Default App is a MacOS 8 utility that allows you to open documents matching certain file/creator types with the applications you specify, instead of the applications that created those documents.
For instance, Default App can be configured so that when you double-click a SimpleText document in the Finder, it gets opened in a more powerful text editor, like Style or Tex-Edit Plus. Or you can have Script Editor compiled scripts opened with Script Debugger. Or Internet Explorer documents opened with HTML Viewer. Well, you get the idea.
How Do I Configure Default App?
Suppose you want to configure Default App so that SimpleText read-only documents (the ones with the gray newspaper icon) are opened with Style (a cool text editor by yours truly):
1. Open Default App. You are presented with a window with two panels: a Document Kinds panel on the left and an Applications panel on the right (see the figure).
2. Drag a SimpleText read-only document from the Finder to the Document Kinds panel.
3. Drag Style from the Finder to the Applications panel.
4. Click the SimpleText read-only document icon in the Document Kinds panel.
5. Click the Style icon in the Applications panel.
6. That’s it! You have established a mapping.
To make sure it really works, double-click the SimpleText document in the Finder (you don’t even have to close the control panel first).
Now suppose you want to undo this mapping, so that SimpleText documents are once again opened normally, using SimpleText:
1. Open Default App.
2. Click the SimpleText document icon in the Document Kinds panel.
3. Hit delete.
Simple, huh?
How Do I Install Default App?
Just drag Default App onto your system folder icon. The Finder will ask you if you want to put it in your Control Panels folder, where it belongs. Click OK. That’s all.
By the way, you don’t need to restart your computer in order for Default App to start working.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can you make a version of Default App that works with System 7.x?
A: Probably yes, but chances are it would have to patch traps or otherwise interact with the Finder in ugly ways. Default App does its magic by using a little known (but documented) “hook” introduced in version 8.0 of the Finder specifically for this purpose (if you’re curious, this hook is documented in technote #1102). It doesn’t patch any traps or do anything else that’s likely to jeopardize the stability of the system.
Q: Does Default App have anything to do with MacOS Easy Open?
A: No. Default App and MacOS Easy Open are two totally different pieces of software that serve different purposes. Easy Open gets into play when the creator of the document is missing — it does nothing if you have the creator application installed. Default App, on the other hand, is meant mostly for those cases when the creator application is present, but you don’t want to use it (SimpleText being a typical case). And by the way, Default App doesn’t touch the Easy Open mappings database.
Q: Can you base the app selection on the last three characters of the file name (i.e., on the DOS/Windoze extension)?
A: Good suggestion. Version 1.0b3 supports this (see below).
Version History
1997-08-17 1.0d0 First attempt: Default App is a faceless application
1997-08-19 1.0b1 Completely rewritten as a small extension
1997-12-28 1.0b2 Rewritten as a MacOS 8-style control panel
1998-01-26 1.0b3 Some bug fixes, IC mappings support (experimental)
1998-04-21 1.0 First final release
What’s New in Version 1.0?
Not much has changed since version 1.0b3:
• Default App is now shareware (US$ 10). Registrations are handled by Kagi (see the separate “How to Register” document).
• If you hold down the option key while dragging a document icon from the Finder to the Document Kinds panel, Default App will add a generic document kind to the list. A generic document kind will match any document with the same file type, regardless of its creator type.
For example, if you drag a SimpleText text document to the Document Kinds panel while holding down the option key, all text documents (not just text documents created by SimpleText) will be mapped to the application you specify.
• Added a “Register Online” item to the Help menu that takes you to the online registration web page for Default App.
• Added Balloon Help for windows and menus.
• Several minor cosmetic bug fixes.
What Was New in Version 1.0b3?
Here’s a detailed change summary, for those who care about these things:
• Added a new experimental feature: support for Internet Config file mappings. You can now configure Default App so that it picks applications based on the extension (e.g., .txt, .gif, .jpeg, etc.) of the document instead of its creator and file type. When this feature is enabled, Default App will use the applications selected in the File Mappings panel of Internet Config. To enable this feature, select “Options...” from the Edit menu and check the “Use Internet Config Mappings” box, as in the figure below:
You can choose “Internet Config Mappings...” from the Edit menu to open the File Mappings panel in Internet Config (assuming it’s installed on your system).
This feature is still largely untested and it can increase the time it takes to open documents.
• Removed all dependencies on MacOS Easy Open; Default App will no longer complain if MacOS Easy Open is not installed.
• Default App will now use generic icons for unknown document kinds.
• Added Internet links to the Help menu.
Technical Support
If you have questions, suggestions, words of appreciation or bug reports, you can contact us at the following address:
<mailto:support@merzwaren.com>
New versions of Default App will be made available through our web page:
