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And macOS has the "Stationery Pad" file attribute, where a "Stationery Pad" file has the semantics that whenever you open it, you're actually duplicating it and

by derefr 5y ago

And macOS has the "Stationery Pad" file attribute, where a "Stationery Pad" file has the semantics that whenever you open it, you're actually duplicating it and then opening the duplicate. (I believe this results in "Stationery Pad"-derived documents acting much like new blank documents in most programs, in that upon attempting to close the document, the program will force you to choose between discarding or naming the new document.)

user3939382 5y ago
Microsoft Office includes similar functionality with its template file types, such as (in Word, for example) .dot or .dotx, in case anyone saw that and wondered what it’s for. My strategy with those was to make the .dotx read-only and remove delete permissions so it was also in-tact on a network drive, and office workers can double click to start a company form letter.
- nsomaru 5y ago
  Thanks, good tip. You can also make the template appear in the “new document” screen under the personal tab if you fiddle with some settings and put the template in the right place.
tonyedgecombe 5y ago
On Big Sur it copies the file and starts editing that. None the less it's a nice feature that I completely missed.
derefr 5y ago
macOS post 10.7 also has the "Locked" file attribute; and optionally auto-applies "Locked" to documents after a set interval. "Locked" files behave similar to "Stationery Pad" files, though with slight differences in workflow. You can open a "Locked" document, but when you attempt to make any changes to it, the program will pop a modal informing you that the document is "Locked", and asking whether you want to 1. unlock the document (and then apply your attempted change to the original); 2. duplicate the document (and then apply your attempted change to the duplicate); or 3. cancel your attempted change. "Locked" documents entirely subsume/obsolete "Stationery Pad" documents, IMHO. Locking gives you all the benefits of edits triggering a duplication of the document; while also offering you the option to edit the original if you so desire (without needing to close out of the document and modify its attributes first); and without creating unnecessary duplicates when all you wanted to do was view the document.

by derefr 5y ago

user3939382 5y ago

Microsoft Office includes similar functionality with its template file types, such as (in Word, for example) .dot or .dotx, in case anyone saw that and wondered what it’s for. My strategy with those was to make the .dotx read-only and remove delete permissions so it was also in-tact on a network drive, and office workers can double click to start a company form letter.

nsomaru 5y ago
Thanks, good tip. You can also make the template appear in the “new document” screen under the personal tab if you fiddle with some settings and put the template in the right place.

tonyedgecombe 5y ago

On Big Sur it copies the file and starts editing that. None the less it's a nice feature that I completely missed.

derefr 5y ago

macOS post 10.7 also has the "Locked" file attribute; and optionally auto-applies "Locked" to documents after a set interval. "Locked" files behave similar to "Stationery Pad" files, though with slight differences in workflow. You can open a "Locked" document, but when you attempt to make any changes to it, the program will pop a modal informing you that the document is "Locked", and asking whether you want to 1. unlock the document (and then apply your attempted change to the original); 2. duplicate the document (and then apply your attempted change to the duplicate); or 3. cancel your attempted change. "Locked" documents entirely subsume/obsolete "Stationery Pad" documents, IMHO. Locking gives you all the benefits of edits triggering a duplication of the document; while also offering you the option to edit the original if you so desire (without needing to close out of the document and modify its attributes first); and without creating unnecessary duplicates when all you wanted to do was view the document.