The Mac OS 9 packaging mechanism allows application writers to consolidate an application along with a number of support files into a single folder that appears and behaves in the finder's windows as if it were a single application file. It is often useful to bundle a number of AppleScripts with applications that perform tasks closely interrelated to the operating system or the finder, but it is often of no value to the user to leave all of these scripts out in the open. Now, with the advent of packages, it is possible to "hide" supporting scripts inside of an application's package folder where they are conveniently out of the end user's way and exclusively available for your application to use.
The contents of this folder illustrate encapsulating an application and it's supporting AppleScript files into a package. Here and application and it's supporting AppleScript files are hidden away inside of a package. The application itself is free to call upon the facilities provided by the AppleScripts and, for the end user, this functionality appears to be seemlessly bundled with the application.
If you are interested in creating your own Mac OS 9 packages, then you may wish to consult the following sources of information:
• The technote "Packages in Mac OS 9", located at http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn1188.html, provides a full explanation of the Mac OS 9 packaging format.
• The enclosed PackageTool along with full source code and some documentation can be obtained from the addresss http://developer.apple.com/samplecode/Sample_Code/Human_Interface_Toolbox/PackageTool.htm.
