File Formats

File Formats

Three native file formats are provided by EazyDraw, Graphic, Binary and JSON. The Graphic format is XML text Apple Property List (PList) and the binary format is Apple's binary version of PList. The Bundle format is a special Finder Folder called a Bundle, the Bundle format was deprecated in 2015 with support ending at EazyDraw 11.

The EazyDraw Graphics format is an Apple macOS Property List, a XML format. The drawing information is, for the most part, a human readable text document. A text editor like BBedit or TextEdit can be used to view and modify the files. There is an Apple provided Property List Editor available which is used to view and edit the XML dictionary elements of the file. This native EazyDraw Graphics Format has the extension ".ezdraw".

The EazyDraw binary format provides a smaller file size. This can be important for drawings containing large numbers of graphics, in excess of 500 graphic elements. The smaller size will reduce the time required to save or open the file. The extension for this format is "ezdata" and the Kind displayed by the operating system is "EazyDraw Binary" . Binary information is more compact but is not directly human readable, the information is represented as zeros and ones (compared to text characters and words used for the Graphic format).

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is an open standard data interchange format that uses human-readable text to store and transmit data. JSON is language-independent, even though the definition references Java language. The file extension is .json.

The file format is selected from the popup menu found on the lower portion of the save panel. Select the desired format before clicking the Save Button. This Save panel is only provided when a new drawing is saved the first time. The "new" drawing is created with a New, Save As, or Duplicate command (from the File main menu).

Use EazyDraw Graphics format for normal file saves of smaller drawings and for all archival purposes.

Use EazyDraw Binary format for larger files when File Save and File open times become noticeable.

It is propper "internet etiquette" to use the Compress command on the Finder’s File main menu to compress drawings before attaching to email. This will provide a smaller size file for the transfer.

Users of EazyDraw 11 should avoid JSON for exiting or critical drawings. Over the next few years, beginning with 2024, the EazyDraw Graphics and Binary form will be phased out in favor of JSON. At this time of the release of EazyDraw 11, users should still use the time-proven EazyDraw Graphics format for large critical drawings..

Bundle format is no longer supported.

EazyDraw Graphics format files have a blue colored file Icon showing a box of graphic components. The EazyDraw binary format file icon is the same graphic but gray in color. See the examples below. Use Get Info from the Finder’s File main menu to see these icon indicators.

When archiving drawings, saving them for possible future use including the distant future, it is best to use the Eazydraw Graphics Format. This is a little counter intuitive as these files will be much larger. But one should consider that size is not an important consideration for current and future archiving media. The predominate goal is to be rather certain that the data can be read in the future, probably on a different CPU with a different version of EazyDraw, another drawing application or different operating system. The human readable text format is important for this task. If a file is corrupted, any text editor can be used to locate and correct the corruption. But if this happens to the binary data or a compressed file, detection and correction is nearly impossible. A full archive of a completed project should have a SVG version of the drawing, this is a non-propitiatory, text based, human readable (with the use of public domain documenation).

It is propper "internet etiquette" to use the Compress command on the Finder’s File main menu to compress drawings before attaching to email. This will provide a smaller size file for the transfer.

Use Duplicate menu command to change the file save format. The current file format becomes part of the file information, hence a simple save will conveniently save the drawing using the last file format. Save As provides the opportunity to change format or compression options.

JSON is UTF-8 encoded, ensuring open ecosystem compatibility across operating systems (Apple, Microsoft, and Unix) and languages supporting Emoji characters. EazyDraw dot JSON drawing files may be examined and edited with present-day text editors and integrated code development systems.

Very large files are naturally more prone to corruption. The Bundle format isolates information, decreasing the odds of a corruption and minimizing the impact. The files saved in the bundle are themselves consistent EazyDraw drawings, they may be opened by EazyDraw or the Property List Editor. In general it is recommended that this format only be used for larger multilayer drawings as there is "less to go wrong" with the simple text or binary formats

Finally: at the time of this writing (October 2023) the EazyDraw Graphics Format is recommended over all others, unless the save time becomes a problem. If anything untoward happens to a file in this format, it is possible to correct the problem and salvage most or all of the drawing content. Drawings saved in the EazyDraw Compressed Format are not easily recovered in the event of data corruption.