TypeShuffler is a drag and drop utility that allows you to change the creator code, file type, and file extension of files. It also provides you with a configurable database of creator codes so that you can quickly change files to your preferred codes, types, and extensions.
Background
The Mac OS uses three pieces of type information to display the proper icon for a file and to know which application to open if a file is double clicked on. This type information consists of the creator code, file type, and file extension. Changing this information allows you to change the icon and double click behavior of a file. For example, you could change the creator code of a picture file so that it's opened by Preview instead of AppleWorks.
Each file in the Mac OS file system has two four-character codes associated with it. One is the creator code which identifies the application, utility, or other system entity which created the file. The second is the file type which is the actual type of the file, such as 'TEXT' for text files and 'PICT' for picture files. Additionally, some files may have an optional file extension at the end of the file name. These filename extensions consist of a period followed by one or more characters. However, filename extensions may not be visible depending upon your Finder preferences.
Be careful! Changing type information can obviously lead to some problems if you change files to inappropriate types. For example, if you were to change a text file into a picture file, any application trying to open this "picture" file may crash because it would clearly be an invalid picture.
