Those who are familiar with the process are already (painfully) aware that Snow Leopard ditched this system<\/a> a while back (some great details at Ars Technica<\/a>). For many users — especially Windows switchers — the new method is an improvement, allowing a more standardized response to double-clicking a document file that’s driven by the file name extension (.doc, .html, and the like). If you’re in the former group, though, and missing your creator codes, the developer<\/a> behind PageHand<\/a> has a treat for you: LaunchCodes<\/a>.<\/p>\n LaunchCodes is an extremely simple utility which restores the creator code functionality to Snow Leopard. The creator codes never went anywhere; they’re still in the metadata. LaunchCodes just tells the system what to do with a filetype. Setup is fast and easy, just enter the extension for the file and assign an application to it (similar to “Always open with”). It runs quietly in your menubar and directs OS X to open the application you prefer for any given type of file.<\/p>\n LaunchCodes is $4.95US and is available as a free trial<\/a> at the PageHand website.<\/p>\n TUAW<\/a>Creator codes make a comeback in Snow Leopard with LaunchCodes<\/a> originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)<\/a> on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read<\/a> | Permalink<\/a> | Email this<\/a> | Comments<\/a> <\/p>\n Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.stoth.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-o-matic\/cache\/9e06e_launchcodesappicon.jpg\")
In Mac OS X (and back into OS 9 history), a creator code<\/a> is a hidden value attached to a document and bound to a preferred application, allowing the OS to know which application to use for opening that file. This is particularly helpful for filetypes that have multiple valid ‘target’ apps (JPEG, PDF, etc.); the creator code lets Preview ‘own’ its PDF or image files, TextEdit automatically open its text files, and so on.<\/p>\n<\/h6>\n