The drag and drop utilities accompanying this document can help you repair the custom icons and bundles of files damaged by FirstClass. This problem occurs to all files with custom icons, and to all applications, extensions and control panels that are attached to FirstClass messages without being compressed first.
If you regularily upload or download from a FirstClass BBS, or if you are a FirstClass developer or a programmer at SoftArc, you may find the information in this document useful.
(If you do not use FirstClass, or if you have purchased and regularily use a disk analysis program that is capable of repairing bundle bit problems and custom icon problems then you may not require the procedures outlined in this document.)
Unfortunately it is up to you to manually use ResEdit to determine whether files you've downloaded from a FirstClass system need to be fixed: I have included some basic ResEdit instructions near the end of this document.
The Problem with FirstClass
When you download a Macintosh document with a custom icon from a FirstClass BBS, the custom icon does not appear. (Custom icons are usually a miniature 256 color version of the larger image stored in the document.) Actually, the icon is still contained within the file, but the Finder does not know it is there because an attribute of the file called the hasCutsomIcon bit was not enabled by FirstClass when you downloaded the document. This is unfortunate because many users like to uploads GIFs, JPEGs and PICTs with beautiful custom icons to FirstClass BBSes.
A similar and more serious problem occurs when one attaches a Macintosh application to a message using FirstClass: the hasBundle bit is not enabled. This bit is used to tell the Finder that this application contains special information which should be copied into the desktop database for future reference: what kind of files the application can open, what are the icons for the application and those documents, and which files are permitted to be dragged-and-dropped under System 7.
I have not been able to determine whether it is the uploaders FirstClass client, the server or the downloaders client which loses track of this information.
This has always been a problem in the FirstClass software, and it still occurs with the FirstClass Client version 2.6. This problem has caused me great frustration and extra work as a files administrator of a FirstClass online system. Users often upload uncompressed applications and uncompressed images. The applications, INITs and CDEVs I must manually download, repair with ResEdit, package into an archive with a compression utility, and reupload. Images generally already contain some sort of compression, and to allow Windows users to easily download GIFs and JPEGs I don't require that they be compressed first (I do ask users to compress Macintosh PICTs).
Strangely enough, the online user help for the FirstClass Client claims that integrity of attached files is maintained.
"Any file from any computer can be transferred without loss of information. This includes graphics, sound and special application dependent files (spreadsheets, word processor documents etc.)."
I have attempted to make the developers of SoftArc aware of this information via the OneNet conference: FirstClass Suggestions on more than one occasion, but I have no way of knowing if they have ever recieved any of the messages I have sent them in the past few years. The fact that the is still present using the current FirstClass client version 2.6 could indicate that SoftArc did not receive my suggestions or they simply do not care.
Quick Check for Custom Icons:
When you have more than one file it is convenient to use a utility such as an autotyper which can enable or disable file bits in batches, rather than one-at-a-time with ResEdit.
If you supect that your graphics images have custom icons which are not visible, drag them all onto the program FC-CustomIcon on. IMPORTANT: next you must restart the Finder. When the Finder returns it may be that some or all of your documents now have custom icons. Drag the rest of the files that still don't have icons onto FC-CustomIcon off to turn the custom icon bits for those files off again.
How to use ResEdit to Check your files for damage from FirstClass:
ResEdit is handy for making changes to a small number of files and it is also required to manually repair BNDL bits.
Did you download anything from a FirstClass BBS? Did you download any files that were not compressed? Did you download any applications, extensions, control panels or graphics images that were not compressed in an archive? If you didn't do any of these things and don't plan to, then FirstClass shouldn't be a problem for you.
Open the questionable file(s) with ResEdit. If you are a novice ResEdit user please work on a backup copy of your files.
1) If the files are applications, extensions or control panels check if there is a resource called BNDL. Most applications, extensions, and control panels have this. If the file doesn't have this resource, then you are okay. Skip Step 3 and 4.
2) If the files are images, look for a resource called icl8. (Custom icons are kept with the ID number -16455.) If the file doesn't have this resource, then you are okay. Skip step 3 and 4.
3) Don't close anything yet. Next, choose the Get Info menu item within ResEdit. Near the bottom you will see checkboxes for "has BNDL" and "use Custom Icon". You can turn on the required bits here, depending whether you have a damaged application or document.
4) Quit ResEdit and save the changes. The Finder will not recognise custom icons until you restart the Finder or make a copy of the file in the Finder. The Finder does not recognise new bundle bits you set yourself until you rebuild your desktop (hold down option and command while restarting until you are asked if you want to rebuild the desktop.)
The opinions expressed herein are those of myself ONLY and do not necessarily reflect those of Magic Online Services Toronto.
