This application is is a pretty neat utility designed to create mini icons for the aliases of files.
* What is “PetitIcon” used for?
On my Desktop, I’ve lined up lots of aliases of applications and utilities I use often. This makes it possible for me to drag and drop a certain file to open it in an application other than its original creator. Besides, Macintosh drag and drop feature is convenient when I want to open multiple files with a single application at the same time. This is much easier than going all through the menu to do the same thing. However, when these alias icons are all lined up, they take up a lot of space (especially when you’re not using a large screen). If you’re not careful, the bottom fourth of your screen may get littered with icons. It can get really messy!
I wanted to find a way to make a small icon display just like with View menu’s “Small icon” selection in the Finder.
First, I copied a small icon with ResEdit and pasted it into a file’s icon field in its “Get Info...” window, but that left a big space between the file name and icon, which didn’t look good at all. It sort of looked like this…
Next, I pasted a small icon into a large icon frame and then adjusted the position of the small icon to the bottom of the frame. Then I pasted this large icon box (with blank space on the top) onto the Finder. It came out looking like this.
Once you get the hang of it, it’s not so difficult, but having to do it every time you find a new application or utility you like can be a hassle.
So, I decided to make an application myself that would paste a customized icon onto an alias automatically.
I think “PetitIcon” can be a God-send, really neat utility for people like myself who tends to mess around with lots of stuff on the Desktop. And I think having all those mini-icons lined up on my Desktop is rather cute, attractive to my eyes and, best of all, useful.
* So, what exactly does “PetitIcon” do?
It allows you to “make an alias” of the selected file, copy its 16x16 dot small icon from the original file, and paste it anywhere within the alias’ 32x32 dot icon frame at your descretion.
When a file without a small icon (for example, files that already have a customized icon, etc.) is selected, “PetitIcon” automatically shrinks a 32x32 dot large icon into the small icon space. In this case, “PetitIcon” can work with anti-aliasing mode on or off.
If you do not need a “PetitIconed” mini icon any longer, you can delete it in a “Get Info…” dialogue. Whatever was in the Get Info box of the file originally will be back in place.
* New features and changes in Version 1.1
• “PetitIcon” no longer pastes small incon(s) directly to the original
file(s). (Mini icons will be pasted only onto the alias of files.)
• You can now “PetitIcon” folder(s) as well.
• “PetitIcon” will pastes its original mini icon for applications or files which
themselves do not initially include an icon. (In version 1.0, the process ended
without any pasting since an icon couldn’t be located.)
• You can now specify the directory where created aliases will be saved. This
can be either on the Desktop or in a certain folder. (So, if you use “PetitIcon”
on multiple files simultaneously, you can “Save all” without saving each file
individually.)
• You can now specify the suffix string to be added to file names. (In version
1.0, the suffix was fixed at “.Pi”.)
• You can now adjust the position of the mini icon within the icon frame.
• Fixed a bug that “PetitIconed” mini icons got smooshed up (crushed) when
“Small icon” was selected.
• Fixed a bug where a bus error would occur (at times) when multiple files
were drag-and-dropped simultaneously.
* How to Use “PetitIcon”
1. Double click to launch “PetitIcon” and execute “Create a mini icon…”
command from “PetitIcon’s” File menu to select a target file.
Or more simply, just drag and drop the target file(s) onto “PetitIcon.”
When you want to “PetitIcon” folder(s), choose “Create Mini Icon…” from the
File menu in “PetitIcon,” locate any folder you want in the Macintosh
Standard Open/Save File Dialogue, and then click the “Select” button to select
the desired folder.
2. The dialogue box shown next will appear for specifying options.
Here, you can turn on or off anti-aliasing mode as well as specifying a
new file name suffix. (Default suffix is set as “.Pi”.) If you don’t want any
suffix, clear the string in the suffix field.
3. To adjust the position of the mini icon, click the “Set…” button. A new dialogue
box will appear as (shown) below.
You can drag the mini icon around freely, or use the arrow keys to adjust the
mini icon’s position within the icon frame.
Once you adjusted the mini icon’s position, that would become a new default
setting.
If you want to put the mini icon back to the original default place (that is,
centered just above the file name), just click the “Default” button.
4. You then will be asked a directory where to save the new mini icon file.
If you want to save them on the Desktop, click the “Desktop” button.
To save aliases in a folder, first click the “Folder…” button, then locate the
desired folder from Standard Open/Save File Dialogue as in Step 1. and click
the “Select Here” button.
Tips!
You can also create an alias on the Desktop without having to go through the option
dialogue boxes simply by pressing the “Command-key” while drag-and-dropping
the desired file(s) onto “PetitIcon. ” (You cannot specify any options in this case,
though.)
* Why would I want to adjust the position of the mini icon?
If you think the default position of the mini icon is too close to the file name, or if you want to do something creative with your Desktop, adjusting the position of the mini icon can come in handy.
For example, you can group together the icons of four different file aliases. Using the “Set…” button, you can adjust the mini icons of four aliases to the four corners in the large icon frame. By pressing the “Command-key,” you can adjust the four icons to fit neatly above the alias file name, or you can turn “Always snap to grid” option on in Apple’s “View” control panel. The finished thing looks something like this.
* Operating Environment
System 7 dependent: You need to have System 7 or later.
* Disclaimer
Even though I tested the program and reviewed this document, THE AUTHOR MAKES NO WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER. THIS SOFTWARE (THE PROGRAM AND THE DOCUMENTATION) IS PRESENTED “AS IS” AND USERS SHALL ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK IN USAGE ON YOUR OWN. IN NO EVENT, WILL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY DEFFECT IN THE SOFTWARE OR ITS DOCUMENTATION, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. In particular, THE AUTHOR SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY LOSS OF DATA WHATSOEVER IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE USAGE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
* Final Words
This program is a freeware. I reserve the copyright to this program. If you have any thoughts, complaints, or ideas about this program, I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at:
--> NikkeiMIX: julien
OneNet: Julien,Hideout
Or, for those of you who do not have an account on either of the above, please contact:
--> AOL: tohruo@aol.com
AppleLink: ALINKJAPAN1@applelink.apple.com
AppleLink: ALINKJAPAN2@applelink.apple.com
CIS: 101201.72@compuserve.com
Delphi: tohruo@delphi.com
Internet: tohruo@glocom.ac.jp
NIF: jab00072@niftyserve.or.jp
The abovementioned person will cooperate me in uploading updated versions to these networks when ready and forwarding your comments/bug reports to me.
Thanks for taking time out to read through this ‘ReadMe’ about “PetitIcon” !
