Move and corner your dock
Mar 24, '01 09:23:46AM
Contributed by: robg
One of the most-discussed features that appeared and then disappeared from interim builds was the ability to move the dock from the bottom of the screen to the top, left, or right sides, and to force one edge into a corner. These functions have returned in the final, and will probably be one of the most-implemented hacks on the system. I expect a full GUI tool for this within a week from someone, but for now, read the rest of this hint if you'd like the command-line instructions. They aren't too hard to follow, so don't be intimidated if you're new to OS X and/or UNIX.
UPDATE: If you'd like to do this the really easy way, get Docking Maneuvers, which puts a simple, effective GUI around the whole process! No UNIX required!
Enabling dock orientation and pinning requires editing a "plist" file, which is something like a preferences file in previous Mac OS versions. Here's what you need to do.
- Become root ('su' followed by your root password); you'll need to have enabled the root password first (see tips elsewhere here)
- To edit the "plist" file, you can use one of the included text-mode editors (vi, pico, emacs), or you can open the file in TextEdit by typing "open -e " in the terminal window. UNIX newcomers may find the TextEdit option easiest for now. Whichever tool you choose to use, the file you want to edit is:
/System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/DockMenus.plist
(Replace the "English.lproj" with the folder appropriate to your chosen language if you run a non-English system). Simply insert the above string at the end of "edit -e " to open it with TextEdit, and you'll see the editor pop open with the file's contents. NOTE: If you're nervous about making a mistake and want a backup file, simply type "cp DockMenus.plist DockMenus.backup" before you start. Look for this section of the file (the '1013' is the key you want):<dict>
<key>command</key>
<integer>1013</integer>
<key>...
Change the <key>command</key> into <key>menu</key>
- Repeat the above steps, but look for the section numbered 1014, and again replace command with menu in the key tag.
- Save your changes (you'll have to force the save in vi/emacs, but I'm not sure about TextEdit), and end your terminal session (type 'exit' at the prompt).
There's no need to logout to make the changes effective. Simply click and hold near (but not on) the separation bar in the dock, and you should see two new menu options for "Orient" and "Pin". Experiment and find a combination you like! Congratulations, you've just hacked your brand new operating system!
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Mac OS X Hints
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