Editing Resource fork (section)

== Editing ==
{{Redirect2|Resource editor|Resource editing|editing resources in Microsoft Windows|Resource editor (Windows)}}
As the resource fork can be edited with a resource editor such as [[ResEdit]], it can be used to [[Internationalization and localization|localize]] and customize [[software]]. In addition, most resource editors allow visual editing of data. In [[macOS]], it is possible to use resources when developing an application. However, if the application may need to be used in [[Unix File System|UFS]], it is also possible to configure it so that the entire resource fork is moved to the data fork, using the Raw Resource File setting{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}. The [[integrated development environment]]s distributed for free by [[Apple Inc.]], which include [[Macintosh Programmer's Workshop|MPW]] and [[Xcode|Apple Developer's Tools]], include a [[compiler]] called Rez. This uses a dedicated language, also called Rez, which can be used to create a resource fork by compiling [[source code]]. A decompiler, DeRez, which can be used to change a resource fork back into Rez code is also included.

In the structure of the resource fork, there is a piece of data called a "resource map" which stores the positions of resource data items. This can be used to allow [[random access]] to resource data based on the defined IDs and names. The resource fork can be thought of as consisting of essentially two objects, the resource map and the resource data itself, but in fact each data type is a hierarchical structure which stores multiple items of data. The format in which the information in the resource data is stored is defined based on the types of information, which are known as "resource types." Resource data often makes references to other types of data.

In macOS, forks are named ''file''/..namedfork/''forkname'', ''e.g.'', the resource fork of the file IMG_0593.jpg is IMG_0593.jpg/..namedfork/rsrc. The <code>ls</code> command supports a <code>-l@</code> option which lists a file's forks.