Unmodified copies of Folder Icon Maker may be distributed at no charge, provided that it is accompanied at least by this documentation and the files Green Gradient Folder Resources, Gray Floppy Folder Resources, and Violet Floppy Folder Resources. Unmodified copies of FIM 1.2 should have a creation and modification date of May 4, 1995, 8:00 PM. Book and disk publishers: please see the note at the end of this document.
Folder Icon Maker creates folders with custom icons. If you haven't already plastered your folders with icons from another program, or even if you have, Folder Icon Maker creates attractive folders from almost any file.
Folder Icon Maker is free, but if you keep it and use it frequently, please send me a picture postcard of your hometown. My mailing address is at the end of this document.
How to use Folder Icon Maker
To use Folder Icon Maker, just drag an application or document onto the FIM icon. A new folder will be created in the same directory as the file is in.
Requirements
System 7 or later; System 7.5 preferred
Color or greyscale monitor for best results
Features
• Anti-aliases when creating small icons. This improves the visible detail.
• Can create transparent icons. Custom folder icons created from black-and-white icons look better if they are transparent, so the folder shows through.
• Offers full menus in addition to Finder dragging interface.
• Includes balloon help.
• New in version 1.1: Support for custom folder resource files.
• New in version 1.2: Remembers Options menu settings; scriptable and recordable with AppleScript; supports dragging into splash screen window; custom folder resource files can be selected by dragging; under System 7.5, can reliably replace parent folder's icon.
Drop-launch options
These keys temporarily alter the settings of the items in the Options menu.
• To place the folder icon on the clipboard, hold down 'C' while dragging.
• To place the folder icon on a newly created folder, hold down 'N' while dragging.
• To place the folder icon on the parent folder of the file, hold down 'P' or 'F' while dragging.
• To reverse the anti-aliasing setting, hold down 'A' while dragging.
• To reverse the transparency setting, hold down 'T' while dragging. Transparency treats the white portion of the icon as transparent, so the folder shows through.
Sample AppleScript for Folder Icon Maker
Here's what a typical usage of Folder Icon Maker via AppleScript might look like. If you actually use AppleScript to control FIM, please let me know, since I cannot think of a reason anyone would want to do so.
tell application "Folder Icon Maker"
make icon from alias "Hard Disk:MicroSquish FatsoApp" ¬
placing icon on new folder ¬
using custom folder icon alias "Hard Disk:Folder Icon Maker ƒ:Green Gradient Folder Resources" ¬
with antialiasing and transparent white ¬
without revealing
quit
end tell
To record usage of Folder Icon Maker into an AppleScript script, launch FIM, start recording, set the desired menu options in FIM, and then drag applications or documents into the FIM window.
Caveats
- Custom icons will not be placed on folders considered special by the System, such as the System folder and the Trash.
- FIM does not create icons for files displaying generic icons. FIM does not create icons for folders, disks, and other items which are not applications or documents. However, the tips below explain how to create folder icons for these items.
- FIM cannot usually be used via dragging while FIM is on a floppy. FIM may not work on icons belonging to applications residing on a floppy. Copy the application to a hard drive to use FIM.
- FIM anti-aliasing is ineffective on black-and-white Macintosh models.
- Due to limitations of the Finder under Systems 7.0 and 7.1, custom folder icons will be placed on the parent folder only if it has never before had a custom icon. To replace a custom folder icon, create the new icon on the clipboard and paste it over the icon in the folder's Get Info window. This restriction does not apply using the Scriptable Finder of System 7.5.
Troubleshooting
If you are unable to drag icons onto Folder Icon Maker, try rebuilding your computer's desktop file. To rebuild the desktop, hold down the Command and Option keys when starting up.
Tips
- To remove the icon from a folder, select the folder in the Finder and choose Get Info from the File menu. Next, select the icon in the Info window and choose Clear from the Edit menu.
- If you really want to create a folder icon with a small generic file icon in it, you can do it quite easily. Select the file in the Finder and choose Get Info from the File menu. Next, select the icon in the Info window and choose Copy and then Paste from the Edit menu. Finally, close the Info window and drag the file onto FIM.
- Similarly, you can create folders icons showing disks and small folders. Open the Get Info window for the disk or the folder, select and copy the icon in the window, and close the window. Next, open the Get Info window for any file, select its icon, choose Paste from the Edit menu, and close the window. The file should now look like the original folder or disk. Drag the file to FIM, and FIM will create the custom folder. To remove the disk or folder icon from the file, open its Get Info window, select the icon in the window, and choose Clear from the Edit menu.
Custom folder icon resource files
- FIM can use a custom folder icon resource file as the background source instead of the generic folder icon. For example, the Gray Floppy Folder Resources file makes floppy icons rather than folder icons (though it still places the floppy icon on a folder in the Finder.)
- There are six resource types for icons: ICN# are large black-and-white icons, ics# are small black and white icons, icl4 and ics4 are large and small 4-bit (16 color) icons, and icl8 and ics8 are large and small 8-bit (256 color) icons. Duplicate one of the supplied folder icon resource files, and use ResEdit or Resorcerer to edit the icons in the copy.
- Folder icon resource files must have a SHFT resource. The SHFT resource allows you to shift the position of the tiny icon when it is place on the folder icon. Use ResEdit or Resorcerer to change the SHFT. Setting all fields of the SHFT to zero means that the tiny icon should be placed in the standard position (where it would be placed on a normal folder.)
- When editing the SHFT, you must specify how many pixels right and down the small icon is to be shifted when placed on the folder. Negative numbers will shift the icon left or up.
- Due to the primitive implementation of this feature, black-and-white icons cannot be shifted left or right, and 4-bit icons can only be shifted left or right an even number of pixels.
- The icon resources in the custom icon file (ICN#, ics#, icl8, ics8, icl4, ics4, icl1, ics1) must have the ID number -3999 to be used.
Note to users of previous versions
Version 1.2 exists because many kind people sent me postcards and feedback on versions 1.0 and 1.1. Folder Icon Maker has been my way of giving something to the Macintosh community, and countless people have expressed their appreciation in ways expected and unexpected. If you sent me a card or anything else, I'm sorry that I have been unable to acknowledge it individually, but please accept my thanks and gratitude.
Note to publishers
Publishers of collections of shareware and freeware software on book or disk may include Folder Icon Maker 1.2 if and only if the publisher sends me a copy of the book or disk collection at the address below, and includes unmodified copies of FIM, this note, and the resource files mentioned at the beginning of this file. Including a version of FIM translated to another language along with the original, unmodified English version is acceptable.
Release history
- December 1991 version 1.0: Initial release.
- May 1992 version 1.1: Fixed bug on 68000 machines, hopefully; added support for custom icon file.
- May 1995 version 1.2: Fixed rare bug involving custom icons on large files (ye shall set ye SetResLoad to false. Say yeah); supports dragging into the application window under System 7.5; can replace parent folder icon under System 7.5; menu settings now remembered; drop-launch keys now toggle the anti-aliasing and transparency options; 'N' key supported when drop-launching for creating a new folder; sends a different message to the Finder under System 7.5 to reveal the created folder icons, avoiding the old "multiple-selected" syndrome; added AppleScript terminology resource (thanks, Jon) and support for a few optional script parameters; sends Apple events to itself to support recording via AppleScript; dropping custom folder resource files onto the application icon or the application window selects the custom folder resource file; fixed dispose of picture resource upon quitting; compiled with CodeWarrior Pascal.
Your feedback is invited
Comments, criticisms, suggestions are welcome. Please send any feedback to me at
109 Crocker Avenue, Oakland, California 94610 USA
or to grobbins@eworld.com. Picture postcards of your hometown are especially appreciated.
Thanks to Leonard Rosenthol for providing the shell program upon which FIM is based (a very early version of DropShell; FIM was really just an attempt to test Leonard's code), to Jon Pugh, to Greg Anderson, to my various competitors, to the beta testers for this version (Arno, Matt, Igor, Steve, Alex, Bob, David, Yukihiro, and Scott) and to the numerous users who have given positive and negative feedback (including requests for custom folder icon support and persistent menus.)
