OpenWith CMM is a contextual menu plug-in, ie. it adds features to the menus that appear in the Finder when you [ctrl]-click something.
What does OpenWith CMM do?
When you double-click on a document in the Finder, your Mac will try and find the document's creator. If it finds it, it will open the document. If it can't then depending on whether you have "Macintosh Easy Open" installed or not, it will either present you with a list of alternative applications or tell you that it could not find the document's creator. But sometimes you may not want to open the document with it's creator for reasons of memory, speed, efficiency or personal preference. There's no need to launch the mighty Photoshop when Graphic Converter will do the job in a fraction of the memory. Sometimes you know that you do not have the required application and either have to wait for Macintosh Easy Open to do its job or launch whatever substitute you may have. If you often need to edit files with utilities such as Resedit then you have no other choice but to launch Resedit manually. These problems can be solved by having aliases on your desktop but the average desktop fills up very quickly if you start having aliases for every application. What more they may be hidden by the many windows that may clutter your desktop. This is where OpenWith CMM comes in. OpenWith CMM allows you to open a document (or group of documents) with the application of your choice simply be choosing the relevent application from the contextual menu.`
System Requirements
OpenWith CMM requires MacOS 8.0 or newer, with the Contextual menu manager extension enabled as well as any PowerPC based Macintosh or clone. It has been tested under OS 8.6 on a Power Macintosh 5500/225, as well as on a Rev C (266 Mhz) iMac
Installation instructions
Drag the OpenWith CMM file onto your closed system folder. Your Mac will ask you if you want to put it in the Contextual Menu Items folder. Click OK and restart.
How do I use OpenWith CMM ?
-Opening a file or a group of selected files (or a folder in special cases)
Click on the file (or on one of the selected files) holding the [control] button down. A contextual menu will appear. Move the mouse over the "Open with" item and a sub-menu will appear. Choose the relevant applications and it will be launched if necessary and will try and open the document. If the only choice possible is "No applications available" then you must add applications to OpenWith CMM's list of applications.
-Adding an application to the list
Click on an application, an alias to an application or a selection containing at least one application or alias to an application with the [control] button held down. Selecting the option "Add to Open List" will add all the applications in the selection or whose alias is in the selection to the list of application.
-Removing an application to the list
While in the Finder, [control]-click and move the mouse down to the item labelled "Remove" of the contextual menu that appears. All the applications available will be displayed in the submenu that appears, as well as an item labeled "All". Selecting an application will remove that application from the list. Selecting the "All" item will remove all the applications
Troubleshooting
-An application has disappeared from the list
When OpenWith CMM builds its list of applications, it does not include the applications it could not find. OpenWith CMM uses aliases to track applications, which means you may move the applications around, change their names etc… but if the application was on a volume or server that is not available, or was moved to another volume, OpenWith CMM will not be able to find it. If the application is on an unavailable disk, then you must insert the relevant disk and make OpenWith CMM rebuild its list, which happens everytime you use it. If you have moved the application to another volume then you will need to add it to the application list again.
Finally, selecting the "Remove":"All" option will purge the list of aliases completely and may solve problems.
Version History
Version 1.0: Original release (not distributed)
Version 1.1: 9/12/1999
-Memory Handling improved
-"Remove" bug fixed
-OpenWith CMM now uses aliases all the time
-Moved the list of applications into a preference file
-Strings no longer hard-coded in to allow for translation into other languages
Version 1.1.1: 10/12/1999
-You can now open a folder with OpenWith CMM. This enables you for example to compress a folder by asking to open it with Stuffit DropStuff.
Contact Information, Bug reports, pricing etc…
OpenWith CMM is free, but I would appreciate an email if you find it useful. If you have lots of spare cash, then I won't say no, as your average impovrished 16-year old. Send comments, (constructive) criticisms, questions, bug-reports, praise etc… to my email address : fred.cheung@wanadoo.fr.
You can also visit my web page (where new versions as well as any other creations I may have spawned will be available) at: http://www.multimania.com/simplemacs/
Nasty Legal Information
The software and accompanying instructions are provided ‘as is’ without warranty of any kind. The author Frederick Cheung does not warrant, guarantee, or make any representations regarding the use or, or the results of the use of the software or accompanying instructions in terms of correctness, accuracy, reliability, currentness, or otherwise. The entire risk as to the results and performance of the software is assumed by you. If the software or instructions are defective, you, and not Frederick Cheung, assume the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction.
Feel free to include OpenWith CMM on magazine CD-ROMs, internet software archives as long as the "OpenWith CMM" file and this Read-me are kept together and have not been modified. Commercial distribution (this includes inclusion on software compilation disks, CDs or DVDs) is prohibited without prior written permission from the author.
OpenWith CMM is free but it remains the exclusive property of Frederick Cheung and is copyrighted material.
