DropZip® Preferences

DropZip Preferences

DropZip Preferences can be used to change the way in which Zip archives are created.

DropZip Preferences

Compression Level:	You can also change the compression level that will be used when items are added to a Zip archive. The choices are ÒFasterÓ and ÒBetterÓ; as the names suggest the ÒFasterÓ compression method makes archives more quickly, and the ÒBetterÓ compression method creates smaller archives. An additional choice, ÒCustomÓ is also available. When ÒCustomÓ is selected you can use the Custom Compression Settings dialog to determine how DropZip will compress your files.
Delete Originals after Zipping:	When this option is set, DropZip will delete the original files that were added to an archive after the archive has been created. Warning: Use this option with great caution! If an error occurs during archiving, an archive may not be created and the original files may still be deleted. It is always recommended to keep backups of important files.
Zip each item as an individual archive:	When this option is set, multiple items dragged onto the DropZip icon, or onto the DropZip application window, will each be added to their own individual Zip archive.
Ignore Finder Desktop Files:	When this option is set, DropZip will not add Finder files (such as Desktop Database files or .DStore) to an archive.
Show Drag Window:	When this option is set, DropZip will display a drag and drop window when the application runs. You can compress files and folders by dragging them onto this window.

UUEncode Preferences

The options in the UUEncode page allow you to instruct DropZip to UUEncode a Zip archive after it has been created. You can configure this behavior so that the archive is deleted after it has been encoded, and you can also choose to remove the .Zip from the file name; the archive will be named file.uu, rather than file.Zip.uu.

MacBinary Preferences

Macintosh Resource forks are not supported by Zip archives. In order to preserve Macintosh Resource fork information it is necessary to MacBinary encode these files before they are added to an archive.

Tip: Just StuffIt! (Use StuffIt X Archives, that is.) StuffIt will keep the files smaller and protect the Resource fork and other Macintosh file information.

The MacBinary Preferences determines how this MacBinary Encoding is preformed.

Never:	Files will never be MacBinary encoded before they are added to a Zip archive. Macintosh file information will be lost.
Smart:	This means that files that contain extended information (such as resource forks) will be encoded before they are archived, files that do not contain extended information will not be MacBinary encoded before they are added to an archive .This option does its best to identify the appropriate files automatically. .
Always:	This option will cause all files added to a Zip archive to first be MacBinary encoded, regardless of whether they contain extended file information.

Note: When you pick a MacBinary option, be aware of who will end up using your files. If you use MacBinary encoding and send the resulting Zip archive to a UNIX user, they will most likely encounter problems when trying to unzip the contents. By default, we assume that you are using Zip files because you want to send them to PC user running Windows®, and therefore the MacBinary preference is set to Never by default. The vast majority of Macintosh files are usable without their resource forks, so even if Mac users open Zip archives created without MacBinary encoding, they should not encounter a problem using the files contained therein.

Destination Settings

The settings in the Destination page determine where on your hard drive the new archive file will be created.

Same As Original:	By default, the archive is created in the same location as the original files that were compressed.
Ask:	This option causes DropZip to prompt you to specify a location to which the archive will be saved.
Use:	This option allows you to specify a location on your hard drive to which all archives created with DropZip will be saved.

Version Checking

This option allows you to specify whether or not DropZip should check online for updates or newer versions. This preference is on by default.

See also Advanced Format Options

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