Starting with version 3.0, CDFinder uses a new, extended catalog file format. The old format, introduced with CDFinder 1.0 in 1996, simply grew too small for all the exciting new information that CDFinder wants to store in these files.
The new format will provide enough space for all the extensions planned for the next years. In the first step, CDFinder 3.0 already stores comments and version information for all objects in catalogs (files and folders), and even allows you to rename the items themselves.
Currently, all names and comments can contain up to 255 characters. Later, more than 2,000,000,000 UniCode characters will be possible.
For the next versions of CDFinder and CDWinder, we plan to include many more information. We think about the dimensions of pictures, their color depth, or the extended tag infos of MP3 files, like the author, title of the CD, or production year.. Much later, we will even add picture previews. If there is anything you want to see in the catalog files, contact us!
The following paragraphs contain some important information if you upgrade an existing installation!
The new catalog files are only used by CDFinder 3.0 for Macintosh and CDWinder 1.0 for Windows. Older CDFinder versions do not recognize these files and will ignore them completely.
CDFinder 3.0 and CDWinder 1.0 are both able to use the old catalog files without any problems.
When creating a new catalog, both CDFinder 3.0 and CDWinder 1.0 will only create files of the new version. Converting new catalogs to the old format is not possible.
When updating an existing catalog in CDFinder 3.0, the resulting catalog will always have the new format!
To convert an old catalog to the new format, simply select it in the main window and use the contextual menu or the Special menu and the command "Convert catalog(s) to new format". This cannot be undone! CDFinder 3.0 will put the old catalog file to the trash, though.
To identify the format of a catalog, you can:
1. Open the Get Info window for a catalog. Right below the name, a line will describe the format. Old catalog will read "Old catalog file format (CDFinder 2.x.x)". New catalogs will read "Extended catalog format, version 1".
2. You can display a new column in the main window that contains an information about the version of a catalog. Use the Preferences window, the "Appearance" pane to display it. If the file has the old format, the version will read "M 2.8.1". If the catalog was modified by CDFinder 3.0, it will be "M 3.0.0", and if it was created or modified by CDWinder 1.0, it will be "W 1.0.0".
The Catalog pane of the Get Info window contains exact details about what version created the file and what version last modified it.
