"Open with" - does it actually and permanently change a doc?

Question

Level 2

231 points

"Open with" - does it actually and permanently change a doc?

How badly have I screwed things up - or not at all?

I opened a .json file with TextEdit - the only app I could find that opened it. A .json info page shows that this is one app that can open these docs. (I was checking a Firefox bookmarkbackup doc in Home/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/folder with profile default name/bookmarkbackups/in this folder were 5 docs - I opened one) .

Now it appears that ALL the docs that end in .json show TextEdit as Kind and Open With.

I don't know how they were listed before, but I know it didn't say open with TextEdit since when I first clicked the doc to open it, I was told I had to choose an app to open it with.

I don’t know why ALL the .json docs have now changed this information since I did NOT click the “change all” button nor did I click the “use this application to open all documents like this”.

Is “Open with” just for my convenience or have I actually altered the docs? Ff works fine and I can’t find anything wrong.

The docs still look like what I think .json formatting should look like and still have the .json designation in their name. All that appears to have changed is the “open with” and “Kind” shows as “TextEdit” even though it’s a .json doc

Even more peculiar, when I connect one of my external HDs with one of my HD backups and look at the same doc there, it now shows as TextEdit.

Help? Or is all OK?

Everything seems to be OK... Do I need to try to restore these docs to what they were before, something I haven't been able to figure out since my backup HD switched the copy of the docs to open with TextEdit as well...

Help?

Mrs H

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Oct 2, 2011 1:28 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Oct 2, 2011 1:30 PM in response to Mrs H

Open with changes only the file you opened, unless you checked the box that says 'change all'

You can reselect one and (using open with) change it again anytime you like.

Reply

Answer 2

Mrs H Author

Level 2

231 points

Oct 2, 2011 1:38 PM in response to Csound1

I didn't - really I didn't as I said above.

But all the .json docs now show text edit as open with. (maybe it was there all along, but I'm pretty positive not since I had to select it the first time I tried to open it.)

Is there harm done in this?

Mrs H

Reply

Answer 3

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Oct 2, 2011 1:40 PM in response to Mrs H

Unless you don't want TextEdit to open them, no harm has been done.

Reply

Answer 4

Mrs H Author

Level 2

231 points

Oct 2, 2011 1:50 PM in response to Csound1

Thanks, no I don't care what opens them and I'll probably never want to open them again.

I just worried that if I had changed the format from .json to something else (say .txt) the doc wouldn't work.

But as I said, Ff works and yet these docs (well they are backup bookmarks so probably don't come into play unless I needed to restore old bookmarks) are now opening with TE.

I couldn't find any other .json docs - in fact, using Spotlight I couldn't even find the 6 .json docs I know I have in the Ff folder listed above. The 6th doc is "search.json"

As long as Ff is happy and can access them no matter what they say for open with, no harm done 🙂

I recall Mr H accidently converting? a driver for a Viao we had - gulp, we really did own a PC - (back before Dell netbooks it was the smallest laptop we could get for international travel needs) to a.pdf and changing it forevermore - I don't know how he did it and thus killing the driver for the CD player, and thus killing... but that's another story....

So, I remain a bit nervous when formats are mysteriously changed.

Mrs H

Reply

Answer 5

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Oct 2, 2011 1:51 PM in response to Mrs H

You didn't change any formats, merely the choice of which program will try to open the file, and that always can be changed again.

Reply

Answer 6

Mrs H Author

Level 2

231 points

Oct 2, 2011 1:54 PM in response to Csound1

I know, but I don't know what the format was that it was before and in the list of apps of other choices to open it with the original doesn't appear - since I didn't have that app before, I don't have it now one day later.

As long as all is well by my not actually changing anything and Ff can recognize it as before, all is well.

Thank you for making me feel better about what I did!

Mrs H

Reply

Answer 7

Csound1

Level 9

60,063 points

Oct 2, 2011 1:56 PM in response to Mrs H

Well, it's a data interchange file, often used for bookmarks, it's a text file to be simple with the description, no default app specified, FF etc just import it using whatever tools they have.

Reply

Answer 8

Mrs H Author

Level 2

231 points

Oct 2, 2011 2:14 PM in response to Csound1

Thanks for all your help and your speedy reply.

I can sleep tonight knowing no harm done. 😉

Mrs H

Reply