In the early 1980's when Apple Computer released the Lisa (and later the Macintosh), they wanted to make the system easy for programmers to develop applications on the new platform.
The engineers at Apple implemented a method of programming where the commonly used elements of every application, (the menus, icons, dialog boxes, etc.) were stored separately from the raw programming code of an application. These commonly used objects were placed in a section called the resource fork. By moving these elements to the resource fork, programmers could quickly change the look of a program, or create a foreign language version much more easily.
Apple even created free a program to easily manipulate the elements of the resource fork called ResEdit. While written for programmers, ResEdit allows any Mac user to easily tweak the look of a program and add simple new features.
Would you like to be able to empty the trash can by typing Command-T, saving yourself a trip to the menu bar? With ResEdit, you can graphically edit menus, icons, and text strings that are commonly used in an application.
In the early years at Apple, ResEdit was a rather unstable piece of software. Couple that with the fact that careless changes can actually destroy a program, and ResEdit received an unwarranted reputation as a dangerous application. But the truth is that if you have easy to follow instructions, and always work on a copy of the edited application, you won’t do any permanent damage if you make a mistake.
Eight years ago when Apple released System 7.0, MacWorld magazine published a short article on using ResEdit to add a command key to the Finder for emptying the trash. I would have to admit that my hands were a little sweaty after that first edit, but I was hooked! Before long, I was modifying the icons in dialog boxes, changing default System icons, and making my life easier with dozens of new command-key shortcuts in a dozen different applications.
When friends and co-workers saw my handy work, they badgered me for the information to add these resources edits to their own computers! One thing led to another and ResExcellence was born.
The goal of ResExcellence is simple - take some information that is generally considered too technical for the average Mac user, and present it in a way that makes it possible for a ten year old to do it. I know I have succeeded because my children have performed some of ResExcellence’s edits.
While ResExcellence has slightly broadened its scope to cover simple AppleScripts, the emphasis is still on resource editing.
If you are bored with changing your desktop pattern and pasting icons into “Get Info” windows, stop by ResExcellence and try your skill at one of the 150 previous edits in the archive. Follow the simple step by step instructions on the graphic laden pages and you will feel like a ResEdit pro in no time!
