Application-Doc/Stack Binding on Mac

[Sannyasin Sivakatirswami]

OK, scenario:

I got a creator code from Apple: "haSp"
(Himalayan Academy Stack Player)

Open stack, open standalone builder  Rev 2.2.1

( as the SB in 2.5b2 is broken, for me anyway, always fails, on this 
same stack which builds fine in 2.2.1)

Enter "haSp" in the Application signature field and "STCK" into the 
document type field. Save standalone for mac OSX... build successful

Quit 2.21; switch to 2.5b1. Open stack (that I want to auto boot with 
the stand alone above)"Audio_Transcriber.rev"

Run this in msg box:

set the stackFileType of this stack to "haSpSTCK" result... nothing, 
assume successful prop set. Save.

run in msg box: "put the stackFiletype of this stack" result:

Message execution error:
Error description: Chunk: source is not a container

Make temp button in stack...

on mouseUp
   put the stackFiletype of this stack
end mouseUp

Throws up an error dialog. OK,  I assuming that despite errors, and in 
the absence of anyway to check, (how does one do the ResEdit thing 
these days in OSX? it's been years since I used it...) the prop was set 
as it should be.

Move my standalone to applications folder, restart machine.

now double click on Audio_Transcriber.rev in the hopes that "haSpSTCK" 
was in fact set properly... now it doesn't boot in my standalone and 
also doesn't boot Revolution (which it would normally do if the 
stackfiletype prop had never been set) instead I get an error dialog 
from the OS:

"This operation could not be completed. An unexpected error occurred 
(errod code -10660)" [OK]

Try another rev stack... double click.. Revolution boots as expected, 
all systems green.

Three questions:
1) what am I doing wrong? Related ?'s

Docs say: "To associate a file with your application, before you create 
the file, use the stackFileType property (for stack files created with 
the save command) or the fileType property (for all other files) to set 
the file's creator to the same four-character string you used for the 
application." How can you set a prop for a stack *before* you create it 
in Rev? And, what if it's already been created and  you want to assign 
it to your stand alone? Does it cease to be a revoSTCK? But if you open 
in the Rev IDE and save it, does rev reassign the stackFiletype to 
revoSTCK?  I can't find answers to this in the docs..

2) Tangential but related: What happened to the "distribution builder" 
option to output a stack, no as an executable standalone, but with 
inclusions in the stack itself--and, where one would have previously 
set the creator signature and document type for the stackfile (without 
including the engine)?

should I be using the stackFile services. I've never used that because 
i don't want the stand alone to be unhappy if those files are not 
present... it's just supposed to be an independent player."

Presently I have to ask all my users to boot the player first then open 
the stacks from inside the player, but that's not expected behavior of 
a professional app. Some of them forget and simply try to double click 
the stack and get the dialog box about not being able to find an 
application. etc.

(is this all carefully documented anywhere?)

3) I choose the sample icons for Rev "revApp.ico" assuming that since 
this is the OSX distribution of Rev that those should work but I don't 
get the pretty "R" icon. instead I get a generic "A" system icon.

This whole application binding thing would be ideal for a video 
tutorial. Anyone seen the Total Training series for Adobe apps? 
Expensive, but fantastic. One day maybe, Revolution will be there too.

Sannyasin Sivakatirswami
Himalayan Academy Publications
at Kauai's Hindu Monastery
katir at hindu.org

www.HimalayanAcademy.com,
www.HinduismToday.com
www.Gurudeva.org
www.Hindu.org