How to stop the Trash icon jumping around?

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

grannybuttons

Registered
I hate the way the trash icon moves around when I try to drop things in it, so I often accidentally drop them on the Dock instead, or vice versa. Is there a way of 'fixing' the damned thing so it doesn't move?

I've turned off 'enlarge' (which gives me motion sickness!) so please don't ask me to turn it on again, even if that was a potential solution!

I wondered about a way of putting it on the desktop, but while I found a post here on one way of doing it, I didn't understand a word of it, and am certainly not capable of the programming it seemed to need (scripting? I don't know the difference).
Thanks for any guidance.
 
Hold command (apple key) while you are dragging. This will prevent dock items from moving to accommodate your file.
 
The Dock has more preferences that it handles if it finds them in its prefs file, than Apple has deigned to put in the Dock preferences dialog. You can however make arbitrary changes to programs' preferences with the 'defaults' command.

In particular, the Dock doesn't have to be centred on the screen - it can be flush to the left or right of the screen (or the top or bottom if you put the dock on the side).

Runningn the command:

defaults write com.apple.dock pinning end

in the terminal will change the preferences to have the right end - the end with the trash - always flush with the edge of the screen, so if the dock grows or shrinks, only the other end moves about.

You have to log out and back in for the changes to be applied. To undo the change, the command would be

defaults delete com.apple.dock pinning

For a complete list of the options for the defaults command, just run
defaults
on its own.
 
scruffy said:
Running the command:

defaults write com.apple.dock pinning end

in the terminal will change the preferences to have the right end - the end with the trash - always flush with the edge of the screen, so if the dock grows or shrinks, only the other end moves about.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips, Scruffy. However, I don't understand what's meant by 'running a command'. I know how to get a command line in Windows, but I got a Mac to try to escape that sort of stuff, and haven't a clue (and don't want to know) how to 'run a command'.

However, I'm already running Tinkertool, which offered me the chance to move the bin to one side or another. I'd actually used it to move the dock to the left, but interpreting your tip, I used TT to move it to the right - and you were right! Thanks.
 
WinWord10 said:
Hold command (apple key) while you are dragging. This will prevent dock items from moving to accommodate your file.
Click to expand...
That works well, thanks.

But it does mean you need to use another hand. I try to avoid two hands if possible, as when I'm using two hands, I've got one hand unavailable for other things, from writing (I'm ambidextrous) to drinking (I'm ambibibulous!).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top