[HOWTO] - Enable double arrows in Finder windows

efoivx

Registered
to enable double arrows at both ends
in a terminal type
defaults write "Apple Global Domain" AppleScrollBarVariant DoubleBoth

to switch back type
defaults write "Apple Global Domain" AppleScrollBarVariant Single

you need to force restart the finder or log out and back in to see the change

or just use the sys prefs to set them to some normal default.

this so far works in the finder and some coco native apps

cheers
 
:) Thanks so much! These make so much more sense to me! It's a simple thing that makes such a big difference! :)
 
I've been waiting for this. I always used DoubleAgent in 9.x and kinda got attached to it.

Thanks for the tip, bro!
 
I had a feeling some people might like this one.
The only problem is as fast as we find the hidden features apple makes em harder to find or disables them completely...
 
If you're using 10.1, this is an option in the General control panel. So much for hidden features...
 
Originally posted by geekusj
If you're using 10.1, this is an option in the General control panel. So much for hidden features...

He's talking about putting the DOUBLE scroll arrows at BOTH ends of the scroll bar... this is not a GUI option... you can only have them on one end.
 
*IF* some people actualy took the time to read and check they would realize. but some are quick to judge and make assumtions...

There is NO way to do this from the Sys Prefs genral panel!

To answer the question on how to find these things... Understanding unix helps ;-)

you can use the command line to search in many ways one of them is to read the defaults

you can do this by entering the command
"defaults read"

this will list every com.apple.x setting BUT there are thousands of lines to sift through... I have found some that way to but you can narrow it by searching with the command
"defaults find x" replace x with the keyword you are searching for

so if you do a serch using
"defaults find scrolbar"
you will get the line
"Found 1 keys in domain 'Apple Global Domain': {AppleScrollBarVariant = DoubleBoth; }"

this shows that there are options from there is trial and error

this is just the tip of the ice ber on finding things though.... but it should keep you busy for now and will help get you used to unix and a command line.

Cheers
Eddie
 
If you make a typo it adds a line into the file :eek:

How do you delete a useless line in there? :confused:

[ edit = I figured this out ]

(I was trying to make my mouse activated menu work with timed click just like it does with os9, right now 10.1 only calls up the menu with a control click, I made a booboo)

[ edit = I still havent figured this out, or why my Eject key no longer works ]
 
What?!

your message doesn't make much sense.

mouse activated menu? last time I checked all menus are mouse activated.
What do you mean by a "timed click" in OS 9 I have been using Mac OS over 15 years and I am lost by what you are asking. What menu in 10.1 only comes up by a control click? right click brings up "contectual menus" if this is what you are refering to?

unless you mean you have a single button mouse and want contextual menus to appear after a click held down with a delay. I don't recall that being a buit in feature of prior OS's though it can be added with 3rd party utilities. I am not aware of such utilities in 10 yet. but they could be made.


People -
before you make a change to your OS (low level) ask yourself a few things.

If something goes wrong... Do I have a way to revert to a prior setting? Do I know how to correct what I changed? Will this critically disrupt my day or week even?

Do I really understand what I am changing? Why I am changing it? What the outcome will be? IF NOT REALLY ASK YOURSELF, Should I be doing this when I have no idea what I am doing?

Is everything critical on this machine backedup? if not consider it before making changes to avoid problems later.


Think twice and then a 3rd time about making any changes that tell you to become ROOT and type some text into a terminal.
ROOT means you are going into a mode that is UNRESTRICETED! If you don't fully understand the unix commands you are entering YOU COULD DELETE EVERYTHING.

example DO NOT do this! some one could post
sudo rm -r /*
enter password when prompted

someone could tell you this would speed your OS up 100% if you try it though what WILL happen is you WILL effectivly DELETE your ENTIRE harddrive or well at least enough until it gets enough critical items and just dies. without a good backup plan you would be so F***ed at this point.

I am only trying to save some from hurting themselves, If you are new to unix and have no experience with shell commands then you should buy a book and learn a bit before playing.

Cheers
 
Originally posted by efoivx
What?!

your message doesn't make much sense.

mouse activated menu? last time I checked all menus are mouse activated.
What do you mean by a "timed click" in OS 9 I have been using Mac OS over 15 years and I am lost by what you are asking. What menu in 10.1 only comes up by a control click? right click brings up "contectual menus" if this is what you are refering to?

unless you mean you have a single button mouse and want contextual menus to appear after a click held down with a delay. I don't recall that being a buit in feature of prior OS's though it can be added with 3rd party utilities. I am not aware of such utilities in 10 yet. but they could be made.

Two button mice have been somewhat of a luxury for the macintosh. The default mice shipping with systems being single button. I know I had them in os 8 through os 10.0.4, I just can't figure out why its not 'on' for me in 10.1.

EDIT - I figured this out now sort of :D It was a pair of applications specifically that I use all the time which lost the contextual menu in 10.1, not 10.1 its self my bad, Since I use them 24/7 on mac I mistook where the error really was, it was in my head! /EDIT




People -
before you make a change to your OS (low level) ask yourself a few things.

If something goes wrong... Do I have a way to revert to a prior setting? Do I know how to correct what I changed? Will this critically disrupt my day or week even?

Do I really understand what I am changing? Why I am changing it? What the outcome will be? IF NOT REALLY ASK YOURSELF, Should I be doing this when I have no idea what I am doing?

Is everything critical on this machine backedup? if not consider it before making changes to avoid problems later.


Think twice and then a 3rd time about making any changes that tell you to become ROOT and type some text into a terminal.
ROOT means you are going into a mode that is UNRESTRICETED! If you don't fully understand the unix commands you are entering YOU COULD DELETE EVERYTHING.

example DO NOT do this! some one could post
sudo rm -r /*
enter password when prompted

someone could tell you this would speed your OS up 100% if you try it though what WILL happen is you WILL effectivly DELETE your ENTIRE harddrive or well at least enough until it gets enough critical items and just dies. without a good backup plan you would be so F***ed at this point.

I am only trying to save some from hurting themselves, If you are new to unix and have no experience with shell commands then you should buy a book and learn a bit before playing.

Cheers

Making a directory called /* and waiting to see if the owner removes with rm -r is a common uni prank. Editing the mouse settings in your example is only effecting the users preferences and isn't so serious ;) I would imagine backing up the /Users/username/Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences.plist file would be sufficient saftey net, and if not? *shrug* I like playing around with things and have my own files backed up yes, thanks for your concern

:)
 
I have been using Mac os since version5 on a Mac 128k and I am Apple certified. I have 6 machines here one has OS 9 and anouther has 8.5 I could go older but that wouldn't matter since this is about contextual menus.

I tried on both OS 9 and 8.5 just to be sure I was not loosing my mind.
click and hold does *not* produce a contextual menu. You can however add 3rd party extensions and control panels to provide this.

here are a few

Look Mom, No Hands 1.5.1
Access contextual menus by just holding down the mouse button.
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10238-100-877433.html?tag=st.dl.10005-103-1.lst-7-2.877433

FinderPop 1.8.6
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10238-100-1815082.html?tag=st.dl.10005-103-1.lst-7-3.1815082

also will give you this ability plus more.

The OS itself never ever had this ability that's why tools like these came about. If you had that ability in a prior os you had one of those or something else like them installed.


anyone else care to comment on thei functionality in the prior OS? maybe I am just getting old.


re: sudo rm -r /*
this command has nothing to do with creating a directory and waiting to see if they remove it. what the above command will do is.

sudo = do as root (without restriction)
rm = remove (delete)
-r = recursively (all sub folders)
/ = start at the begining
* = EVERYTHING!

so in plain english it will delete EVERYTHING without restriction.

the command to create a folder or directory is mkdir

I wasn't sayin not to try things and make changes but just that with OS 10 you need to be a wee bit more cautious before typing just anything into a command line.

Cheers
 
Originally posted by efoivx



re: sudo rm -r /*
this command has nothing to do with creating a directory and waiting to see if they remove it. what the above command will do is.

sudo = do as root (without restriction)
rm = remove (delete)
-r = recursively (all sub folders)
/ = start at the begining
* = EVERYTHING!

so in plain english it will delete EVERYTHING without restriction.

the command to create a folder or directory is mkdir

I wasn't sayin not to try things and make changes but just that with OS 10 you need to be a wee bit more cautious before typing just anything into a command line.

Cheers

Thats the joke, you make the folder in the persons home folder, if they didnt know that the * meant everything they might just go right ahead and use the recursive remove and accidentally wipe the lot.
 
There are actually four values that can be used to change the layout of scrollbars. All of them are available by substituting the word "Single" in the following command: (Note: Don't use the quotes around Single, etc.)

defaults write "Apple Global Domain" AppleScrollBarVariant Single

1. "Single" will place the scroll buttons in their normal, default location, one on top, one on bottom. (Can also be done using the "General Controls" Preferences.)


2. "DoubleMax" will place both buttons at the bottom (and left) of the scroll bar, just like smart scrolling in OS 9 (Can also be done using the "General Controls" Preferences."

3. "DoubleMin" will place both buttons at the top (and right) of the scroll bar, exactly the opposite of what DoubleMax does. (Requires Terminal or PropertyList Editor)

4. "DoubleBoth" will place both buttons at the top and bottom(and left and right) of the scroll bar. (Requires Terminal or PropertyList Editor)

Note: Using PropertyList Editor is a simple GUI method of changing this value. PropertyList Editor is found on the Developers Tools CD. To open the correct Plist, open PropertyList Editor, Select "Open" from the File Menu and in the Go to box type:
~/Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences.plist
This should open the correct file. Clicking on the disclosure triangle beside "Root" will reveal a list of properties which can be edited. Simply change the value of the "AppleScrollBarVariant" property.
 
this Arrows at both ends can be done using TinkerTool 2.

I like the terminal and CLI... I use PropertyListEditor, too... the change can be made easily using either... but TinkerTool let's you make other changes as well, so I recommend you download it if you haven't done so already...

and you don't have to worry about saving files with typo in them.
 
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