Saving Applications

[Walker Sigismund <wws@cix.compulink.co.uk>]

On Thu Sep 23, Sandra Loosemore writes:
  how do I install new desktop icons for my application.
  I've looked at the BinHex program in the MCL examples folder
  but I don't have a clue what is going on.

Getting the icons to work is no simple task.   There are a number of
things to get right and the documentation IUve seen is sparse.  The
ResEdit manual is an obvious place to start learning about this.  

If you only want to have your own icon at the finder level then it is 
fairly easy to do that using the BinHex example as follows.  (I am
writing these notes from memory, and not testing them as I go so you
may need to experiment slightly for this to work for you.)

        0)  Before getting into ResEdit make a copy of the resource
file for BinHex and name it my-resource-file.  (Alternatively you can 
build up the file either from scratch once inside ResEdit or by
cutting and pasting resources  from other applications... be very
careful taking this later route... always work on copies of files
with ResEdit and not originals.  For example, if you want to see/copy 
resource files from MCL, make a copy of MCL at the finder level and
then use ResEdit to examine the resources of this copy.)
  
        1) Once you get into ResEdit, about the only thing you need
 to do is open my-resource-file.  Double click on the BNDL resource. 
Double click on resource 128  This opens up an editor with all the
icon families.  At the top put in the four-character signature id you 
intend to give to your application.

Double -clicking on the icons individually brings up a quickdraw-type 
editor that allows you to erase, modify, redraw each icon.  (This is
simpler but equivalent from opening each individual icon with
ResEdit.)  If you modify the ic18 icon first, make it the way you
want it, and then drag it on top of all the other icons, your new
icon will copy over them (with some modifications for colors
supported).  You may want to fine tune each icon.  Start closing down 
windows and save if you are asked to until you get out of ResEdit. 
(You may want to reexamine your my-resource-file with ResEdit to see
hat the file now contains the icons.)

        2)  Within Lisp, save your application just like in Bin-Hex.  
 As Mark A Tapia wrote: R The crucial code begins
(with-open-resource-file....)S  Make sure that this refers to
my-resource-file.  Also make sure to provide the same four-character
signature id here as you specified in step one.

        3)  Once the application is saved, you may need to do a few
things to see your icons.  First go to the finder level and get info
on your application.  Click on the icon in the upper right corner and 
copy it, paste it, and cut it.  This sounds stupid but it forces the
finder to get the files appropriate icon.  Yours should appear. 
Second, if this did not work you should try rebooting, holding down
option and flower keys so that the desktop is rebuilt.  Three, is
that does not work make a copy of your application; get back into
ResEdit and get-info on your application.  Make sure the BNDL bit is
set.  Repeat all of step three if necessary.