LaunchCodes: a creator code utility for Snow Leopard

Apple has dropped creator code support in Snow Leopard, and many people are frustrated that double-clicking on files causes them to open in an unexpected application.

We won’t call it the wrong application because lots of people (particularly switchers from Windows) like the new behavior just fine. But if you’re among those who prefer the familiar creator code behavior, you’ve probably wished you could get it back.

Now you can.

It turns out that the creator code information remains intact on Snow Leopard; it’s just that Finder ignores it when choosing the application to open a file. All that is needed is a clever application that looks up creator code information when you double-click on a file.

LaunchCodes does exactly that. You simply choose which file extensions you want to open using the familiar creator code behavior, and LaunchCodes will handle the opening of those files using the creator code. In practice there are only a few file extensions that you typically open in more than one application, so it takes only a moment to configure LaunchCodes to your liking.

If you have a particular file that you want to open on a creator code basis, but don’t want to use the creator code on all files with that extension, no problem: just drag the file to the LaunchCodes application icon, and LaunchCodes will open the file in its creator code application, even if LaunchCodes is not set up to handle that file extension.

You can even inspect files to see if they have a creator code, and see which application LaunchCodes will use to open the files.

Best of all, LaunchCodes is just a simple, tiny application that does not hack or replace any of your system components. You can disable it at any time. In the best Mac tradition, it just works.

Download LaunchCodes and try it free for 30 days. Or just go ahead and buy it now—it’s only $5 US!