Bundle bits on or off: a follow-up

Last time, we posted an item suggesting that there is no sure standard as to whether a file's bundle bit should be on or off. A couple of readers (George Machen and David Ryeburn) took exception to this, noting "if the file contains a BNDL resource, the bundle bit should be set; if not, then it shouldn't." Period. "Turning it off will create a second error on top of an existing one."

David also offered this tip: If a utility such as Norton Disk Doctor offers to turn a bundle bit off, don't let it! Investigation with ResEdit typically discloses that the file does have a BNDL resource but that there is no matching owner resource. The quick and easy cure is as follows:

1. Open the BNDL resource in the file in ResEdit
2. Open ID 128
3. Double-click one of the icons
4. Do nothing
5. Close thevarious windows
6. When asked whether one wants to save the changes made (refrain from reacting with the response "What changes?"), say Yes

At this point the matching owner resource will have been created, the file will be exactly 295 bits larger than before, and Disk Doctor will now be happy about the bundle bit being turned on.

(Of course once in a while a file without a BNDL resource will have its bundle bit turned on, and in such cases Disk Doctor is right about wanting to turn it off.)

Update: James Walker counters: I disagree with the statement "if the file contains a BNDL resource, the bundle bit should be set; if not, then it shouldn't." That would be true if all files were built correctly, but they aren't. A scan of my own system disk found 34 files that have a bundle bit and have a BNDL resource, but have creator type '????'. That creator type is supposed to be used for "anonymous" files, but when something claims to own this type, then all other such anonymous files may be misidentified by the "Kind" field of the Get Info dialog."

[For those of you who have no idea what a Bundle Bit is: it is one of the Finder attributes that can be set for a file via ResEdit or a utility such as Snitch. It is primarily responsible for making sure that a document gets the correct custom icon from its creating application. If the bit is not set correctly, and if the Desktop Database is not properly updated to register the setting, documents may show incorrect icons.]