How to copy an icon along to an alias?

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How to copy an icon along to an alias?

I have several folders with files in it, which are all short clips of video. Finder automatically selects a frame from the video and assigns it as an icon to the videofile. Now I'd like to move all files from the different folders into one folder, as aliases. When I do that the icons are not copied to the aliases. Instead, a generic icon is displayed.

How can I have the same icon a file has, copied along to the alias? I know how to do it manually, but I have so many files, that that is not an option.

Posted on Apr 9, 2013 8:24 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 9, 2013 8:34 AM in response to WebbieDKS

Are you sure that in the View Options window on the new folder Show Icon Preview is checked?

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Answer 2

WebbieDKS Author

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Apr 10, 2013 4:17 PM in response to Frank Caggiano

Thanks for answering, Frank.

Yes, it is. I have been playing around with it and it seems that the icon is copied along to an alias when it is assigned to a file manually. If an icon is generated by Finder itself, the alias ends up with a generic icon. Which is very odd, because if you select the alias, then Show Info, a preview is created on the spot in the lowerpart of the info window.

If Finder can do that, why no automatically copy it to the icon placeholder?

This way I cannot use the aliases as I would like, as described in my earlier post.

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,722 points

Apr 10, 2013 5:40 PM in response to WebbieDKS

As icons are generated on the fly in OS X, an alias wouldn't have the data icon as it doesn't have any data to display as the icon. I'm not sure if there is a way to do what you want without creating custom icons with some third-party program that I'm not aware of.

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Answer 4

Apr 10, 2013 6:26 PM in response to WebbieDKS

As Barney noted an alias file not the same as the original file so the icon associated with it will not be the icon associated with the original.

I am curious about your statement

How can I have the same icon a file has, copied along to the alias? I know how to do it manually, but I have so many files, that that is not an option.

You know how to do what manually? Associate an icon with an alias? I'm not aware of a way to do that, could you elaborate?

thanks

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Answer 5

WebbieDKS Author

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15 points

Apr 11, 2013 6:30 AM in response to Frank Caggiano

Sorry I wasn't clear ;-)

I meant that I know how to manually assign a customized icon to a file, but it's not an option to do it one by one for so many files. Maybe a third party piece of software that can do it in bulk would be the best option.

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Answer 6

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,722 points

Apr 11, 2013 5:15 PM in response to WebbieDKS

I think I understood as I referenced doing the same thing. I know there used to be programs to do that (maybe not for an alias), but I don't know what works now. Try searching MacUpdate.

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