esorcerer has a multitude of unique features to help you with MacOS user-interface and software development, localization, debugging, and maintenance.

As a standard MacOS application that has been in use and under continuous development for over a decade, Resorcerer's major features include:

• transparent support for Mac OS X data-fork-only resource files
  
• automatic file backup during saves via the resource manager
  
• a single window file interface that lets you browse resources easily on even the smallest Mac screen
  
• visible, optionally accumulating, clipboard file for safe cutting and pasting of groups of related resources
  
• dragging resources and groups of related resources between file windows
  
• resource hex/text searching, so you can find resources by content
  
• visible resource marking, so you can keep track of whatever you need to
  
• visible editing attributes (including which ones are open, which changed) for easier navigation in the browser
  
• ability to change IDs, attributes, and even types of any group of resources all at once, with undo
  
• general-purpose hierarchical file system browser lets you take a snapshot of all the files on all your disks, display them all as an instantly scrollable (giant) tree, and open any file generically with Resorcerer to get at the contents.
  
• very powerful general purpose raw data Hex Editor shows data in hex, binary, ASCII, Unicode, and PowerPC disassembly (with instruction translation to English)
  
• integral data fork editing, with file name suffix mapping to data types
  
• resource file comparison, so you can get your bearings between two different versions of the same file
  
• AppleScript object model support for files, forks, resources, bytes, and bits. Every bit a file is a scriptable object
  
• an older internal scripting language, so you can build complex resource files from other files
  
• screen-copying for pictures, icons, color lookup tables makes it easy to get started using your favorite paint program or other background application
• powerful, consistent, and well-designed interface features that solve many common problems
  
• a rich set of user preferences
  
• individual Editors for the most common Mac application resources
  
• very powerful, 32-bit generic data structure parsing template system, for designing new custom resources, maintaining old custom resources, or even changing the structure of existing custom resources.
  
• over 200 templates for standard MacOS technology resources

There are dedicated editors for these standard resource types (or their synonyms):

aete, aeut, ALRT, actb, acur, bmap, BNDL, cicn, clut, cmnu, crsr, CNTL, cctb, CURS, DLOG, DITL, dctb, FREF, icns, ICN#, ICON, icl4, icl8, icm4, icm8, ics4, ics8, icm8, icm4, ics#, ictb, kcs#, kcs4, kcs8, MENU, Mcmd, mctb, nrct, PAT , PAT#, PICT, POST, ppat, SICN, SIZE, snd , STR , STR#, styl, TEXT, TMPL, Txtr, TYP#, utxt, vers, WIND, wctb, and WSTR resources.

• AIFF sound files
• Appearance Mgr (Mac OS 8)
• AppleScript
• Balloon Help
• Code Fragments
• ColorSync
• Finder
• Font, Script, and Keyboard
• Installer 4.0
• MacApp
• MPW
• PowerPlant
• PowerTalk (AOCE)
• QuickDraw Pictures (complete disassembly and reassembly)
• QuickDraw GX
• QuickTime
• Speech Manager
• Standard System

Most dedicated editors will DeRez the resource or group of resources being edited directly to the clipboard, which makes maintainence of Rez source files easier. Dedicated editors also do first class printing (as opposed to screen dumps) of their displayed data, or selections within it.

Resorcerer's Value Converter lets you see and edit any 64-bit value in any of two dozen standard Mac formats, including binary, octal, hex, unsigned, fixed point (three kinds), float, character, unicode, date, internet IP addresses, etc. Most of Resorcerer dialog boxes will accept either decimal or hex input wherever a decimal number is called for.

Resorcerer's Pixel Magnifier lets you see and measure portions of the screen.

Its Unicode Viewer lets you see how Unicode is organized and lets you view any code point (Unicode character) in any font.

Resorcerer's own output console is included to allow developers to send AppleEvents or any other data descriptor to it for complete disassembly and debugging. Just include a simple subroutine (source code included with Resorcerer 2.4) in the app you wish to debug and call the routine every time you need to see the contents of the descriptor. It works even when the two applications are in different OS (Classic and Mac OS X) environments.

Resorcerer treats the MacOS developer like every Mac user deserves to be treated: both their time and the files in which they keep their work are precious.

Unlike Apple's unsupported ResEdit, Resorcerer is not a "resource map" editor. You don't have to create a type, for instance, prior to creating a resource of that type. You can open and close files that have no "resource forks" without being asked if you want to create one. Resource maps should properly be a private MacOS data structure. However, the whole purpose of resources, and the Resource Manager's manipulation of them, is to hide from "the rest of us" any details of resource maps. In fact, under OS X, resource forks may not exist, which simply means the resource data and resource maps are being kept in the data fork of a file. Where resources are kept, however, should be of no concern to the person who just wants to edit a string, dialog, menu, or custom resource, which is what 99% of the use of a resource editor is all about.

Resorcerer minimally, but compatably, relies on the MacOS Resource Manager to read resource data in once, regardless of the source, and to write changed resources back out. On Mac OS X, you have a choice (if the destination volume permits it) of saving data back out to an old-style double-forked file, or a new-style data-fork-only resource file. Should Apple change the format of resource maps in the future, Resorcerer will therefore continue to work. Our resource editor is more intuitive and easier to use because of its ignorance of resource maps, and safer as well (for instance, Resorcerer has historically made no patches to any system traps, and basically knows nothing about resource maps). In fact, internally, Resorcerer doesn't even edit resources, so your work in progress is hidden from the toolbox and system until you save it.

In addition, Resorcerer will not let you save any changes to any already open file, such as the Finder or System file, or to itself. You can open and browse your System file and any of its resources, however, and editing a copy of an open file is perfectly fine. Pre-Mac OS X active System Enabler files are also off-limits.

Finally (just to drive the point home), Resorcerer silently backs up your file during the save process, just in case the Resource Manager leaves the file in an inconsistent state should there be a crash during the file save.

Resorcerer is currently the resource editor of choice at nearly all the well-known Mac software companies, including Apple. A significant number of our customers are from abroad (more than 25 countries so far). This is due to Resorcerer's superlative ease of use, robustness, special features for localizers, its text searching, file comparison, and ability to edit and view strings, text, resource names, even hex, in any type-style. Most of Apple's own localizers now use Resorcerer, and AppleGlot (Apple's localization tool) has standardized on Resorcerer template language.

Resorcerer 1.2.5 was the first localized MacOS resource editor in the Japanese market.

Unlike Apple's ResEdit, Resorcerer is not free. Precisely because of this, we will respond to bugs, feature requests, etc. more attentively than Apple (where ResEdit has not been supported for over half a decade and in fact, as a 68K application, cannot run under Mac OS X), and we can afford to value our customer's needs more highly, with more personal support. You know exactly whom to go to when a problem arises, rather than depending on snippets of anonymous code/advice/patches culled from bulletin boards/user groups/etc.. And we know exactly who to go to in case of bug fixes or updates. If a bug in Resorcerer is keeping you from getting your work done, we will work with you directly to get the problem fixed as best we can.

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