Solving Mac File Amnesia with Type & Creator Codes
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I recently received a request for help from a research group who had an old Macintosh file they couldn't open. The file was created in the late 1980s in a statistical research program, but they couldn't extract the contents no matter what they tried. The data was not stored in text format, and the file had developed a case of amnesia: it didn't know what it was, and no software could recognize it.
Old Mac files contain two embedded strings, called Type and Creator codes, which tell the Mac OS what kind of file it is and which program was used to create it. An equivalent kind of file type identification is used in most operating systems (including Mac OS X) in the form of a three character extension after the filename, e.g., filename.txt. This embedded data was missing on my client's file, which is not uncommon when files have been copied across multiple disks and platforms over many years.
My client thought the file was originally created in a program called StatView. I found an archived copy of the software online at the Macintosh Garden (a great resource for Mac Abandonware), and tried to open the file. No go. I also tried some other statistics programs I have around for good measure, but nothing worked.
Next I launched Statview again and created a couple of test files, in both the 'StatView4.1' and 'old StatView' formats. This creates samples which contain the correct type/creator codes. Using File Buddy – another venerable old utility – I applied these codes to copies of the original file, then tried to open the copies. The file tagged as 'old StatView' did the trick and opened no problem. Sweet. From there it was easy to export the data in text format (TSV), then import into Excel for use with modern computers.
For a situation like this it helps to have some guess as to the original software used. Creating sample files in various formats is a helpful way to apply educated guesses about missing type/creator codes to other amnesiac files – assuming you can find a copy of the software in the first place.
My client was thrilled to hear the news, they'd been working on this file for some time and had already gone down several dead ends. I asked what the data was for, and was told the following:
The data is from a European researcher. I am conducting what is called a 'systematic review' which involves looking at every piece of data in a given area, in this case, vegetarian diets and weight loss. If I do not incorporate all the data (even those kept in old software in a foreign language) then my findings would not be considered complete.
You've saved science!
Nice. It's not every day one gets to save science. Vintage Macs to the rescue!
It was great to see The Macintosh Picasso Dealer Sign on your site. I've had one since about 1991, which I purchased at a flea market in Cupertino. I have rarely seen on on eBay or elsewhere, and have no idea what value they may have. Without asking what you may have paid, could you speculate on the range of asking prices that you have seen recently? Mine is in quite nice condition and the lamp works fine. Thanks from a Mac user since 1986, and still going.
Hi, I have tried to follow your suggestion, but no way to open the file. Actually recovering these data would be very important to me for scientific reason, but I really don't know which way to turn. So you have any further suggestion.
I thank you in advance
Leave a Reply
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Comments
Comment by Rigoormortis
For your Scatter Shot Macro you have a bracket added. It should be fixed to this:#showtooltip Scatter Shot
/petpassive
/cast Scatter Shot
Comment by endow
IGNORES dead mobs. Targets closest LIVE mobs, even when dead mobs nearby.I made this macro to target a named mob (eg. Moonstalker Sire), if it's dead, clear target. If not dead, cast hunter's mark and pet attack target.
/cleartarget checks to see if your target is alive. If not, it deselects it (no target).
/cast hunter's mark will only attempt to cast hunter's mark if you have a (live) selected target. Without this switch , it would attempt to target nothing (no target) and give error message.
/petattack also checks for a live target. If none, there will not be an error message because it ends.
#showtooltip NIQ
/target Moonstalker Sire
/cleartarget
/cast hunter's mark
/petattack
NIQ - on Classic - Pagle (Alliance)
Comment by Saluun
Newb at making macros here but I believe macroing your shots in this way-#showtooltip Arcane Shot
/cast Arcane Shot
/cast !Auto Shot
/petattack
-would maximize your damage. It makes your pet attack whichever target you cast Arcane Shot (or whichever shot you interchange with Arcane Shot in the macro) and, if you don't have enough mana for that shot, it still has your character cast Auto Shot.
Comment by Sythen
You've saved science!
Nice. It's not every day one gets to save science. Vintage Macs to the rescue!
It was great to see The Macintosh Picasso Dealer Sign on your site. I've had one since about 1991, which I purchased at a flea market in Cupertino. I have rarely seen on on eBay or elsewhere, and have no idea what value they may have. Without asking what you may have paid, could you speculate on the range of asking prices that you have seen recently? Mine is in quite nice condition and the lamp works fine. Thanks from a Mac user since 1986, and still going.
Hi, I have tried to follow your suggestion, but no way to open the file. Actually recovering these data would be very important to me for scientific reason, but I really don't know which way to turn. So you have any further suggestion.
I thank you in advance
Leave a Reply
As little as less than $1 a month to enjoy an ad-free experience, unlock premium features, and support the site!
Comments
Comment by Rigoormortis
For your Scatter Shot Macro you have a bracket added. It should be fixed to this:#showtooltip Scatter Shot
/petpassive
/cast Scatter Shot
Comment by endow
IGNORES dead mobs. Targets closest LIVE mobs, even when dead mobs nearby.I made this macro to target a named mob (eg. Moonstalker Sire), if it's dead, clear target. If not dead, cast hunter's mark and pet attack target.
/cleartarget checks to see if your target is alive. If not, it deselects it (no target).
/cast hunter's mark will only attempt to cast hunter's mark if you have a (live) selected target. Without this switch , it would attempt to target nothing (no target) and give error message.
/petattack also checks for a live target. If none, there will not be an error message because it ends.
#showtooltip NIQ
/target Moonstalker Sire
/cleartarget
/cast hunter's mark
/petattack
NIQ - on Classic - Pagle (Alliance)
Comment by Saluun
Newb at making macros here but I believe macroing your shots in this way-#showtooltip Arcane Shot
/cast Arcane Shot
/cast !Auto Shot
/petattack
-would maximize your damage. It makes your pet attack whichever target you cast Arcane Shot (or whichever shot you interchange with Arcane Shot in the macro) and, if you don't have enough mana for that shot, it still has your character cast Auto Shot.
Comment by Sythen
This is super useful for getting around.
Comment by LoKHor
/petattack doesn't work. Anyone have a fix?I have tried
#showtooltip Hunter's Mark
/petattack
/cast Hunter's Mark
and:
#showtooltip
/cast Hunter's Mark
/petattack
The Hunter's Mark goes up but my pet just stays by my side..
Edit: I deleted the macro and rewrote it exactly the same; and it worked. Hope this helps someone that encounters this glitch/bug.
Comment by Chumpers
Has anyone gotten the Feign Death macro to work?It seems that when I attempt to use it I successfully cast feign death, recall my pet but the ice trap doesn't drop.
Am I misunderstanding the way this macro should work?
Comment by RevivedFate
Can the /petattack command be used with a tag?for example, I do not always want the pet to run in when using my hunters mark macro, ie.
#showtooltip Hunter's Mark
/petattack <--- would like to add the to this line
/cast Hunter's Mark
but can not seem to get the modifier to work.
Comment by Vorishgo
typo in:/statattack
/cast Raptor Strike
/cast Counterattack
/cast Mongoose Bite
should be
/startattack
Comment by lordmayhem
I use this macro to feed my pet:#showtooltip 3 1
/cast Feed Pet
/use 3 1
This macro casts Feed Pet then uses the item in Bag 3 Slot 1. So all you have to do is put your pet food in that spot and click the macro. Being that your showing the tooltip for that specific bag spot, it will also so you how many of that item you have without opening your bags.
If you want to change the location, just change the numbers. The first number is which bag you are using 0-4 with 0 being your main pack. The second number is which slot in the bag the item is in.
Comment by rsreaver
Here's the quality of life macro I use for my hunter.If your pet is alive it will attack your target.
If your pet is dismissed it will call it.
If your pet is dead it will revive it (for some reason this works better if you're not currently targeting anything, don't know why).
If you hold shift and click it will heal your pet.
If you hold control and click it will dismiss your pet.
Feel free to change the modifiers or tooltip spell to whatever suits you.
#showtooltip Mend Pet
/petattack
/petassist
/cast Revive Pet
/cast Call Pet
/cast Mend Pet
/cast Dismiss Pet
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()
Comment by rsreaver
Here's the quality of life macro I use for my hunter.If your pet is alive it will attack your target.
If your pet is dismissed it will call it.
If your pet is dead it will revive it (for some reason this works better if you're not currently targeting anything, don't' know why).
If you hold shift and click it will heal your pet.
If you hold control and click it will dismiss your pet.
Feel free to change the modifiers or tooltip spell to whatever suits you.
#showtooltip Mend Pet
/petattack
/petassist
/cast Revive Pet
/cast Call Pet
/cast Mend Pet
/cast Dismiss Pet
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()
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Comment by Furydeath
/statattack/cast Raptor Strike
/cast Counterattack
/cast Mongoose Bite
doesn't work classic macros only seem to do two spells per macro anything after the 2nd one never casts
Comment by Skittz
Is there a way to use the 'Initiation Macro' above by adding Aspect of the Hawk to it? I tried just adding /cast !Aspect of the Hawk and it did not work for me.Comment by ratsnacks
Why there is an exclamation mark in front of commands instead of a forward slash? o _ OContribute
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