How do I change application icons

[photogbill]

I have a couple of software word processing applications that just show a bent upper corner on a blank sheet with the letters 'TXT' on the bottom ....for an icon in Snow Leopard.

How can I make the application (any application) display a custom icon unique to each application ... instead of the generic looking icon (described above), when I save a file.

I also am now getting a similar bent corner icon ...with XLS when I save an Excel file ...instead of the one it used to generate when I was using Tiger. The default icon in Tiger had a green colored header on the top of the default icon when you saved a file. It also had the Excel icon in the upper left corner.

I can see the default icon for Excel when I do the get info ...but it doesn't display like that when I have the file in a folder. How can I get it to display the correct icon when in icon view in a folder?

I know how to change an icon to a custom one individually ...or quantities all at once by copy and paste in Get Info window. I'm wanting to have the application 'create' the desired icon when I am finished making a new file from an application by itself ...without having to copy/paste ...to change it to the one I want.


Hope I wasn't to confusing with my questions.

 

[spinnerlys]

What about CandyBar?

And are you sure those files are really applications and not .text files?

 

[Queso]

Firstly, go into the Finder's View menu, select View Options and make sure that the "Show Icon Preview" option isn't set.

You can then copy and paste the icon you want into the file's Get Info window.

 

[photogbill]

Firstly, go into the Finder's View menu, select View Options and make sure that the "Show Icon Preview" option isn't set.

You can then copy and paste the icon you want into the file's Get Info window.

Thanks! That helped a lot with two applications I use often: Excel and iText. They both now generate their default graphic icons when I save a file from them.

I'd still like to know if there is way to substitute the default icons that a program displays to a custom icon of my choice, if anyone can help or steer me to where to get information on doing that ...within Apple's OS ...without the need to purchase a third party app like Eyecandy.

Thanks again.