Author: Copyright (C) 2014 by CiderPress authors

Using the File Viewer

With the file viewer you can examine files stored in an archive or disk image without having to extract them first. Files may be converted from several different Apple II formats.

When the file viewer opens you will be shown the first file you selected from the file list. If you selected multiple files, the "Prev" and "Next" buttons can be used to move between them.

The "data", "resource", and "comment" buttons on the left can be used to choose which part of the file you want to view. If the file doesn't have the part in question, the button will be dimmed. Disk images in NuFX archives are treated as data forks.

You can choose how you want the file to be formatted by choosing a formatter from the drop-down list. You will always have the option of viewing data in raw form or as a hex dump. If not disabled, a generic text converter that changes end-of-line characters and strips "high ASCII" will also be available. Certain types of files will have additional options that can be chosen from the list. The buttons labeled "best", "hex", and "raw" change the selection to the best formatter, the hex dump formatter, and the raw dump, respectively.

The "best" option, which is always the first in the list, is determined by examining the file. Certain file viewer preferences, such as disabling reformatters or setting a preference for black & white hi-res images, will affect the conversion. The other modes are still available and may be chosen from the list, but the viewer will default to your preference.

For text documents, the font can be changed with the "Font" button. A monospace font like Courier or Courier New is recommended for Apple II files since most of them were created with a fixed-width font in mind. The default is 10-point Courier New. If you're viewing a IIgs word processing file, such as a Teach document, the file may be in multiple fonts and multiple sizes. Using the "font" button will force the text to use a single font and size.

You can use the "Find" button to search for text. The search starts at the currently selected text or, if none is selected, at the blinking cursor.

You can print text or graphics with the "Print" button. The document will be sent to the printer using the fonts you see on screen.

If a format converter fails, perhaps because the file being converted has become corrupted, the "raw" output will be displayed instead. If an error occurs, such as trying to view a file larger than the configured maximum limit, a message will be displayed on a yellow background.

All hex dumps, text, and pictures can be cut and pasted directly from the file viewer. Printing "raw" output is generally not a good idea, because the output may contain "page feed" characters that leave all or part of a page blank.

You can also copy documents to other programs. To select the entire document, click on the document to set the input focus, then hit Ctrl-A to select all and Ctrl-C to copy it to the clipboard. Switch to another application (Windows WordPad and Microsoft Word are the most appropriate) and hit Ctrl-V to paste.

Bear in mind that not all applications support all formats. Pasting text into Windows notepad, which doesn't support Rich Text Format, will cause highlighed BASIC listings and formatted AppleWorks documents to be converted to plain text. Pasting graphics into Notepad doesn't work at all.

Click "Done" to close the window.

Tip: hit the Tab key to highlight the format selector, then use the up and down arrows to move between different conversion modes.