the user to customize certain features of the BrainHex interface. The dialog contains the following items:
･ Tools Menu Defaults. These checkboxes specify the default settings of the associated items in the Tools Menu whenever a fork is opened. For example, if the Unlocked checkbox is set, when a fork is opened it will be opened initially in a modifiable state.
･ On Drag-and-Drop Open. These radio buttons specify what fork of a file BrainHex will open when a file is dropped onto the BrainHex icon from the Finder. Different sets of options are provided for when a Shift key is held down, a Command (Apple) key is held down, or no modifier keys are held down. In each case, you have the choice of opening the Data fork, opening the Resource fork, or being prompted for which fork to open.
･ Don't Choose Empty Fork. This checkbox modifies the behavior of the above Drag-and-Drop Open options. If this checkbox is ON, and one fork of a dropped file empty while the other is not, BrainHex will always open the non-empty fork, regardless of the option specified above. If this checkbox is OFF, BrainHex will follow the above options even if it means opening an empty fork.
･ Alias Handling. These radio buttons specify what BrainHex should do when asked to open an Alias file. Different sets of options are provided for when a Shift key is held down, a Command (Apple) key is held down, or no modifier keys are held down. In each case, you have the choice of opening the Original file referenced by the Alias file, opening the Alias file itself, or being prompted for which of these files to open.
･ Suppress Resource Fork Edit Warning. This checkbox can be used to disable the warning dialog that is displayed when a resource fork is being unlocked.
･ OK. This button causes the dialog to be closed and the changes made to the preferences to be saved to the BrainHex Prefs file in the Preferences folder in the System folder.
･ Cancel. This button causes the dialog to be closed and the changed made to be discarded, leaving the previous preference settings in place.
ﾗ Finder Info Dialog
This dialog displays various information about the current file and allows you to rename a file, change its type and creator values, change its comment, change its color (label), and change a number of flags associated with the file. To avoid being overly verbose, I'll just describe the function of the four buttons at the bottom. If you can't figure out what to do with the rest of the dialog, you probably shouldn't do anything.
･ Save. This button will immediately save any changes you have made in this dialog and close the dialog. Note that these changes are written out regardless of whether or not you save any changes to the fork being edited in the main BrainHex window.
･ Cancel. This button will discard any changes you have made in this dialog, and close the dialog. The Finder Info associated with the file will remain unchanged from when you brought up the Finder Info dialog.
･ Revert. This button will discard any changes you have made in this dialog, and will leave the dialog open for further editing. The Finder Info displayed after pressing this button will be identical to when the dialog was initially brought up.
･ Set Like... This button will bring up a Standard Get File dialog, allowing you to locate a file whose Finder Info you would like to duplicate for the current file. If you cancel the Get File dialog, no changes will be made. If, however, you select a file, then all info displayed in the Finder Info dialog, except for the file name, will be set to the same values as the file you located. Also, if the selected file has no comment, any existing comment for the file being edited will not be deleted. After selecting a file or canceling the Get File dialog, you will be returned to the Finder Info dialog for further editing. Holding a shift key when pressing this button allows you to select an Alias file to set like. No changes will be saved until you press the Save button.
ﾗ Edit Selection Dialog
This dialog displays the current selection of 1-4 bytes in ASCII, Hex, Signed and Unsigned Decimal, Octal, Binary (1-2 bytes only) and Roman Numeral (values of 10,000 or less only) representations, and allows editing in any of these representations if the fork is unlocked. The dialog contains the following items:
･ Data Value. This is the current, modifiable value which will replace the current selection when the Update button is clicked. This value is displayed and edited in the current Edit In mode as specified by the radio buttons below.
･ Lock Icon. This icon shows a picture of a closed or open lock, indicating whether or not the value can be edited. If the picture is of a closed lock, you must exit the dialog, unlock the fork, and return to the dialog if you wish to modify the value.
･ Original Value. This is the original, unedited value of the current selection, displayed for reference purposes in the same mode as the Data Value field.
･ Edit In. This set of radio buttons specifies the current editing mode of the above Data Value field, and the display mode of the above Original Value field. The current value is displayed in each mode adjacent to the radio control for that mode. When a new mode is selected, the Data Value and Original Value fields are automatically converted to the new representation. Tab and Shift-Tab can be used to toggle through these op The available modes include:
o ASCII. Raw ASCII data.
o Hex. Hexadecimal value (base 16).
o Signed. Signed integer value (base 10).
o Unsigned. Signed integer value (base 10).
o Octal. Octal value (base 8).
o Binary. Binary value (base 2). Binary mode is available only for selections of 2 bytes or less.
o Roman Numeral. Value in Roman Numeral notation. Roman Numeral mode is available only for selections with a value of 10,000 or less.
･ Update. This button will cause the new value entered here to replace the selected data in the fork window, and the dialog to be closed. This button is only available if the value has been changed. Use the Return or Enter keys as shortcuts for this button.
･ Cancel. This button will discard any changes made in this dialog and will close the dialog. The selection in the fork window will remain untouched. Use Escape or Command-period as shortcuts for this button.
ﾗ Launcher Editor Dialog
This dialog displays a list of currently configured custom launcher applications, and allows you to add new custom launchers and delete launchers from the list. Configured custom launchers show up in the Launch File To sub-menu of the File menu. The dialog contains the following items:
･ Custom Launcher List. This is a list of currently configured custom launcher applications, in the same sequence that they appear in the Launch File To menu. Launchers can be selected by clicking, and multiple launchers can be selected by holding the shift or command keys while clicking.
･ Addﾉ This button allows you to select an application to add to the Custom Launcher List by presenting you with a standard Open File dialog. If an item is currently selected in the Custom Launcher List, the new launcher will be inserted prior to the first selected item. Otherwise, the new item will be appended to the end of the list. Use Command-A as a shortcut for this button.
･ Delete. This button removes the selected item or items from the Custom Launcher List. If no items are selected, this button is disabled. Use the backspace or delete keys as shortcuts for this button.
･ Done. This button closes the dialog. Note that all changes made in this dialog are implemented immediately, and cannot be undone. Use Return, Enter or Command-W as shortcuts for this button.
ﾗ Registration Dialog
This dialog is accessible from the About BrainHexﾉ dialog by pressing the "Register" button. If the button is not available, try holding the shift key while bringing up the About BrainHexﾉ dialog.
This dialog displays registration information and allows you to enter your user ID and registration code. If you do have not registered with BrainScan Software yet, click on the "Edit Form" button, which will bring up the Registration Form dialog, which is described below.
After you have received your registration code from BrainScan Software, use the Registration Dialog to enter yourregistration code, so that BrainHex will no longer display the Register button in the About box, and will not put up the occassional irratating "not registered" dialogs.
Your user ID must be exactly as was given to BrainScan Software with your shareware fee, and you must enter the registration code exactly as was supplied by BrainScan Software. These fields are both case sensitive.
ﾗ Registration Form Dialog
This dialog allows you to enter information requested by BrainScan Software to print out and send in with your shareware fee. Don't supply any information you don't want us to have, but be sure to include the User ID you wish to register as, and contact information so we can send back your registration code.
The following buttons are available:
･ Print. This button will print the form to your currently configured printer. If you cannot print the form, then a written note with the necessary information is acceptable.
･ OK. This button will preserve the contents of the dialog, but will not print the form. You can come back to the dialog later to modify or print its contents.
･ Cancel. This button will close the dialog without preserving changes. Any previously preserved settings will remain intact.
