SymbolicLinker

SymbolicLinker is a software that aims to address the issue of Unix tools struggling to resolve System 7 style alias files created by the Finder's "Make Alias" command. This problem is especially common with file and web servers such as FTP, NFS, Samba, and Apache, as these tools mistake the alias files for regular files with no contents, rendering them useless in certain situations. Unlike aliases, symbolic links can be easily resolved by all Unix applications. These links connect to the original file and can be created with a simple command on the Terminal.

SymbolicLinker provides a solution to this problem by offering a contextual menu plugin that enables users to create symbolic links to files from within the Finder. Once installed, the plugin adds a contextual menu item that generates symbolic links to selected files. This eliminates the need for users to frequently visit the Terminal and use the "ln -s" command to create symbolic links.

The software supports multiple languages including English, Finnish, Japanese, Spanish, Swedish, French, German, Italian, and Turkish.

To install SymbolicLinker, users must open the "Library" folder at the root of their boot disk and ensure that a "Contextual Menu Items" folder exists. If not, they must create one with that specific name. Users who are not system administrators or who only want the plugin available to certain users on the system can use the Library folder inside their home directory. The next step involves copying the "SymbolicLinker.plugin" folder provided by the software into the Contextual Menu Items folder. Finally, users must relaunch the Finder by pressing and holding Command-Option-Escape until a "Force Quit Applications" window appears, selecting the Finder, and clicking on "Relaunch". Alternatively, users can log out and back in again if they prefer not to force quit applications.