The File Info button will display and allow you to change information about a file or folder. You can open the information window for a file or a folder in several ways:
Select the file or folder in the main file selection window and click the
“File Info” button.
or double click a file name
or selecting a file and hit the return key
The file Info dialog displays the following information:
• File Name - The name of the file. You may change this by typing a new name in this field and selecting the Change button.
• Data Size - This is the logical size of the data fork of the file. Every file has two forks, the data fork and the resource fork. The total file size is the sum of the sizes of these forks. If the information window describes a folder, then this is the total size of the data fork of every file contained in the folder.
• Resource size - This is the logical size of the resource fork of the file. Every file has two forks, the data fork and the resource fork. The total file size is the sum of the sizes of these forks. If the information window describes a folder, then this is the total size of the resource fork of every file contained in the folder.
• Created - When the file was created.
• Modified - When the file was last modified.
• Backed Up - When the file was last backed up. Note that third-party backup programs may or may not set this value, but the system software does not change the value.
Each file also has several attributes that may be set or reset with the checkboxes on the right side of the dialog. Changes to these attributes will not take place until you click the Change button, so if you make a change and then click on Cancel the file is unchanged. The following attributes are controlled by checkboxes:
• Invisible - The file is visible in the finder
• Locked - The file may be modified in any way. This is the same attributed that is displayed by the “Locked” checkbox when you get information about a file in the Finder.
Additionally, if you have selected the Technical Information option (described above), then this window will also display the following attributes of a file or a folder. WARNING! These values are used by your system software to manage files. DO NOT CHANGE THESE VALUES UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
• File Type and File Creator - This is information used by the Finder to determine what type of file this is. For example, applications have type value ‘APPL’ and control panels have type ‘cdev’. The creator is a signature, and identifies the application that created a file; and an application and any files it creates will all have the same creator value. Both the type and creator are always four letter values, but one or more letters may be a space.You may change either of these by typing a new name in this field and selecting the Change button.
• Data fork and Resource fork - The file info dialog also displays the refNum of the data fork and resource fork. A refNum describes an open file, and programmers use refNum values in many File System operations. If the file is not open, then this field displays the message: “Closed”. There are also controls to open or close the two forks of the file. Be very careful when you close a file, the application that opened that file expects it to stay open.
If you have set the Technical Information option, then the information window displays the following file attributes in addition to the “Locked” and “Invisible” attributes described above. Remember, changes to these attributes will not take place until you click the Change button, so if you make a change and then click the Cancel button, the file is unchanged.
• Name Locked - The file may be renamed in the Finder. Note that you can change the name of a file in File Kit even if this attribute is set.
• Alias - The file is an alias file. This is only used by System 7.0.
• On Desktop - The file is displayed on the desktop in the Finder.
• Custom Icon - The file contains a custom icon.
• Bundle - The file contains resources to define a new type and creator bundle.
• Inited - This is used by the Finder to manage the display of icons in file windows.
• Stationary - The file is a stationary file. This is only used by System 7.0.
• Shared - The file is shared.
• Contains Inits - The file contains startup code resources.
