Stufffolder is a utility program which makes using StuffIt Lite™ as easy as using a folder in the Finder. Instead of opening a StuffIt archive, dragging items into it, and closing the archive again, you simply drag the items onto a ‘Stufffolder’. Stufffolders can be opened with StuffIt Lite™ just like ordinary StuffIt Lite™ archives.
What do you need to run it?
In order to use Stufffolder, you need a Macintosh with AppleScript installed, and a registered version of StuffIt Lite™, version 3.5.
Installation instructions:
Put the file ‘Stufffolder osax’ into the ‘Scripting Additions’ folder. You can find that folder in the Extensions folder, which is in your System Folder. If you do not have a ‘Scripting Additions’ folder, chances are that you need to install AppleScript. That’s all. You do not have to restart your Macintosh to use Stufffolders.
◊ To create a new Stufffolder, run the ‘Stufffolder Creator’ application. A standard ‘Save’ dialog allow you to save a fresh Stufffolder at any place you want to. Alternatively, you can keep an empty Stufffolder around somewhere on your hard disk, and make copies of these to create new Stufffolders.
◊ To open a Stufffolder, double-click it in the Finder.
◊ To move files into a Stufffolder, drag the files onto its icon.
◊ To copy files into a Stufffolder, drag the files onto its icon while holding down the option key.
This sounds too good to be true. Are there any catches?
Here are a few reasons I can think of not to use Stufffolders:
◊ Stufffolder has been tested extensively, but it is not guaranteed to work as advertised. A possible problem I am aware of is that, when multiple windows are open in StuffIt Lite™, Stufffolder may stuff items in the wrong archive. As far as I can tell, this does not occur when Stufffolder is used in conjunction with StuffIt Lite™ 3.5, but it may occur with other versions of StuffIt Lite™. Use Stufffolder at your own risk.
◊ When a file is dragged onto a stufffolder, and the file and stufffolder are on different disks, the file is moved to the stufffolder, not copied, like the Finder would do if the stufffolder were a normal folder.
◊ A Stufffolder is slightly larger than a normal StuffIt Lite™ archive. If your hard-disk is sufficiently large, however, the difference is, for practical purposes, zero. To see the difference for you hard disk, compare the ‘Get Info’ sizes of an empty stufffolder and an empty StuffIt archive. The ‘bytes used’ values will differ by about 5Kb, but it is the difference between the ‘on disk’ values which determines whether Stufffolders fill your hard disk faster than normal StuffIt archives do.
◊ Stufffolder requires one to install a Scripting addition called ‘Stufffolder osax’.
Frequently Asked Questions about Stufffolder
Q: The Finder thinks my stufffolders are applications. Why is that?
A: Because stufffolders actually are tiny applications. They are a kind of variant on StuffIt self-extracting archives. Instead of the extraction code, Stufffolders contain code which reacts properly to double-clicking and opening the archive, and to the dropping of files on Stufffolder.
Q: The Finder does not show stufffolders as opened, when they are opened.
A: Again, this is because the Finder does not know that stufffolders are archives. When opening a stufffolder, the Finder thinks it opens an application, and dims the icon. After that, the application instructs StuffIt Lite™ to open the archive, and quits. When the stufffolder application has quit, the Finder shows the icon in its undimmed state, again.
Q: Why can’t I drop files onto stufffolders stored on floppy disks?
A: Because the Finder does not allow one to drop files onto applications on floppy disks, and stufffolders are actually tiny applications.
Q: I like the idea, but the implementation still has a few rough edges. Will there be any upgrades to Stufffolder?
A: While testing Stufffolder, I learned that StuffIt deLuxe 4.0 comes with what Aladdin calls ‘True Finder Integration’ (TFI™). It is a much nicer implementation of Stufffolder. Unlike Stufffolder, StuffIt deLuxe does not require one to use special StuffIt archives. Also, with StuffIt deLuxe 4.0 the ‘stufffolder behaviour’ is better integrated with the StuffIt product. In short, StuffIt deLuxe is a better product for most users. An advantage of Stufffolder over StuffIt deLuxe I am aware of is that Stufffolder may be compatible with Copland, the upcoming new Macintosh OS. The current version of StuffIt deLuxe certainly is not, since Copland will not run any of the current system extensions. If Copland will run AppleScript additions, Stufffolder should run under Copland.
Q: Does Stufffolder work with StuffIt deLuxe, too?
A: Stufffolder has only been tested with StuffIt Lite™ 3.5. It may work with StuffIt deLuxe 3.5, and certainly does not work with StuffIt deLuxe 4.0.
Q: How does Stufffolder do its magic?
A: Stufffolder effectively is an AppleScript droplet, with a StuffIt archive stored in the data fork of the file. The AppleScript stored inside Stufffolders is included with the Stufffolder distribution. The ‘Stufffolder osax’ is needed to get an alias to the current process. Its second function ‘front process’ is not used by ‘Stufffolder’, but may be of use to others.
Q: Can I contact the author via E-mail?
A: Reinder Verlinde can be reached at reinder@neuretp.biol.ruu.nl.
Version history
1.0 may 14, 1996. Original version.
StuffIt Lite™ and TFI™ are registered trademarks of Aladdin Systems.
