This contextual menu plugin is used to open a file using an application other than the files creator, by taking advantage of MacOS 8's contextual menu. The plugin can also convert creator codes and file types to suit the chosen application.
OpenUsing is compatible with Sherlock (and probably more)!
New in 1.3
New features:
• Added ability to use folder aliases anywhere in the “OpenUsing Folder”. You can even make the “OpenUsing Folder” itself a folder alias. Thanks to Otto Wyss for this suggestion.
• If the name of a folder in the “OpenUsing Folder” ends with an ampersand (&), then the contents of that folder are loaded into the current menu without creating a submenu. Try it out, you’ll soon see what this means. Thanks to Vincent Jalby for this suggestion.
Improvements:
• Rewrote some of the menu loading code. Simplified code and reduced memory usage. This hopefully also addresses a mysterious error reported by J. Wehking.
• Recompiled with Interfaces & Headers 3.2.
• Only report ‘load’ error if different to last error. This only affects errors that are detected when the contextual menu is populated. Errors resulting from choosing a menu item that belongs to OpenUsing are always reported. This is to prevent the same error being reported every time you try to use the contextual menu. But since the error message appears only once - read it carefully!
• Put a relevant description in the code fragment resource.
• Easier to read font for this read me file (Geneva).
• Reinstate version number in advanced user dialog.
Bug Fixes:
• Fixed a bug which caused OpenUsing to fail when the icon selected was that of a server or removable media. Thanks to Alan Eshelman and Alarik Skarstrom for bug reports.
• No longer displays folders that contain only ignored items.
• Fixed keyboard scrolling problem in advanced user dialog.
• Fixed problem of advanced user dialog not automatically cancelling itself.
Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this release. Most of the major stuff in this resulted directly from such contributions.
Requirements
•MacOS 8 or better
•A PowerPC Macintosh
Installation
• Drop the "OpenUsing CMPlugin" onto the System Folder.
• Create a new folder called "OpenUsing Folder" in the Application Support folder, which is found in the System Folder.
• Restart your Mac.
• Alternately, you can use the provided "OpenUsing Installer". This is an AppleScript that will copy the OpenUsing CMPlugin to the right place in the system folder, and create the "OpenUsing Folder" if necessary.
The script optionally installs aliases to the OpenUsing Scripts (see below).
Configuration
• Place aliases of applications in the OpenUsing Folder. Only application aliases and folders placed in the OpenUsing Folder will appear in the contextual menu. Folders and their contents appear as submenus, unless the name of the folder ends with an ampersand (see next point).
• If the name of a folder ends with an ampersand (&), the contents of the folder are loaded into the current menu without creating a further submenu. Try it! You’ll soon see what I mean.
• Items are loaded in alphabetical order. Use the prefix "xx)" to order things as you want them to appear in the menus (where x is any character). The "xx)" prefix will not appear in the menus.
• You can add separator lines to the menu by placing empty folders with names that end with a hyphen (-) in the OpenUsing Folder. Empty folders are otherwise ignored by the plugin.
• Folder aliases may be used in place of a folder anywhere in the OpenUsing Folder. You can even make the “OpenUsing Folder” itself a folder alias. Everything mentioned above regarding folders also applies to folder aliases.
Configuration Notes
• The OpenUsing Folder is checked every time you use the contextual menu. So if you make changes to the contents of the OpenUsing Folder it is not necessary to restart.
• Folder nesting in the OpenUsing Folder is limited to a depth of 16. This ought to be more than enough…
• Folder aliases which live inside the folder they refer to are detected and ignored (to thwart the circular alias problem).
Usage
• Select any number of files/folders/disks.
• Control-click on the selection to open the contextual menu.
• Choose an application from the "Open Using" submenu. The selected file(s) will be opened using the chosen application.
Usage Notes
• Files in the selection are assumed to be of the same type as the first file.
• If the application selected does not recognise the file's type you will be warned. You can instruct the plugin to try anyway (expect some odd results), or advanced users can change the file type to one that the application recognises (see below).
•The Open Using submenu is not loaded if:
- if you control-click on something that is not an icon
- no files are selected (eg. desktop)
- an error occurs
• Some applications cannot open files. For such applications setting the creator code or file type or opening files using the application is not possible, so an error message is displayed if you try to do so (except for AppleScript applets which are automatically launched). Such applications can only be launched.
• Some applications register no file types, but can attempt to open any file. For such applications converting the creator code or file type is not possible, so an error message is displayed if you try to do so (except for AppleScript droplets which are automatically launched and asked to open the file(s)). It is only possible to open the selected file(s) using such an application.
• Many applications cannot open folders or disks. An error message will be displayed if you try to open a folder/disk with such an application.
• If an error occurs while loading the OpenUsing submenu, the plugin will abandon the process, and the Open Using submenu will not appear in the contextual menu. The error will be reported after the contextual menu closes, but not if the error is the same as the last error reported.
• Errors that arise from selecting an item from the OpenUsing submenu are always reported.
Advanced Options
• To also convert the selected file(s) creator code to match that of the chosen application, hold down command key when you choose the application from the menu.
• To open a dialog box which allows the file type to be changed, hold down the option key when you choose the application from the menu.
– The dialog box also allows the following actions to be specified:
- file type to convert to
- open file(s) using the application
- convert creator code and file type
– The following keyboard shortcuts are available when using the dialog box:
O: check "Open using" only
C: check "Convert Creator & Type" only
B: check both of above
up/down arrows: scroll file type menu
return/enter: OK
escape/command-period: Cancel
Advanced Options Notes
• If you are using this dialog, then you are assumed to know what you are doing: none of the usual warning messages are displayed when you use this dialog.
• These advanced options are unavailable for disks and folders.
• The original creator code and file type of the first file in the Finder selection are displayed inside parenthesis on the right hand side of the dialog.
• The dialog box is automatically placed close to the mouse cursor to minimise mouse travel and speed use of the dialog. The dialog box will cancel itself after around 30 seconds if no actions occur in the dialog box. The cancel button will flash occasionally as a warning. This is to minimise how long Finder is held up by the modal dialog box.
• If you hold down both the command and option keys, then the dialog box is opened with the open using checkbox not checked (it is checked by default).
OpenUsing Scripts
This folder contains two useful AppleScripts to help you configure the OpenUsing Folder. They can be used as regular scripts, or (to be really cool) place aliases of them in the OpenUsing Folder.
The script "OpenUsing Folder" is an AppleScript applet that simply opens that folder so you can deal with it directly. Saves hunting around in the System Folder.
The "Add Application Alias" is an AppleScript droplet. Drop an application onto the script and it will insert an alias of that application into the OpenUsing Folder.
Future
•Please email me your suggestions!
Version History
•1.2 (26 May 1999)
- Added ability to use the plugin with folders and disks.
- Display original file type & creator code in advanced dialog.
- No longer attempts to change creator code / file type of folders / disks.
- Carbon compatibility (unproven…).
•1.1.1 Final (15 March 1999)
- Finally got a copy of MSIE to formally test the plugin.
•1.1.1Beta 1 (30 January 1999)
- Bug fix: a problem found causing contextual menus to fail completely in MSIE (and potentially other applications) was fixed (hopefully).
- Bug Fix: keyboard shortcuts (O, C & B) now work even when caps lock is active!
•1.1 (29 November 1998)
- Simplified operation.
- Dialog box no longer appears by default.
- Vastly improved handling of situations where application chosen does not recognise the file(s).
- Vastly improved handling and reporting of errors.
- When a bad alias is encountered, offer to select it in Finder.
•1.0.0 (15 November 1998)
- First public release
Freeware
OpenUsing CMPlugin is free for personal use. Send me an email if you use it and I'll notify you of any updates.
Commercial users, please contact me to arrange terms.
