Default icon for FLAC files

[dm1581]

Hello, I have a problem with the icon for FLAC files. I go to Get Info - the Open with... field - now I select Play as a default application to open all FLAC files and can see in the Preview field a score sheet icon. Now I press the 'Change all' button to apply these settings to all FLAC files - oops! the icon in the Preview and on all the files changes to an EXEC icon.

When I use Open with... - Other... - Always open with Play, the icon remains the score sheet, but it works only for that single file!

Please advise! Thank you.

[RonaldPR]

Select in the Finder a flac file that does not yet open in Play and choose "Get Info" from the File menu (or hit command-I). In the Info panel choose Play as the application to open the file and click the "Change all..." button to make the change for all similar files. (If the 'Open with' section in the Info panel is closed, click the small grey triangle to open that section.)

[dm1581]

Select in the Finder a flac file that does not yet open in Play and choose "Get Info" from the File menu (or hit command-I). In the Info panel choose Play as the application to open the file and click the "Change all..." button to make the change for all similar files. (If the 'Open with' section in the Info panel is closed, click the small grey triangle to open that section.)

Yes, I did that and all flacs have an EXEC icon ever since. And all opens with Play.

System: 10.5.5.

[RonaldPR]

If you change the default application for a certain file type, the icon for that file type will change to an icon that belongs to the new default application. I do not know what kind of 'score' icon your flac files had before they were directed to Play as the default application. On my system, the files that will be opened by Play, do have a score icon, but it can be recognized as such only in large icons.

Do your flac files appear with the dark icon of a Unix Executable File? That is weird. Are the executable bits set for those files? Or maybe you need to do some cache cleaning with an appropriate utility?

[dm1581]

On my system, the files that will be opened by Play, do have a score icon, but it can be recognized as such only in large icons.

It seems so, this 'score' icon looks like a Windows TXT icon. Only when enlarged, one can see scores, not texts, depicted.

Do your flac files appear with the dark icon of a Unix Executable File? That is weird. Are the executable bits set for those files? Or maybe you need to do some cache cleaning with an appropriate utility?

Yes, the dark icon with the green 'exec' text in its top left corner. The weirdest thing is that when I choose Play as a default application to open a file with, I see the 'score' icon in the Preview field of the Get Info window, and that is correct. But when I press the 'Change all...' button, the icon changes both in the Preview field and on the real flac files to the dark 'exec' icon... When I right-click a file and select Open with / Other..., then select Play and check 'Always open with' (so there is no Get Info window), the correct 'score' icon is set permanently for that single file.

I made a cache cleaning with Maintenance, no results. How can I see whether the executable bits are set or not?

[RonaldPR]

How can I see whether the executable bits are set or not?

Open a Terminal window.

At the promp type cd followed by a space (the trailing space does not show in code on this forum):

Code: Select all

cd 

and drag the icon of a folder that contains these flac files into the Terminal window. That will add the path to that folder after "cd ".
Then hit enter (or return). You are now with Terminal inside that folder.

Type:

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ls -l

and hit enter (or return).

You will see a list of the files in the folder with some information about the files. Each line starts with the respective file permissions for the user, the group and everyone else, in that order. r=read, w=write, x=execute.
Those music files should normally have privileges -rw-r--r--
With execute permissions it would be -rwxr-xr-x

[dm1581]

Those music files should normally have privileges -rw-r--r--
With execute permissions it would be -rwxr-xr-x

All my music files (both FLAC and MP3 (the latter have a correct icon!)) have -rwxr-xr-x or -rwxr-xr-x@ permissions. I changed them for one file using the command 'chmod 644 [filename]', and after pressing the 'Change All...' button that file has a white (completely blank) icon!

By the way, I use Leopard only a few weeks, so I assume there shouldn't be any interference with third-party programs (I have only Play, Tag, VLC, xACT and XLD installed). I can also add that dragging FLAC files to the Play's icon in the dock doesn't work.

Any further advice would be greatly appreciated.

[RonaldPR]

The fact that the execute bits are set, may very well be part of the problem. They should not have execute permissions.
Your flac files do all have a .flac file name extension? Then you can remove the execute permissions for all flac files in a folder:

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chmod -x /path/to/the/folder/*.flac

(You can again enter the path to the folder by dragging the folder from the Finder into the Terminal window. Do not forget the space after "-x".)
-x removes the execute permissions
* is a wildcard notation

The Finder often does not update at once info on files that were visible in the Finder when a change was made. The Finder may need to be restarted to show the correct icon. (See menu that appears when you option-control-click (or option-right click) the Finder icon in the Dock.)

When problems with icons or problems with relating files to applications persist, you may need to reset/rebuild LaunchServices. You wrote earlier that you used a utility 'Maintenance'? Does it have an option to rebuild LaunchServices? If you use that (first quit all other applications and restart after using the option), all icons and file-application relations will be set back to their defaults. Also, as a side effect, the Finder will not remember if applications were used before, so you may again be asked if it is OK to start an application for the first time.

[dm1581]

The fact that the execute bits are set, may very well be part of the problem. They should not have execute permissions.
Your flac files do all have a .flac file name extension? Then you can remove the execute permissions for all flac files in a folder:

Code: Select all

chmod -x /path/to/the/folder/*.flac

(You can again enter the path to the folder by dragging the folder from the Finder into the Terminal window. Do not forget the space after "-x".)
-x removes the execute permissions
* is a wildcard notation

I did it for one folder and all FLACs then showed a white blank icon.

When problems with icons or problems with relating files to applications persist, you may need to reset/rebuild LaunchServices. You wrote earlier that you used a utility 'Maintenance'? Does it have an option to rebuild LaunchServices? If you use that (first quit all other applications and restart after using the option), all icons and file-application relations will be set back to their defaults.

Yes, the Maintenance utility has this option. I did it and logged-out - logged in to the system, but all the same: FLACs with the blank icon remained the same and FLACs with the EXEC icon remained the same (but on double-clicking I was asked about opening Play for the first time, so the rebuilding indeed took place.).

Any ideas?

[RonaldPR]

Sorry, no more ideas. Rebuilding LaunchServices should correct any icon issues, certainly if Maintenance does not only rebuild the related user file but also the related system files. Does Maintenance ask for your administrator pasword? I thought that after rebuilding LaunchServices a restart is needed, not just a logout and back login. To my knowledge, 'rebuilding' LaunchServices deletes the files that are then rebuild during startup.

[dm1581]

So Rebuilding LaunchServices should correct any icon issues, certainly if Maintenance does not only rebuild the related user file but also the related system files. Does Maintenance ask for your administrator pasword?

Yes, it does.

I thought that after rebuilding LaunchServices a restart is needed, not just a logout and back login. To my knowledge, 'rebuilding' LaunchServices deletes the files that are then rebuild during startup.

I rebuilded LaunchServices again, then restarted the computer - no effect. May it be a Play's bug, as when I specify other applications to open FLACs with (say, VLC or even Tag), the application icon is set instantly and correctly?

[RonaldPR]

I really have no solution to your problem. When I rebuild LaunchServices and restart, all my FLAC files have a score icon and open by default in Play. What is the default application your FLAC files open with?

[dm1581]

What is the default application your FLAC files open with?

It is Play. The only problem is the icon.

[dm1581]

I really have no solution to your problem.

Anyway, thank you very much! I learned a lot, especially about permissions, so someday it'll help me with something else

[RonaldPR]

Maybe something with the files? I will give you my email address in a private message, then you can send me one of the files.