Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!microsoft!kensy
From: kensy@microsoft.UUCP (Ken SYKES)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Does everybody hate Windows?
Keywords: Windows, success, hate, Microsoft=devil, Microsoft=god
Message-ID: <57123@microsoft.UUCP>
Date: 2 Sep 90 19:48:39 GMT
References: <1990Aug27.204452.9786@tc.fluke.COM> <8385@fy.sei.cmu.edu> <1990Aug29.132336.24996@cs.columbia.edu> <13149@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Reply-To: kensy@microsoft.UUCP (Ken SYKES)
Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA
Lines: 34

In article <13149@hydra.gatech.EDU> ce1zzes@prism.gatech.EDU (Eric Sheppard) writes:
>
>One thing I didn't know it could do was to start up an application with a
>data file already loaded.  I later found how to do this in, of all places,
>Computer Shopper's review of Windows 3.  All you have to do, it says, is to
>drag the data file's icon onto the program icon.  Simple, eh?  Pardon me,
>Microsoft, but I would like to have my application make the data file visible
>*automatically*.  To make it visible, you must manually create a new program
>object, then enter the filename in the dialog box, then create a link to the
>filename's extension for the application.  Intuitive, hah!
>
>Eric, tinkerer-at-large

This is not a difficult process if you use the "standard" extensions that
different applications use (.xls, .xlc for excel, .wri for write, etc.)

First go to the File Manager and bring up a directory that contains one
of your data files.  Select the file and Choose File.Associate.  Then
type in the program name associated with that file extension.  This only
has to be done once when you install the application.

Now if you want to put documents in your groups go ahead.  When you add a
data file to a group Windows looks in the association list for the .exe
that goes with it, extracts the icon, etc.  Clicking on the document will
run the program and load the document.

Does this still seem convoluted?  The mac has type and creator fields
IN THE FILE that allow it to avoid the File Manager step but it presents
problems of its own...

Hope this helps.  Sorry if you already knew this.

Ken Sykes
Disclaimer: The above opinions are solely my own.