AppleScript in a Nutshell

Displaying the File and Creator Types of Files

It is often important to get the file type and creator type of files. These are actually two properties of the file object, which is a class that the Finder application makes available to AppleScripters. The file type is specifically a four-character name for the kind of file, such as 'TEXT' for a simple text file or 'APPL' for an application file that will execute a program if you double-click it.

Warning

The Mac OS X file system supports “file types,” but their use is optional and some files may not have a file type. Some files will instead be identified by their extension, as in textfile.txt or myapplication.app. Apple Computer suggests that scripts which rely on file types for identifying certain files should be augmented to include a check for certain extensions. For example, if the script is looking for all files that are pict, gif, or jpeg image files, then it should check for file types (e.g., 'PICT', 'GIFf', or 'JPEG') and certain extensions (e.g., .pct, .gif, or .jpg).

The creator type is a four-character name for the program that will try to open the file if you double-click the file. For example, if the file has a creator type of 'ttxt' then SimpleText tries to handle it; a creator type of 'R*ch' opens BBEdit if you double-click the file. The following script is a droplet that will display the file type and creator type of any file you drag and drop on the droplet’s icon. Figure 14-3 shows what this dialog box looks like. ...