Saving Data

        There are four types of data that can be saved:  data from the help window, palettes, parameters for fractal creation, and the fractal's graphic image.  For information regarding saving the help information, see the section on the Help System.  Saving palette information is described in the Applying Color section.

        Data directly related to generating fractals can be saved and reloaded for future use.  This enables you to continue exploration of a fractal where you left off.  To save the fractal's settings, select either Save or Save As from the File menu.  The difference between these menu items is that Save As will always prompt the user for a file name and location, while Save only presents this dialog once and continually saves the data to the same file.  Saved data can be reopened with the Open command from the File menu.

        The parameters file can contain additional information, such as the palette and fractal image (only for registered copies of Color Fractal Generator).  Two preferences enable these options: Save Generated Fractal and Save Palette.  Save Generated Fractal permits the user to save either a complete or partial fractal image inside the file.  Thus, if generation could not be completed for some reason, the partial fractal image could be saved and one could start regenerating from where the creation process left off.  Saving the palette inside a file prevents the user from needing to save the palette as a separate file and load the palette after loading the fractal.

        To save the image as a PICT file, you need a registered copy of the program.  Selecting Save PICT from the File menu will save either the complete or partial fractal image as a PICT file for opening in another application.  Only the actual picture is saved to this file, so one cannot continue exploration of the fractal world by only saving the image.

        The Save PICT creates a color PICT file that many graphic applications can open.  The user can modify the default program that opens the file.  To do so, the user needs some knowledge of ResEdit and file types.  NOTE:  please work only on copies of the actual application since an inappropriately modified file may not function properly.

        Currently, the default creator is Adobe Photoshop (creator type (signature): '8BIM').  If you know the application signature to use as the default PICT creator, open the Color Fractal Generator application with ResEdit (or another resource editor) and edit the resource of type 'Data' and ID 128 (name is "default PICT creator").  Replace the signature '8BIM' (signature is the 4 characters between the single quotes) with the desired signature and save the file.  If everything went correctly, CFG will now save a PICT file as an image created by the desired application.