If you have a text file which inadvertently ends up as a data-only
file on the Mac, it's likely that it won't even appear in an Open
dialog list box. What you need to do is open the file with ResEdit,
which is available from mac.archive.umich.edu. ResEdit will
tell you that the file you're opening has no resource fork and then
asks if you would like to add one. You should answer "Yes" to this
question. You can then edit the file's Type and Creator by selecting
the Open Special option of the File menu. All Macintosh text files
are type TEXT, so replace the question marks in the Text box
with that. The Creator code depends on your text editor or word
processor. Each one is unique, incidentally, and is how the Mac
identifies different apps. The Creator code for GNU Emacs on the Mac
is EMAC, for example. If in doubt what the creator code of
your text editor or word processor is, use ttxt, which is the
creator code for TeachText (which is the Mac equivalent of
EDLIN.EXE.) Then your real word processor or text editor can
translate the file from TeachText to its native type.
There are many other neato things which TeachText can do, so it's worthwhile to keep it permanently on your Mac. The book Voodoo Mac, by Kay Yarborough Nelson, is a good source of tried-and-true Macintosh tricks that use ResEdit, TeachText, the Finder, and other overlooked programs.
