Publisher files sometimes showing with Designer icon

[Greyfox]

Why do .afpub files sometimes show with the Publisher red and orange icon, and sometimes with the Designer blue icon.

When it does occur, the icons seem to change back to the correct ones after a reboot.
I haven't yet found a recipe that consistently produces this yet, but wondered if anyone else is experiencing it.

[walt.farrell]

If it switches back after a reboot then it's probably an issue with the way Windows manages its icon cache.

More commonly in my experience, it does not switch back after a reboot. That one is a manifestation of Windows displaying the icon of the last program that registered as being able to Open that type of file.

[Catshill]

What determines which app opens a particular filetype if it is not the suffix?

[Andy05]

9 minutes ago, Catshill said:

What determines which app opens a particular filetype if it is not the suffix?

In Windows, the user can set this. Even stupid/broken things are possible, i. e. assigning .af* files to open in Word. Also, apps can do this ("polite" ones ask the user for permission before assigning any file type to their app permanently). But changing the application icon back and forth like the OP mentioned, shouldn't happen.

[Catshill]

23 hours ago, Andy05 said:

In Windows, the user can set this. Even stupid/broken things are possible, i. e. assigning .af* files to open in Word. Also, apps can do this ("polite" ones ask the user for permission before assigning any file type to their app permanently). But changing the application icon back and forth like the OP mentioned, shouldn't happen.

Yes indeed but my question relates to the determining factor if it isn’t the file suffix.

[Andy05]

17 minutes ago, Catshill said:

Yes indeed but my question relates to the determining factor if it isn’t the file suffix.

In that case, some pop-up should appear, asking for an application to open the file with. Starting with a list of "commonly known/used apps" and a link at the bottom which will allow you to search for an app manually.

[walt.farrell]

5 hours ago, Catshill said:

Yes indeed but my question relates to the determining factor if it isn’t the file suffix.

The filetype is the determine factor, however:

• The OS can only associate one program with a filetype.
• Sometimes (e.g., Windows) it seems to the bhe last program that registered its ability to Open that kind of file.
• And other times (also Windows), the OS becomes confused in its icon management, and shows the wrong icon for that filetype.

[Catshill]

17 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

The filetype is the determine factor, however:

• The OS can only associate one program with a filetype.
• Sometimes (e.g., Windows) it seems to the bhe last program that registered its ability to Open that kind of file.
• And other times (also Windows), the OS becomes confused in its icon management, and shows the wrong icon for that filetype.

I have come across a situation when an Affinity Photo file type would open in Publisher but others files with the same filetype and on the same pc would open as expected in Photo. If the filetype is the same then some other aspect must be determining the resulting Windows action. Perhaps the first few bytes of code within the file?

[R C-R]

11 hours ago, Catshill said:

Perhaps the first few bytes of code within the file?

From some quick checks using BBEdit on a Mac, all the Affinity native file format document files start with the same byte sequence.

I do not know how it works on Windows but on Macs it is possible to set the app a double-clicked document will open with individually as well as globally, so for example I could set a specific *.afphoto document to open in AD or APub if I wanted to.

[walt.farrell]

42 minutes ago, R C-R said:

I do not know how it works on Windows but on Macs it is possible to set the app a double-clicked document will open with individually as well as globally, so for example I could set a specific *.afphoto document to open in AD or APub if I wanted to.

As far as I know, that capability does not exist in Windows. All files of the same filetype (extension) should open in the same application, unless the user Opens them from within an application, or chooses "Open with" from File Explorer.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

As far as I know, that capability does not exist in Windows. All files of the same filetype (extension) should open in the same application, unless the user Opens them from within an application, or chooses "Open with" from File Explorer.

On Macs, the Finder 'Get Info' window has an "Open with" section that allows the user to change the app to open a document, but unless the "Change All" button option is used, it only applies to that document.

This is separate from the Finder right-click "Open with" option, which does not permanently change the app associated with that file.