EazyDraw File Format

XML p List and a more efficient binary file format:

The EazyDraw native file format is an open non-proprietary public format.
The data content is in a human/machine English readable text.
We use Mac OS X's XML Parameter List (pList) dictionary based format.
Alternatively file data may be saved in a raw binary format which is more compact and quicker to open and save - important for larger files.

But will my drawings be usable on other operating systems :
The answer is YES. A full set of export graphic file formats will allow you to match the file type requirements of your audience.
Mac OS X provides full support of PDF and TIFF file formats. You can directly export these platform independent formats.
A rich compliment of export file formats is supported, including format, resolution, and compression control.
Or if your audience is OS X capable-have them download the free reader. This solution is ideal-they can do much more than just view static graphics using the reader and EazyDraw native files.

External view, modify, or create content.

Use any text editor
You can inspect and edit an EazyDraw drawing with any text editor. This opens a great number of possibilities for the more experienced user.

Property List Editor
Use the Property List Editor provided with the Mac OS X developer tools. With this tool you can see the definitions of all the "keys" and corresponding dictionary "values".

Some things are easier to do programmatically
Some graphic content needs (creation or support) are better suited to digital media (text editing). Use EazyDraw for the GUI. Develop or support the content with other tools: data base, scripts, Objective C.

See what is going on
Sometimes what you need to understand is not documented, or not documented clearly. An inspection of the actual graphic objects may provide the needed information. Generate an example and have a look at the raw data-a powerful self documenting tool.

Built-in Compression
Seamless support for GZip compression is provided for both of EazyDraw's native file formats. This is valuable for sending EazyDraw files as email attachments. You can still simply double click a zipped file to open it in EazyDarw.

Compatible with the future
A dictionary based file format provides developers additional freedom to advance and evolve an application. Additional features can lead to additional archive objects. This is not a problem for a dictionary based format-older executables just skip over the newer dictionary keys.

Archive with pList
An XML style data file is much larger than a corresponding binary file. Both forms are provided by EazyDraw. It is somewhat counter intuitive, but the larger text based XML form should always be used for long term archival. If data is lost or corrupted, a binary file likely lost completely with little hope of recovery. While a corrupted text based file can frequently be recovered with a little patience and a good text editor.