The Mac is a brilliant computer but it can’t keep it’s own files tidy. If you’re
always rearranging items on your hard disk you really should read this chapter
— and the next!
Views
qqqqq
Since the Mac defaults to View by Icon this is where most users begin. Unfortunately it’s the worst view of all — all those huge icons fill the entire screen. If you use Clean Up on files with long filenames their icons will promptly fly off the end of the window! View by Small Icon also suffers from this problem.
View by Name, Size, Kind, Label or Date are all in a form called List View. This offers a number of advantages, including the ability to expand and collapse folders.
Views Control Panel
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
  The Views control panel, shown below, sets how your files appear on the Desktop
in the various View by... modes. Under List Views you can choose the icon size
and the information to be shown for each file.
 
The options include:-
z Icon Sizes in List View
The middle-sized icon, as used in View by Small Icon, is convenient. For fast and compact listings you can use small icons, but these only show generic icons that don’t differentiate between document types. Large icons are so big that even a tiny lists fills the entire screen!
z Show options
The information that appears in List View can be selected using the check boxes — you’ll only need to deselect items if you’re short of window space. Unfortunately selecting fewer items doesn’t increase the width of the Name column, which means you still can’t see the end of a long filename!
· To see all the characters in a name select Get Info or use View by Icon!
Initial View of a Hard Disk
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Having decided how to view your files you’ll need to organise them on the hard disk. After installation of your System and applications the contents of the disk should look something like this:-
∆ ‹ Applications
∆ ‹ Documents
‚àö READ ME
∆ € System Folder
The following sections look at the contents of each of these folders.
The Applications Folder
qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
This folder should contain most but not all of your applications. The special applications listed below shouldn’t be found in the Applications folder:-
Special Applications
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Information Providers
ÿ
These applications use unique data files that are updated automatically when changes are made — Open or Save don’t appear in the File menu in these programs, such as Engineering Assistant, an application used for converting units of measurement.
The automatic process of opening and saving files is similar to that employed by desk accessories (DAs) such as NotePad, but the data isn’t saved in the System Folder.
In most cases you must keep these data files in the same folder as the parent application. If this isn’t convenient, you may be able to force the application to save its data files in another folder by means of a control panel such as Default Folder or Now Super Boomerang.
Document Viewers
≈∏
This type of application provide resources that let you open and read the contents of related documents by double-clicking on them. In most instances nothing is gained by launching such an application on its own. They can be put in the System Folder if you can’t find anywhere else for them to go!
One example of a document viewer is the Common Ground MiniViewer.
Stand-alone Documents
Δí √å
Although technically these are applications they should be treated as documents. That means you can put them in the Documents folder or any other folder. They contain both data and resources for viewing the data within the document itself.
Although special applications may be needed to create these files nothing else is needed to read them. DOCMaker and Print2Pict are examples of applications that can generate documents that will run on almost any Mac.
Δí DOCMaker may object if certain fonts are lacking in your System Folder. You can
overcome this by installing the fonts into the stand-alone document using ResEdit.
Ì Print2Pict avoids font problems, at the price of large files, by creating pages of
bitmap images called post cards.
Installing an Application
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
  Most modern applications are transferred onto hard disk, together with their
support files, using an Installer. The Installer application is usually on the first
diskette of a set of floppies — so if the diskette is damaged you can’t install
anything! Most Installers work in the same way as the System Installer.
The files used on Installer diskettes come in several forms. They can be in standard Finder format, in which case you can install or replace individual files at any time by simply dragging them onto your hard disk. Other Installer files may be compressed — if this is a proprietary compression format you’ve little chance of extracting data except via the Installer application.
Compressed Files
  Files are often compressed to save disk space. A number of different formats are
used, including StuffIt, Compact Pro or other proprietary formats.
Compressed files can’t be used until they have been uncompressed.
  Compressed files may be supplied individually or may be combined into a block of
data called an archive. In some cases an archive may span more than one disk
— not all software can open these archives!
If files don’t come with an Installer, or you want to avoid using it, you may be able to extract material using StuffIt or Compact Pro. These applications can uncompress an entire archive or just selected items within it.
Some software, particularly electronically-distributed shareware, may be supplied as a self-extracting archive (sea). These archives, usually created with StuffIt or Compact Pro, don’t need any application to open them. They contain both the compressed files and resources necessary to automatically extract the material.
‚àû If you want to extract specific files from a self-extracting archive, just use StuffIt or
Compact Pro as you would with any other archive.
Files provided by an Installer
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
The Installer lets you choose where to place the application itself, usually within the Applications folder. It may also install a number of support files, often placed together with the application, in a specially created folder. Other files may be put in the System Folder — the Installer should put them in the right place!
The appropriate part of your Applications folder will end up something like this:-
≈ ‹ Applications
≈ ‹ SuperWriter Folder
‚àö READ ME FIRST!
‹ SuperWriter Extensions
√∫ SuperWriter Guide
\ SuperWriter Help
Ì SuperWriter Manual
‚ÅÑ SuperWriter 3.4
° Don’t rename any files unless you know what you’re doing!
Subdividing the Applications Folder
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
If you have a large number of applications you can divide the Applications folder into a number of categories. This is particularly helpful if you’re using hierarchical menus, either in the  menu or with an addition such as OtherMenu.
An example subdivision is shown below:-
≈ ‹ Applications
∆ ‹ Claris
∆ ‹ Text
∆ ‹ § Graphics
∆ ‹ § Numbers
∆ ‹ § Sounds
∆ ‹ § Various
∆ ‹ • MacTools
∆ ‹ • ScanMan
∆ ‹  AutoTypers
∆ ‹  Converters
∆ ‹  Disk Tools
∆ ‹  File Utilities
∆ ‹  Navigation Aids
∆ ‹  Other Utilities
∆ ‹  Tests
It’s advisable to label the folders according to function — this makes it easier when you change applications later! In the example above Claris, • MacTools and • ScanMan match any particular application.
ö When naming files and folders you should consider what keyboard shortcuts
you’ll use with a macro utility. It’s easier to remember these shortcuts if the key
combination includes the first letter of the appropriate file or folder. For example,
Control-Option-D could open the Ô£ø Disk Tools folder.
ö By using prefixes such as spaces, §, • and  you can arrange folders in a preferred
menu order. The full-stop (period) should be avoided since it’s used to identify
hidden driver files! The following symbols precede other characters in the order:
option-space space ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . /
ö Observant readers will notice that the  character doesn’t actually appear as
shown with the Geneva font — but it does appear correctly in a hierarchical menu!
  If you’re not excited by hierarchical menus you could try an application launcher,
such as Launcher or PowerBar, that lets you open an item with a single click of a
button. Unfortunately they take up screen space and the buttons can be hidden
by other windows. Better examples such as PowerBar also use lots of memory!
Hierarchical Menus
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
There are two ways of creating a hierarchical  menu, both involving use of the Apple Menu Items Folder that you’ll find inside the System Folder:-
z Using Application Aliases
  You create aliases of all your applications and put them in the Apple Menu Items
folder. These aliases can be grouped inside other folders in any way you like.
Remember you’ll need to create more aliases whenever you get new applications
— and usually when you update them as well!
z Using a Disk or Folder Alias
  You put an alias of your hard disk in the Apple Menu Items folder. This gives
direct access to all your documents and applications — and you don’t need
individual aliases for every application.
Unwanted Items in Hierarchical Menus
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Having divided up your Applications folder there may be some files that you’d rather not see in a hierarchical menu.
Our typical example is like this:-
≈ ‹ Text
≈ ‹ SuperWriter Folder
‚àö READ ME FIRST!
‹ SuperWriter Extensions
√∫ SuperWriter Guide
\ SuperWriter Help
Ì SuperWriter Manual
‚ÅÑ SuperWriter 3.4
When you open the SuperWriter Folder folder using a hierarchical menu you won’t get any constructive results if you select SuperWriter Guide or SuperWriter Extensions — also you might prefer not to see READ ME FIRST! or SuperWriter Manual in the menu.
To remove any unwanted menu items you’ll need to reorganise or modify the files in the Applications folder — but you can leave them alone if you don’t mind confusing menus!
Modifying the Applications Folder
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
There are two ways of dealing with files in awkward locations:-
√ô RELOCATE THE FILES
You may not be able to do this with some support files! Those that you can move should be placed in other folders, including the System Folder. Many readers may gasp in horror at the prospect of doing this, it really isn’t a problem — but if it doubt don’t do it.
· Files that work with an application should be either in the System Folder or in the
Applications folder.
√ô MAKE THE FILES INVISIBLE
If you really can’t move a file or folder this is your last resort. If you do make a file invisible you can’t see it but it’ll still work normally with its own application.
There are many utilities that can make files invisible. Snitch is an extension that can be activated in the Finder by selecting a file and then picking Get Info… in the File menu or pressing †-I. Within Snitch’s window you can choose the file attributes to change — in this instance you’ll need to check the Invisible box.
DropAttribute, MakeAutoTyper and File Buddy let you create mini-applications onto which you can drag and drop files to modify their attributes. If you create a mini-application called Vanish any file or folder dropped onto it will disappear. Another called Show Invisibles can make the files inside a folder reappear when you drop a folder onto it.
· Take care with invisible files — you could lose track of them altogether!
Support Files
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
A range of support files are used by applications. These include:-
Documentation
‚àö Δí √å
These can be stand-alone documents, such as those produced using DOCMaker or Print2Pict — they need no other application to view them. SimpleText documents are widely used, usually beginning with a filename of ABOUT… or READ ME. In some cases the documentation may be created by the application itself.
If you’re annoyed by these files in your Applications folder you can relocate and (optionally) rename them. For example, you could put all of the files for all applications in a new folder called Manuals inside a Macintosh Info folder.
Apple Guides
√∫
These files are unlike ordinary documentation — if you’ve installed the Apple Guide extension you can refer to an Apple Guide under the Ó menu whilst using the application. Guide files that have Guide at the end of their filename must NEVER be renamed and MUST be kept in the same folder as the application they serve.
If you really can’t put up with an Apple Guide document in your Applications folder you should make them invisible.
Help Files
ô
These may provide extra Balloon Help in an application. In most cases they should remain with the application but it may be possible to put them in the System Folder.
If you really can’t put up with Help files in your Applications folder you should make them invisible.
Preferences Files
Fortunately these files rarely appear in the Applications folder. An application that creates its own folder in the System Folder usually places its Preferences file inside it — otherwise the file will be put in the Preferences folder within the System Folder.
If you have a problem with an application it’s often a good idea to trash the appropriate Preferences file — it can get corrupted.
Other Support Files
These files are used by applications to enhance their operation. The way in which they work is determined entirely by the application itself. They may have various names, such as extensions (not to be confused with system extensions) or plug-ins. For example, QuarkXpress uses Xtensions whilst PageMaker uses Additions.
In some cases these support files MUST be in the same folder as the application itself. Certain applications will ask you for the location of such a file when the application is launched — hopefully it will then remember this location for future use. If your application does offer this facility it’s best to put the support file in the System Folder. For example, if you have an application called SuperWriter by Bloggs Software, you can create a new folder called Bloggs in the System Folder into which you can put the support files.
Other applications may automatically create their own folder for support files in the System Folder when you install them. For example, ClarisWorks creates a folder called Claris inside which it includes all of its own files. The only file excluded from the Claris folder is XTND Translator List, which is put in the Preferences folder so that it can used by non-Claris applications.
If you really can’t put up with support files or folders residing in your Applications folder you should make them invisible.
