After upgrading to iTunes 11, I found it was impossible to change added files from music to podcasts.
A couple of podcasts I listen to that have subscriptions, but only one of them automatically downloads to iTunes. The other one requires me to go to the website, log in, and manually download the file.
What I then used to do was add it to iTunes by double-clicking it, then I'd stop the playback and get info on the track. I would add the show's info (which was missing), and then set it to remember playback position, skip when shuffling, and set its Media Type to Podcast. Since the Artist and Album matched the other files for that podcast, it would end up in that folder, and behave like any other podcast.
With iTunes 11, I can no longer change the file's type to Podcast. It always reverts to music. I can make it an audiobook, or any other type of media, but not a podcast.
This was annoying to say the least. So I went looking for a way to do this, and found a small free app called Typecast from Red Sweater Software.
With Typecast, you drop the mp3 file onto the app's window, enter the name of the podcast, and it sets the Media Type to podcast, and adds it to iTunes. It makes a new podcast for each file you add, even though they are the same podcast, but it shows up under the main list on my iPod, and that's what I wanted.
I don't know if this is an iTunes bug, but this is a workaround.
[kirkmc adds: Yes, it's a bug, and I assume that it will be fixed in the next update, but in the meantime, I think a lot of people will benefit from this hint.]
There have been previoushints on how to reset earlier versions of Mac OS X to delete users so that it boots to the Setup Assistant again. This can be useful if you are passing on or selling your computer to someone else. The most recent hint was posted in 2007 for Mac OS X 10.5 and there were significant corrections included in the comments. There is also a command that changed in 10.7 (also in the older hint’s comments) and even with the modifications suggested in the comments, the hint is still incomplete.
So instead of adding yet another modification in the comments of a hint related to 10.5, I thought I would submit a new hint brining everything together from the old hint, its comments, changes needed for 10.7, and the missing items I have found. This provides a current version of the hint for 10.7 and presumably 10.8, though I have not been able to test on Mountain Lion.
1: Remove references to, and the stored passwords for, your local WiFi network.
In the Finder, choose Go > Utilities.
Open Keychain Access in the Utilities folder.
If you don’t have a list of keychains on the left, choose View > Show Keychains.
On the keychains list on the left, select the System keychain. There should be an AirPort network password item in the list for your local WiFi network. Select it and press Delete. Confirm that you want to delete the item and quit Keychain Access.
Go to System Preferences > Network
Select Wi-Fi from the list on the left and click the Advanced button on the bottom right.
In the‘Preferred Networks: list, select your network and click the minus button below the list.
Click OK and then Apply button in the main Network Preferences window.
Click Turn Wi-Fi Off, then click it again to turn Wi-Fi back on. It should not connect to your network anymore (and should ask for a password if you try).
2: Still in System Preferences, click Show All at the top left and then click the Users & Groups icon. Delete all users except for the one you are currently logged in as. In the rest of this hint, this remaining user will be referred to as USERNAME.
3: Boot your Mac into single user mode by restarting and holding down Command-S at startup.
4: Mount the filesystem in write mode and delete the USERNAME home directory. $ mount -uw /
$ rm -R /Users/USERNAME/
5: Load OpenDirectory so we can remove the system’s record of USERNAME. $ launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.opendirectoryd.plist
6: Find the UID of USERNAME. $ dscl . -read /Users/USERNAME GeneratedUID
In the next step, type in this UID where you see GENERATEDUID written.
7: Remove USERNAME from the systemwide admin group and then remove USERNAME’s record. $ dscl . -delete /Groups/admin GroupMembers GENERATEDUID
$ dscl . -delete /Groups/admin GroupMembership USERNAME
$ dscl . -delete /Users/USERNAME
8: Remove the Setup Assistant flag so that it runs when the Mac is started up. $ rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
9:[optional] Remove the cache files and virtual memory swapfile. $ rm -R /Library/Caches/*
$ rm -R /var/vm/swapfile*
10: $ shutdown -h now
If you want to check that the Setup Assistant will run, you can turn on your Mac. When the Setup Assistant starts, just press cmd-Q on the keyboard and you will be prompted to shut down. Your Mac has been reset.
[kirkmc adds: I'm running this hint because it contains a lot of useful information. But I wonder why one can't simply erase the hard disk and re-run the installer to get everything back to its initial state. That seems a lot easier to me…]
If you use Home Sharing and have multiple libraries on your network, you can add tracks from a shared library to Up Next. Just mount a shared library, then drag a track from that library to the Up Next list or icon. You can add single or multiple tracks, and re-order them in the Up Next queue, as long as the library remains available.
iTunes 11 has been very controversial, and many people are disappointed with its limited viewing options, and are looking for ways to downgrade to iTunes 10.7, the previous version. This is possible, yet it is a bit complex. This thread on StackExchange shows what you need to do to be able to downgrade, though it assumes you have a Time Machine backup or other recent clone of OS X, because it requires restoring certain frameworks in addition to the iTunes application itself.
If you do this, make sure you back up your entire system, and make sure to read the entire thread to see certain problems that may occur.
After upgrading to iTunes 11, a lot of my artwork has vanished. This is the case for all my movies and TV shows, and several dozen albums. The artwork is still in the files, but iTunes won't display it. I've heard from a number of other people this has happened to as well.
I found that it is possible to make it visible again by selecting an item (say a movie), pressing Command-I, clicking on the Artwork tab, then selecting the artwork, cutting it and pasting it back. After pressing OK, the artwork displayed again. (Though for some files, I needed to quit and relaunch iTunes to see the artwork.) In some cases, for movies, simply displaying the Artwork tab of the Info window was enough to get iTunes to display the art.
With albums, it was a bit more difficult. I needed to select a single item to copy the artwork, then select an entire album to paste it. But this seems to work for all my files.
I wish there were a way to automate this. Doug, any thoughts?
In the latest version of iTunes (version 11), you can use Command + 1 through Command + 7 to switch the view between different sections of your iTunes library.
Cmd + 1 = Music
Cmd + 2 = Movies
Cmd + 3 = TV Shows
Cmd + 4 = Podcasts
Cmd + 5 = iTunes U
Cmd + 6 = Books
Cmd + 7 = Apps
These shortcuts will only work if the corresponding sections of your iTunes library are enabled in the General pane of your iTunes preferences.
While it's not obvious, you can use the MiniPlayer with full screen mode in iTunes 11.
Switch out of full screen mode, set iTunes to show on all desktops via the Dock, open the MiniPlayer as a separate window (Window > MiniPlayer), then click the full screen button on the main window.
I currently have the MiniPlayer sitting in the upper-right corner of my 17" MBP's screen so that I can quickly access it while working on my 27" LED Cinema Display with iTunes running fullscreen in the background.
[kirkmc adds: This works as described. However, if you have the MiniPlayer set to float above other windows (in the iTunes Advanced preferences), then it won't display when you switch to iTunes. This makes sense, of course, because you don't need it when there.
Also, this is the only way to get the MiniPlayer to work across spaces, if you use them. If iTunes is not in full-screen mode, then the MiniPlayer only displays in iTunes' space.]
Up Next, the feature in iTunes 11 that (sort of) replaces iTunes DJ, where you could queue up songs for a listening party, or just for your work day, offers many ways to add music. But if you want to add songs quickly to Up Next, here are two ways you can do so.
First, just drag an item from the iTunes library onto the iTunes LCD, the display at the top of the window that shows what's playing. This can be a single song, an album, or a playlist. The iTunes LCD will show a blue border when you bring the item over it, and the Up Next icon will flash with art of the item you have added.
The second way is to press the Option key and hover your cursor over an item. The track number next to its name will change to a + icon. Click that icon to add it to Up Next. (Thanks to David Chartier for this one.)
Here's one approach to making items in your home Library folder searchable in Spotlight.
Spotlight searches exclude items that exist in the user's home Library folder (now hidden by default). There are some items that normally reside in the home Library folder that I want to be available for my Spotlight searches. Rather than trying to find a hack to defeat the system's exclusion of the home Library folder for Spotlight, I use a method that doesn't require crossing the boundaries of what the OS permits users to do.
I simply select folders, the contents of which I would like to appear in Spotlight searches, such as Scripts and Favorites, move them up a level to the home folder, then create a symbolic link to the moved item to serve as a substitute for it in its original location. I'm including source for an AppleScript droplet that I use to automate this process. If your Library folder is already open (one way to open it is to hold down the Option key then select it from the Go menu in the Finder), just drop one or more of its folders onto the droplet. If you double-click the droplet created from the AppleScript, it will open your Library folder so that you can drop one or more folders into the ensuing dialog box.
on open the_items
my up_one_leave_link(the_items)
end open
on up_one_leave_link(the_items)
display dialog "This will move dropped folders
up one directory and substitute symbolic links
that point to their new location.
Is that what you want to do?"
repeat with the_item in the_items
set the_item to the_item as alias
tell application "Finder"
set sost to ((container of folder ¬
(the_item as string)) as alias) as string
set sost_Parent to (container of folder ¬
(sost as alias))
end tell
set sost to POSIX path of sost
set sost_Parent to POSIX path of (sost_Parent as string)
set this_filepath to (the_item as string)
if last character of this_filepath is ":" then
tell me to set it_is_a_folder to true
else
set it_is_a_folder to false
end if
set thesourcename to (name of (info for the_item))
set the_source_file to POSIX path of this_filepath
set pos_filepath to sost
if it_is_a_folder then
try
set my_command to "mv" & ¬
space & (quoted form of the_source_file) ¬
& space & (quoted form of sost_Parent)
set my_command to my_command & ¬
";ln -s" & space & (quoted form of sost_Parent) ¬
& (quoted form of thesourcename) & space & (quoted form of sost)
do shell script my_command
on error onerr
activate
display dialog onerr
end try
else
display dialog "Folders only, please!"
end if
end repeat
end up_one_leave_link
on run
display dialog "This will move selected folders
up one directory and substitute symbolic links
that point to their new location.
Is that what you want to do?"
do shell script "open ~/Library"
do shell script "sleep 1"
activate
set the_items to ((choose folder) as list)
up_one_leave_link(the_items)
end run
[kirkmc adds: Paste the above script in AppleScript Editor, then save it as an application. This solution should work, but be careful if, after an OS X update, something is broken.]
