fcp 4.5 project files as email attachment

I have media doubled up on two different Mac FCP HD systems. I was working on one system all day, and then decided to go home to finish the rest. So I emailed myself the project file as an email attachment via webmail, figuring I could just re-link the media to the timeline at home. I do this almost all the time, though often, I save it to a little USB drive. I forgot it today, so email was the most logical.

So now I'm home, and I pick up my email, and there is this attachment that is just a blank sheet (doesn't know what kind of file it is). The file is tiny, like 12KB (i just saved a sequence as a new project). I try to open it with FCP but it says "ERROR: WRONG TYPE". What gives? Why would my email program mess with the file type, or be unable to recognize it? Is there any way to force my computer to recognize or attribute this file as a "Final Cut Pro Project File". Right now I think it thinks it's a document file. Unlike PCs, I can't seem to add on any kind of extension that would force it one way... and anyway, like I said, it won't open in FCP HD anyway.

Does this mean I have to stuff every project file I ever send to myself (I've done it this way with no problems)?

Any insight would be much appreciated.

Yep Stuff it or this is often what you get. Havent a clue why

mike

if you cant wait, you might be able to rescue that file with FileType

[www.frederikseiffert.de]

a small freeware app that can set or change file "types"

but for safety, and in the future, when your projects grow, for economy, i'd stuff, the files.

or zip them..
control click on the file, choose "Create Archive"

nick

Here now, a quote from Apple's own guidelines as featured in "Inside Mac OS X, System Overview." You can follow along on page 172.

"As with applications, documents on Mac OS X should have their resources put in the data fork. The reasons for this are the same as the reasons for having application resources in the data fork. It makes it possible to exchange these documents, without loss of resource data, between Macintosh and non-Macintosh systems, including most Web servers."

And yet, Final Cut Pro 4 files are garbage without their resource fork. Restoring the type/creator codes by hand won't help. Speaking of which:

"...Apple strongly encourages developers to use file extensions as alternative means for identifying document types."

DVDSP and Motion add extensions to their project files. Final Cut Pro does not.