In ZTerm, which transfer conversion method should I use: Smart MacBinary, Always MacBinary, Binary, or Text?

Note: The software discussed here is no longer in common use at Indiana University, and UITS may no longer be able to verify the document's accuracy. The UITS Support Center may no longer have the manuals and other materials required to support this software adequately.

You can determine the method of transfer conversion for each download or upload by going to the File menu and selecting one of the options under Transfer Convert.

Smart MacBinary is the safest option for transferring files, especially if the ultimate recipient is a Mac OS computer. If you select it, ZTerm will detect and decode any MacBinary file it downloads and will also convert text files from other platforms into Mac OS text files. When uploading, ZTerm will encode files containing non-trivial resource forks by using MacBinary, while other files will be sent as text or binary data as appropriate.

If you select Always MacBinary, ZTerm will encode all files uploaded with MacBinary. This is an acceptable option if the ultimate recipient is a Mac OS computer, but is inappropriate for transferring files to other platforms (e.g., Windows or Unix). When downloading files, ZTerm will behave as it does when you select Smart MacBinary.

Select Binary when transferring non-text files between your Mac OS computer and computers using different platforms. ZTerm will perform no conversion on downloaded files, and when uploading will send only a file's data fork.

The Text transfer conversion method behaves similarly to Smart MacBinary and Always MacBinary when downloading, though it has a broader definition about what a text file is. When it is uploading, and only a file's data fork is sent, it performs text conversion when appropriate.

Also see:

• What is a forked file structure?
• What is MacBinary, and how can I decode it?