Creating a .plist file on AppleTV

I am trying to finalize the hack of my AppleTV. I need to create a .plist file and have no clue how to do so. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

With due respect it doesn't sound as though you should be doing this.

Similar Messages

New to applescript. need to create a plist file using applescript

Needed some help I need on creatinga plist file below using applescript and I can't make it happen needed some hand on this.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Username</key>
<string>${localAdminUser}</string>
<key>Password</key>
<string>${localAdminPassword}</string>
<key>AdditionalUsers</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>Username</key>
<string>${userName}</string>
<key>Password</key>
<string>${userPassword}</string>
</dict>
</array>
</dict>
</plist>
I have tis code but it doesn't seems to work.
tell application "System Events"
-- create an empty property list dictionary item
          set the parent_dictionary to make new property list item with properties {kind:record}
-- create new property list file using the empty dictionary list item as contents
          set the plistfile_path to "~/Desktop/example.plist"
          set this_plistfile to ¬
make new property list file with properties {contents:parent_dictionary, name:plistfile_path}
-- add new property list items of each of the supported types
make new property list item at end of property list items of contents of this_plistfile ¬
                    with properties {kind:string, name:"Username", value:"${localAdminUser}"}
make new property list item at end of property list items of contents of this_plistfile ¬
                    with properties {kind:string, name:"Password", value:"${localAdminPassword}"}
make new property list item at end of property list items of contents of this_plistfile ¬
                    with properties {kind:list, name:"AdditionalUsers"}
make new property list item at end of property list items of contents of this_plistfile ¬
                    with properties {kind:string, name:"Username", value:"${localAdminUser}"}
make new property list item at end of property list items of contents of this_plistfile ¬
                    with properties {kind:string, name:"Password", value:"${localAdminPassword}"}
end tell
The result of the above code will generate a plist file below
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
          <key>AdditionalUsers</key>
          <array/>
          <key>Password</key>
          <string>${localAdminPassword}</string>
          <key>Username</key>
          <string>${localAdminUser}</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Hello
You need to create elements at correct container. Like this.
set plist_file to (path to desktop)'s POSIX path & "example.plist"
--set plist_file to "~/desktop/example.plist"
tell application "System Events"
    tell (make new property list file with properties {name:plist_file})
        make new property list item at end with properties {kind:string, name:"Username", value:"${localAdminUser}"}
        make new property list item at end with properties {kind:string, name:"Password", value:"${localAdminPassword}"}
        tell (make new property list item at end with properties {kind:list, name:"AdditionalUsers"})
            tell (make new property list item at end with properties {kind:record})
                make new property list item at end with properties {kind:string, name:"Username", value:"${localAdminUser}"}
                make new property list item at end with properties {kind:string, name:"Password", value:"${localAdminPassword}"}
            end tell
        end tell
    end tell
end tell
Or you may create a record in AppleScript and set the value of plist file at once. Like this.
set plist_file to (path to desktop)'s POSIX path & "example.plist"
--set plist_file to "~/desktop/example.plist"
set dict to ¬
    {|Username|:"${localAdminUser}", |Password|:"${localAdminPassword}"} & ¬
    {|AdditionalUsers|:{¬
        {|Username|:"${localAdminUser}", |Password|:"${localAdminPassword}"} ¬
--set dict to {|Username|:"${localAdminUser}", |Password|:"${localAdminPassword}", |AdditionalUsers|:{{|Username|:"${localAdminUser}", |Password|:"${localAdminPassword}"}}}
tell application "System Events"
    tell (make new property list file with properties {name:plist_file})
        set value to dict
    end tell
end tell
Regards,
H
Message was edited by: Hiroto (PS. Fixed second script so that it uses the original case (uppercase) in key string)

How to create Custom Application .plist file

Hi all,
I want to create a custom myapp.plist file from where my application can read or write information.
I used the java.util.prefs.Preferences class for that it works fine.
but the problems are
(a) I want file name myapp.plist instead of
com.apple.java.util.prefs.plist
(b) only 2-3 levels of nodes are created .
If anybody has an idea please let me know
thanks

Hi Lukas,
You can use Mass device setup (MDS) for the same.
Setup Package Or Software Package should serve your purpose.
Setup package: You can packeg Server/connection detailsApplicationDevice details.
Software package: Server/connection Details+Application.
Please refer to the documentation for creating MDS.
You can also refer to below links
How to Rollout Device Using Setup Package - http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/index?rid=/library/uuid/e03d3384-7a43-2b10-5698-c2584ce88c26
How to Rollout Device Using Software Package - http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/index?rid=/library/uuid/40db9161-7d43-2b10-b699-bba304dacccd
Regards
Rohith
Edited by: Rohith Deraje on Apr 7, 2011 2:08 PM

My imovie seems to have completely crashed... and I'm hoping someone can help me. I have moved all my projects and events to a folder on my desktop. I've deleted all the plist files I can find and I still cannot get it to open.

Please help... it seems all is lost as all I kind find on this subject seem to lead to nowhere. My engagement was on imovie, a school project, several videos of our son. You will have to hold my hand through this process... as I am not very good at this type of thing. I believe I have deleted all the necessary plist files and moved my projects and events to a folder on my desktop. imovie has been upgraded to version 9.0.9... Whenever I open it I just get the beachball and then I have to force quit and I get the following report:
Date/Time:
2013-08-02 23:48:24 -0500
OS Version:
10.7.5 (Build 11G63b)
Architecture:
x86_64
Report Version: 9
Command:
iMovie
Path:
/Applications/iMovie.app/Contents/MacOS/iMovie
Version:
9.0.9 (1795)
Build Version:   2
Project Name:
iMovieApp
Source Version: 1795000000000000
App Item ID:
408981434
App External ID: 15340117
Parent:
launchd [120]
PID:
1184
Event:
hang
Duration:
2.60s
Steps:
27 (100ms sampling interval)
Pageins:
0
Pageouts:
0
Process:
iMovie [1184]
Path:
/Applications/iMovie.app/Contents/MacOS/iMovie
Architecture:
i386
UID:
504
Thread 0x3dd6
User stack:
27 ??? (in iMovie) [0xf9c95]
27 ??? (in iMovie) [0xfa12a]
27 NSApplicationMain + 1054 (in AppKit) [0x92d8fac5]
27 -[NSApplication run] + 911 (in AppKit) [0x92afeac1]
27 ??? (in iMovie) [0x1485be]
27 -[NSApplication nextEventMatchingMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:] + 113 (in AppKit) [0x92b02752]
27 _DPSNextEvent + 678 (in AppKit) [0x92b02ee8]
27 BlockUntilNextEventMatchingListInMode + 88 (in HIToolbox) [0x9c85671a]
27 ReceiveNextEventCommon + 381 (in HIToolbox) [0x9c8568ab]
27 RunCurrentEventLoopInMode + 318 (in HIToolbox) [0x9c84f543]
27 CFRunLoopRunInMode + 120 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad10088]
27 CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 332 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad101dc]
27 __CFRunLoopRun + 1112 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad109c8]
27 __CFRunLoopDoSources0 + 246 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace6af6]
27 __CFRUNLOOP_IS_CALLING_OUT_TO_A_SOURCE0_PERFORM_FUNCTION__ + 15 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace713f]
27 __NSThreadPerformPerform + 503 (in Foundation) [0x95e5fe0c]
27 -[NSObject performSelector:withObject:] + 65 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad6fd11]
27 -[ILMediaGroupsTreeController _reloadFinished:] + 715 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ff72a0]
27 -[ILMediaGroupsTreeController setAllGroups:] + 180 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ff8dee]
27 -[NSObject(NSKeyValueObserverNotification) didChangeValueForKey:] + 131 (in Foundation) [0x95e2316d]
27 NSKeyValueDidChange + 279 (in Foundation) [0x95e7bbf1]
27 NSKeyValueNotifyObserver + 387 (in Foundation) [0x95e59194]
27 -[ILMediaObjectsViewController observeValueForKeyPath:ofObject:change:context:] + 1217 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x9500538b]
27 -[ILMediaObjectsViewController syncTreeNodeSelections] + 419 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x9501179d]
27 -[ILMediaObjectsViewController groupSelectionChanged:] + 233 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x95007225]
27 -[ILMediaObjectsViewController updateMediaObjectsViewToSelectedGroups:] + 2002 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x9501035f]
27 -[NSArrayController setContent:] + 858 (in AppKit) [0x92d97f3f]
27 -[NSArrayController _arrangeObjectsWithSelectedObjects:avoidsEmptySelection:operationsMask:useBasis :] + 856 (in AppKit) [0x92d95aa0]
27 -[NSArrayController didChangeValuesForArrangedKeys:objectKeys:indexKeys:] + 53 (in AppKit) [0x92d96231]
27 -[NSController didChangeValueForKey:] + 48 (in AppKit) [0x92b18430]
27 -[NSController _notifyObserversForKeyPath:change:] + 238 (in AppKit) [0x92b18526]
27 -[NSObject(NSKeyValueObservingPrivate) _notifyObserversForKeyPath:change:] + 1026 (in Foundation) [0x95e52f44]
27 NSKeyValueNotifyObserver + 387 (in Foundation) [0x95e59194]
27 -[ILMediaObjectsViewController observeValueForKeyPath:ofObject:change:context:] + 299 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x95004ff5]
27 -[IKImageBrowserView(ImageBrowserDatasource) reloadData] + 368 (in ImageKit) [0x9b96ba12]
27 -[IKImageBrowserView(ImageBrowserLayout) updateLayoutOfCells] + 100 (in ImageKit) [0x9b978e18]
27 -[IKImageBrowserView(ImageBrowserLayout) updateLayoutOfCellsAtIndexes:] + 174 (in ImageKit) [0x9b978d52]
27 -[IKImageBrowserView(ImageBrowserScrolling) adjustDocumentSize] + 49 (in ImageKit) [0x9b98170c]
27 -[IKImageBrowserLayoutManager contentSize] + 100 (in ImageKit) [0x9b9d6fbc]
27 -[IKImageBrowserLayoutManager updateIfNeeded] + 44 (in ImageKit) [0x9b9d4a9d]
27 -[IKImageBrowserLayoutManager update] + 213 (in ImageKit) [0x9b9d4a46]
27 -[IKImageBrowserSubsetLayoutManager updateLayout] + 60 (in ImageKit) [0x9ba0451a]
27 -[IKImageBrowserGrid computeContentSize] + 399 (in ImageKit) [0x9b941329]
27 -[IKImageBrowserGrid translationRatioAtRow:] + 63 (in ImageKit) [0x9b94095e]
27 -[IKImageBrowserGrid validateRowsTranslationsToRowIndex:] + 621 (in ImageKit) [0x9b941015]
27 -[IKImageBrowserCell aspectRatio] + 44 (in ImageKit) [0x9b94950e]
27 -[IKImageBrowserCell _computeAspectRatio] + 36 (in ImageKit) [0x9b949585]
27 -[IKImageCell validateDatasource] + 1118 (in ImageKit) [0x9ba2af82]
27 -[NSObject(IKImageBrowserItemOptional) IKImageRepresentationWithType:] + 33 (in ImageKit) [0x9ba26f8f]
27 -[ILMediaObject imageRepresentation] + 533 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94feffd4]
27 -[ILMediaObject thumbnailPath] + 86 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ff43b5]
27 -[ILMediaObject _internal_thumbnailPath] + 52 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ff4453]
27 -[ILMediaObject refreshThumbnailCacheInfo] + 62 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ff0199]
27 -[ILMediaBrowserImageManager loadCachedAttributesForMediaObject:] + 48 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ffa93d]
22 -[ILMediaBrowserImageManager loadCachedAttributesForMediaObject:updateIfNotFound:] + 466 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ffab14]
22 -[ILMediaBrowserImageManager updateThumbnailDataXmlForPath:info:] + 116 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ffa906]
15 -[NSDictionary(NSDictionary) writeToFile:atomically:] + 236 (in Foundation) [0x95e2a2fe]
15 CFPropertyListCreateXMLData + 32 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad44640]
15 _CFPropertyListCreateXMLData + 203 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad4471b]
7 _CFAppendXML0 + 3261 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad4561d]
2 _CFAppendXML0 + 3261 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad4561d]
1 _CFAppendXML0 + 290 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad44a82]
1 _appendEscapedString + 602 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad461ea]
1 _plistAppendCharacters + 80 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad44850]
1 _CFAppendXML0 + 5210 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad45dba]
1 __CFNumberCreateFormattingDescriptionAsFloat64 + 181 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad61df5]
1 CFStringCreateWithFormat + 110 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace102e]
1 __CFStringAppendFormatCore + 6588 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acdad9c]
1 _CFAppendXML0 + 2847 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad4547f]
1 CFRelease + 169 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acde039]
1 _objc_rootRelease + 47 (in libobjc.A.dylib) [0x99b0854e]
1 -[__NSArrayM dealloc] + 394 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad084da]
1 -[NSObject dealloc] + 107 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad0855b]
1 _object_dispose + 78 (in libobjc.A.dylib) [0x99b11dc0]
1 szone_size + 0 (in libsystem_c.dylib) [0x98b64cd1]
1 _CFAppendXML0 + 2616 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad45398]
1 CFDictionaryGetKeysAndValues + 455 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9aceb567]
1 CFBasicHashGetElements + 207 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9aceb63f]
1 _CFAppendXML0 + 3128 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad45598]
1 _appendEscapedString + 653 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad4621d]
1 _plistAppendCharacters + 80 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad44850]
1 _CFAppendXML0 + 2778 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad4543a]
1 CFArraySortValues + 1183 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace86ef]
1 CFQSortArray + 231 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace8927]
1 CFSortIndexes + 1494 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18466]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 124 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad1850c]
1 __CFQSortArray_block_invoke_1 + 47 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad186ef]
1 __CFArrayCompareValues + 36 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18724]
1 CFStringCompare + 60 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acf4c8c]
1 CFStringCompareWithOptionsAndLocale + 35 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acf4cc3]
1 CFStringGetLength + 108 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acdc97c]
1 _CFAppendXML0 + 2722 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad45402]
1 CFArrayReplaceValues + 135 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace8ac7]
1 -[NSMutableArray replaceObjectsInRange:withObjects:count:] + 979 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad27e93]
4 _CFAppendXML0 + 3128 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad45598]
2 _appendEscapedString + 340 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad460e4]
1 CFStringGetCharacters + 143 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9aced27f]
1 CFStringGetCharacters + 20 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9aced204]
2 _appendEscapedString + 602 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad461ea]
2 _plistAppendCharacters + 150 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad44896]
2 CFDataAppendBytes + 163 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9aceb793]
1 CFDataReplaceBytes + 487 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace9857]
1 __CFDataGrow + 354 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acec362]
1 realloc + 175 (in libsystem_c.dylib) [0x98ba56f6]
1 malloc_zone_realloc + 84 (in libsystem_c.dylib) [0x98ba47c0]
1 szone_realloc + 2552 (in libsystem_c.dylib) [0x98b6f6f4]
1 vm_copy + 167 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) [0x9a73fa6c]
1 mach_msg_trap + 10 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) [0x9a741c22]
1 CFDataReplaceBytes + 727 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace9947]
1 memmove$VARIANT$sse42 + 39 (in libsystem_c.dylib) [0x98b279e4]
2 _CFAppendXML0 + 3239 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad45607]
2 CFDictionaryGetValue + 135 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acd6a87]
1 CFBasicHashFindBucket + 1844 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acd71d4]
1 __CFDictionaryStandardEquateKeys + 46 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace422e]
1 CFEqual + 91 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace429b]
1 CFBasicHashFindBucket + 1679 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acd712f]
1 __CFDictionaryStandardHashKey + 32 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acd7700]
1 __CFStringHash + 125 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace0a4d]
2 _CFAppendXML0 + 2778 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad4543a]
2 CFArraySortValues + 1183 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace86ef]
2 CFQSortArray + 231 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace8927]
2 CFSortIndexes + 1494 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18466]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 289 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad185b1]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 289 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad185b1]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 289 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad185b1]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 259 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18593]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 289 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad185b1]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 289 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad185b1]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 400 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18620]
1 __CFQSortArray_block_invoke_1 + 47 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad186ef]
1 __CFArrayCompareValues + 36 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18724]
1 CFStringCompare + 60 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acf4c8c]
1 bcmp + 153 (in libsystem_c.dylib) [0x98b9f1b9]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 259 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18593]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 289 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad185b1]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 259 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18593]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 289 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad185b1]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 289 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad185b1]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 259 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18593]
1 __CFSimpleMergeSort + 400 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18620]
1 __CFQSortArray_block_invoke_1 + 47 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad186ef]
1 __CFArrayCompareValues + 36 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad18724]
1 CFStringCompare + 60 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acf4c8c]
1 bcmp + 132 (in libsystem_c.dylib) [0x98b9f1a4]
5 -[NSDictionary(NSDictionary) writeToFile:atomically:] + 287 (in Foundation) [0x95e2a331]
5 -[NSData(NSData) writeToFile:atomically:] + 103 (in Foundation) [0x95e2a51e]
5 _NSWriteBytesToFile + 60 (in Foundation) [0x95e2a565]
4 __fsync + 10 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) [0x9a7445fa]
1 _NSWriteBytesToFileWithExtendedAttributes + 1253 (in Foundation) [0x95e2aa52]
1 __rename + 10 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) [0x9a743b0a]
2 -[NSDictionary(NSDictionary) writeToFile:atomically:] + 61 (in Foundation) [0x95e2a24f]
1 _NSIsPList + 793 (in Foundation) [0x95e28608]
1 _NSIsPList + 659 (in Foundation) [0x95e28582]
1 -[__NSCFDictionary keyEnumerator] + 97 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad5e271]
1 -[__NSCFDictionary retain] + 25 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad3bec9]
1 _NSIsPList + 770 (in Foundation) [0x95e285f1]
1 -[__NSCFDictionary objectForKey:] + 28 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ad3897c]
1 CFDictionaryGetValue + 135 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acd6a87]
1 CFBasicHashFindBucket + 1844 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9acd71d4]
1 __CFDictionaryStandardEquateKeys + 46 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace422e]
1 CFEqual + 261 (in CoreFoundation) [0x9ace4345]
1 bcmp + 128 (in libsystem_c.dylib) [0x98b9f1a0]
5 -[ILMediaBrowserImageManager loadCachedAttributesForMediaObject:updateIfNotFound:] + 411 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ffaadd]
5 -[ILMediaBrowserImageManager loadAttributes:forMediaObject:atPath:] + 79 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ffab80]
5 -[ILMediaBrowserImageManager loadAttributes:forImageMediaObject:atPath:] + 720 (in iLifeMediaBrowser) [0x94ffd6ca]
3 -[IKImageWrapper saveAsTIFFAtPath:] + 69 (in ImageKit) [0x9b91df81]
3 -[NSData(NSData) writeToFile:atomically:] + 103 (in Foundation) [0x95e2a51e]
3 _NSWriteBytesToFile + 60 (in Foundation) [0x95e2a565]
3 __fsync + 10 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) [0x9a7445fa]
2 -[IKImageWrapper saveAsTIFFAtPath:] + 36 (in ImageKit) [0x9b91df60]
1 -[IKImageWrapper TIFFRepresentation] + 82 (in ImageKit) [0x9b91eb1c]
1 -[NSImage TIFFRepresentation] + 49 (in AppKit) [0x92d505e3]
1 -[NSImage TIFFRepresentationUsingCompression:factor:] + 806 (in AppKit) [0x92d50911]
1 +[NSBitmapImageRep TIFFRepresentationOfImageRepsInArray:] + 56 (in AppKit) [0x92d50dd9]
1 +[NSBitmapImageRep(NSBitmapImageFileTypeExtensions) representationOfImageRepsInArray:usingType:properties:] + 2439 (in AppKit) [0x92d51768]
1 CGImageDestinationFinalize + 158 (in ImageIO) [0x961dc693]
1 _CGImagePluginWriteTIFF + 3885 (in ImageIO) [0x961dd5e9]
1 CGAccessSessionGetBytes + 164 (in CoreGraphics) [0x99202dbc]
1 memmove$VARIANT$sse42 + 136 (in libsystem_c.dylib) [0x98b27a45]
1 -[IKImageWrapper TIFFRepresentation] + 64 (in ImageKit) [0x9b91eb0a]
1 -[IKImageWrapper nsImage:] + 53 (in ImageKit) [0x9b92139b]
1 -[IKImageWrapper _nsImage] + 261 (in ImageKit) [0x9b921519]
1 IKCGImageFromIconRef + 309 (in ImageKit) [0x9b924834]
1 PlotIconRefInContext + 403 (in HIServices) [0x93b65a15]
1 PlotISImageRefInContext + 2063 (in HIServices) [0x93b63375]
1 CGContextDrawImage + 457 (in CoreGraphics) [0x992b0855]
1 ripc_DrawImage + 951 (in libRIP.A.dylib) [0x9ce94e6f]
1 ripc_AcquireImage + 1901 (in libRIP.A.dylib) [0x9ce9661d]
1 CGSImageDataLock + 165 (in CoreGraphics) [0x992b0c5c]
1 img_data_lock + 8151 (in CoreGraphics) [0x9922867d]


Hi
Yes this can be many things - and I can only guess/suggest.
A. a very common origin to make the Mac un-happy is to - PANIC-HALT - when the round multicolored thing appear.
So much can go wrong by doing this - and if done often problem builds up that can result in a real disaster.
B. NEVER - move or alter any folder named - iMovie Event's resp. iMovie Project's - as iMovie has no search function - moving them results in that iMovie get's 100% lost.
One can move them - but this HAS TO BE done within the iMovie application (as it is up and running)
C. preference files - there are TWO or more Libraries on Your Mac. First and easy to find is the one You see when opening Your Start-Up Hard Disk window = Root Library == the WRONG ONE
What we need to find is the one in Your User-Account folder (icon as a house) - and this is in Mac OS X.7, X.8 and X.9 HIDDEN. To see it do:
( It can be done like this: Open Terminal, then enter:
chflags nohidden ~/Library
Press return, then restart, and it will always be visible until the next major update, when you do the same thing again. )
or - do like this.
On the Finder window at the top left of the screen,
Hold down the Option key and clicked on Go.
This allowed You to see the Library folder and select it.
Then keep the Option button pressed down in order to see and select the Library folder.
Once found it, You are able to navigate to the iMovie preferences file and move it to the trash. iMovie then start’s up fine!
Now here in Your User Library - find Preferences and trash
com.apple.iMovie.plist
com.apple.iMovie3.plist
com.apple.iMovie7.plist
com.apple.iMovie8.plist
com.apple.iMovie9.plist
com.apple.iMovieApp.plist
and find
com.apple.iApps.plist
While iMovie is NOT RUNNING - move this/these file/s out on to desk-top.
Now restart iMovie.
I Prefere another way to find out if this is the problem.
(after all folders (iMovie Event/Projects are moved into original place)
• go up to Apple Menu
• Down to System Pref's
• Select Accounts - Create a new User
• Go down the Apple menu - Log OUT
• Log into as the new User
Now try iMovie
Does it work at all ? (Yes You don't see Events or Projects in Your original Account just now)
If so - Then we know that there is a corrupted pref file to be trashed.
Else - the problem are much more severe.
D. After Panic Halt / Forced Quit - I always do -. to keep disasters on arms length.
• Repair Permissions (Apple Disk Util tool)
• Start from other HD or DVD - then run Repair Hard Disk (Apple Disk Util tool)
Yours trying to be of help - Bengt W

Safari slow and/or locked up, how do I find .plist file?

Like many others, my office computers' Safari keeps getting locked up when going to different websites & I often have to do a force quit. I've read various posts, and have tried the simple fixes such as to reset Safari. I keep seeing that I should delete .plist file, but how do I find it? I'm told it's located at (tilde symbol) library/preferences, but how do I find that? My Safari drop down menu has Preferences, but not Library. One post said that the file is located in the home folder, but I don't know where the home folder is.
I don't know much about computers, but my job requires that I visit certain websites. (I work in a law office, so it's usually government websites, to download legal forms) Fixing computer problems wasn't on my job description when I was hired, but office staff has now shrunk to one part-time worker, and yours truly is doing what I can to keep the office running. How does a Tech Challenged lady find library/preferences and/or my home folder?

Hi
What do I do now? Do I trash my old Safari folder, and keep this one with the unwanted bookmarks on that gray section at the top of the window? I'll keep my old Safari on the desktop until I have a chance to check for answers later in the day.
One of the files in that folder is causing the problem.
Here's my suggestion:
Quit Safari.
Next, move the History.plist file in the Safari folder on the desktop to the new Safari folder, replacing the newly created file. Restart Safari. If the problem occurs, you found your problem file. In that case, move the remaining files on the desktop back to their original location, replacing the new files. Then, move the History.plist file to the trash, then restart Safari.
By contrast, if Safari is stable after moving the History file, then another file is causing the problem. In that case, return to the Desktop and move the Icons folder found in the Safari folder back to its original location, replacing the newly created one. If Safari problem returns you found the culprit. In that case, you would move the Icon folder to the trash. Then, restart Safari.
Before going further, let me know if that solves the problem.
Post back

Need help sorting a 'self-populating' plist file (vpn on mac leopard server - 10.6.8)

i recently configured my mac snow leopard server using terminal and had it successfully working.
i could vpn internally and externally to my server at its location.
i one day started getting the message
     "The connection has failed. Please verify your settings and try again"
i did as the message said and everything remained the same;
- server IP
- shared secret
- username and password
- public IP address
- com.apple.ppp.l2tp.plist stil, configured correctly
on a mission i thought id configure it the normal way by entering the data into the server admin panel and tried flicking the VPN service on and it wouldnt work, i was also getting an error saying it could not launch the com.apple.ppp.l2tp plist.
upon investigation i found out that i had installed (but not running) iVPN... so i uninstalled this...
still i could not get a VPN connection so i checked the com.apple.RemoteAccessServers.plist and noticed it had doubled in size (originally 4kb and now 8kb).
i thought this was a mistake and deleted it knowing it would self create a new fresh plist file.... HOWEVER it constantly populates the info twice as shown below:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>ActiveServers</key>
    <array>
        <string>com.apple.ppp.l2tp</string>
    </array>
    <key>Globals</key>
    <dict>
        <key>PSKeyAccount</key>
        <string>vpn_0649d87c2f06</string>
    </dict>
    <key>Servers</key>
    <dict>
        <key>com.apple.ppp.l2tp</key>
        <dict>
            <key>DNS</key>
            <dict>
                <key>OfferedSearchDomains</key>
                <array>
                    <string>8.8.8.8</string>
                    <string>8.8.4.4</string>
                </array>
                <key>OfferedServerAddresses</key>
                <array>
                    <string>192.168.0.248</string>
                </array>
            </dict>
            <key>EAP</key>
            <dict>
                <key>KerberosServicePrincipalName</key>
                <string>vpn/[email protected]</string>
            </dict>
            <key>IPSec</key>
            <dict>
                <key>AuthenticationMethod</key>
                <string>SharedSecret</string>
                <key>IdentifierVerification</key>
                <string>None</string>
                <key>LocalCertificate</key>
                <data>
                </data>
                <key>LocalIdentifier</key>
                <string></string>
                <key>RemoteIdentifier</key>
                <string></string>
                <key>SharedSecret</key>
                <string>com.apple.ppp.l2tp</string>
                <key>SharedSecretEncryption</key>
                <string>Keychain</string>
            </dict>
            <key>IPv4</key>
            <dict>
                <key>ConfigMethod</key>
                <string>Manual</string>
                <key>DestAddressRanges</key>
                <array>
                    <string>192.168.0.230</string>
                    <string>192.168.0.240</string>
                </array>
                <key>OfferedRouteAddresses</key>
                <array/>
                <key>OfferedRouteMasks</key>
                <array/>
                <key>OfferedRouteTypes</key>
                <array/>
            </dict>
            <key>Interface</key>
            <dict>
                <key>SubType</key>
                <string>L2TP</string>
                <key>Type</key>
                <string>PPP</string>
            </dict>
            <key>L2TP</key>
            <dict>
                <key>Transport</key>
                <string>IPSec</string>
            </dict>
            <key>PPP</key>
            <dict>
                <key>ACSPEnabled</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
                <key>AuthenticatorACLPlugins</key>
                <array>
                    <string>DSACL</string>
                </array>
                <key>AuthenticatorEAPPlugins</key>
                <array>
                    <string>EAP-KRB</string>
                </array>
                <key>AuthenticatorPlugins</key>
                <array>
                    <string>DSAuth</string>
                </array>
                <key>AuthenticatorProtocol</key>
                <array>
                    <string>MSCHAP2</string>
                </array>
                <key>DisconnectOnIdle</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
                <key>DisconnectOnIdleTimer</key>
                <integer>7200</integer>
                <key>IPCPCompressionVJ</key>
                <integer>0</integer>
                <key>LCPEchoEnabled</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
                <key>LCPEchoFailure</key>
                <integer>5</integer>
                <key>LCPEchoInterval</key>
                <integer>60</integer>
                <key>Logfile</key>
                <string>/var/log/ppp/vpnd.log</string>
                <key>VerboseLogging</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
            </dict>
            <key>Radius</key>
            <dict>
                <key>Servers</key>
                <array>
                    <dict>
                        <key>Address</key>
                        <string>1.1.1.1</string>
                        <key>SharedSecret</key>
                        <string>1</string>
                    </dict>
                    <dict>
                        <key>Address</key>
                        <string>2.2.2.2</string>
                        <key>SharedSecret</key>
                        <string>2</string>
                    </dict>
                </array>
            </dict>
            <key>Server</key>
            <dict>
                <key>LoadBalancingAddress</key>
                <string>1.2.3.4</string>
                <key>LoadBalancingEnabled</key>
                <integer>0</integer>
                <key>Logfile</key>
                <string>/var/log/ppp/vpnd.log</string>
                <key>MaximumSessions</key>
                <integer>128</integer>
                <key>VerboseLogging</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
            </dict>
        </dict>
        <key>com.apple.ppp.pptp</key>
        <dict>
            <key>DNS</key>
            <dict>
                <key>OfferedSearchDomains</key>
                <array>
                    <string>8.8.8.8</string>
                    <string>8.8.4.4</string>
                </array>
                <key>OfferedServerAddresses</key>
                <array>
                    <string>192.168.0.248</string>
                </array>
            </dict>
            <key>EAP</key>
            <dict>
                <key>KerberosServicePrincipalName</key>
                <string>vpn/[email protected]</string>
            </dict>
            <key>IPv4</key>
            <dict>
                <key>ConfigMethod</key>
                <string>Manual</string>
                <key>DestAddressRanges</key>
                <array/>
                <key>OfferedRouteAddresses</key>
                <array/>
                <key>OfferedRouteMasks</key>
                <array/>
                <key>OfferedRouteTypes</key>
                <array/>
            </dict>
            <key>Interface</key>
            <dict>
                <key>SubType</key>
                <string>PPTP</string>
                <key>Type</key>
                <string>PPP</string>
            </dict>
            <key>PPP</key>
            <dict>
                <key>ACSPEnabled</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
                <key>AuthenticatorACLPlugins</key>
                <array>
                    <string>DSACL</string>
                </array>
                <key>AuthenticatorEAPPlugins</key>
                <array>
                    <string>EAP-RSA</string>
                </array>
                <key>AuthenticatorPlugins</key>
                <array>
                    <string>DSAuth</string>
                </array>
                <key>AuthenticatorProtocol</key>
                <array>
                    <string>MSCHAP2</string>
                </array>
                <key>CCPEnabled</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
                <key>CCPProtocols</key>
                <array>
                    <string>MPPE</string>
                </array>
                <key>DisconnectOnIdle</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
                <key>DisconnectOnIdleTimer</key>
                <integer>7200</integer>
                <key>IPCPCompressionVJ</key>
                <integer>0</integer>
                <key>LCPEchoEnabled</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
                <key>LCPEchoFailure</key>
                <integer>5</integer>
                <key>LCPEchoInterval</key>
                <integer>60</integer>
                <key>Logfile</key>
                <string>/var/log/ppp/vpnd.log</string>
                <key>MPPEKeySize128</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
                <key>MPPEKeySize40</key>
                <integer>0</integer>
                <key>VerboseLogging</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
            </dict>
            <key>Radius</key>
            <dict>
                <key>Servers</key>
                <array>
                    <dict>
                        <key>Address</key>
                        <string>1.1.1.1</string>
                        <key>SharedSecret</key>
                        <string>1</string>
                    </dict>
                    <dict>
                        <key>Address</key>
                        <string>2.2.2.2</string>
                        <key>SharedSecret</key>
                        <string>2</string>
                    </dict>
                </array>
            </dict>
            <key>Server</key>
            <dict>
                <key>Logfile</key>
                <string>/var/log/ppp/vpnd.log</string>
                <key>MaximumSessions</key>
                <integer>128</integer>
                <key>VerboseLogging</key>
                <integer>1</integer>
            </dict>
        </dict>
    </dict>
</dict>
</plist>
Thinking i was half clever i thought id do a restore to when i first set the server up... not successful
Secondly i wiped the drive with zero data and did a fresh install... still not successful.
There must be a way to fix this BS error!
my source for the original setup was here: http://dreaming-artemis.com/2011/07/18/setting-up-vpn-on-the-imac-osx-snow-leopa rd-10-6-8/
Thanks in advance
TMC

I would think you could copy them over using rsync, which is part of the OS X server package. If you're not familiar with rsync there is a tutorial here:
http://everythinglinux.org/rsync/
Skip the stuff about installing and configuring rsync and just go to the part about using it to copy files between servers.

How to restore my 2 mail acc. after incorrectly moving back .plist file ?

This morning my Mail was quitting 5 sec. every time time I opened it. I moved com.apple.mail.plist file to trash, started Mail. I got a message that one of my mail boxes(don't remember which one..) will be renamed.
I guess I made a mistake by opening Mail and not Mail.app ?
Closed Mail and moved back .plist file into Library/Pref.
Here I made another mistake by dragging incorrectly, it was placed into some other program. I deleted the other program, and moved the .plist into Library/Prefer.
As the result, my both Mail accounts are gone, and instead I have now MobileMe in my Inbox.
How to restore my accounts now please ???
Thanks!!!

I have both POP accounts in Library/Mail. What should I do to have both POP in the Mail ?
To drag both to desktop and then to Mail? how and exactly where ?
or to create these two POP again in Mail and then drag both POP folders there ?

Variable substitution in the environment.plist file

I want an additional item in the PATH environment variable for GUI-launched apps. I've created the ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist file and added an entry to create a PATH variable. I have initially tried to set the value of this to
"$(PATH):/usr/local"
in an attempt to append the /usr/local folder to the path. However, the PATH value appears to be exactly what I've set it to - without the substitution.
1) Is there a way to get the existing value substituted in?
2) As I'm always out to learn new things, is there a better way of achieving this?
(My fundamental problem is that I have written a plugin for XCode and I'm trying to not hard code the location of a compiler into it. Therefore I thought I'd use the PATH variable to let me find it. However the default PATH value doesn't include /usr/local which is where the compiler is located. So I'm looking for a way to add this folder into the PATH value, and the ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist seemed to be what I wanted - as long as I can get the substitution going. Otherwise I have to hard code the path into THAT file which I feel is just as bad!).
Thanks
Susan

Hi Susan,
   I'm sorry; I didn't mean to imply that this is the wrong place to ask the question. I hope that it's the best place. I was just trying to explain, mostly to myself, why everyone assumes that the part of the system that reads the environment.plist will behave like a shell.
   If you were worried about hard-coding the path on your own machine, I would say that you needn't worry. The only path that exists prior to the setting of environment variables from the environment.plist is hard-coded into the system somewhere. A while back someone found it but that's not really important. If you want to start with that default, you can. If you need to know what it is, I'm sure that we can find it for you somewhere. I assume it's along the lines of:
/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin
   While I'm not telling you to not do it, I suggest that you rethink setting the user's path an environment.plist. Changing the environment of every last one of a user's processes "behind the back" of the user seems a bit presumptuous. It wouldn't be a problem if you set a variable that no other app could recognize but if you added something to my path, my first thought would be to look there for a trojan horse. I would eventually realize that it was misguided instead of malicious but I wouldn't like it. It also stands some chance of changing the behavior of a user's UNIX applications.
   If you distribute an environment.plist file with your plugin, you would also have to address the issue of users that already have such files. Thus, it would seem that you would need to do a little checking in an install script. That being the case, you could evaluate the user's PATH variable in that script and use it to hard-code the path in an environment.plist that you generate programmatically from the install script at runtime. Such a script would also give you the opportunity to ask the user if he wants an environment.plist file.
   Of course that approach would make it difficult for a user to remove an element from his path; it wouldn't be sufficient to cease adding the element to the path in the user's shell startup scripts. You would probably be better off using the default path. That might not interfere with changes the user makes in his shell startup scripts but it would mine. You added /usr/local/bin to the end of a user's path. My startup scripts only add path elements if they aren't already there. However, I want /usr/local/bin in front of the default part of my path so your change would alter the behavior of my system.
   If you want to change the environment of a single application, it is common to "wrap" its invocation in a script that sets the environment before invoking the application. However, I'm not sure how that would work with an Xcode plugin.
Gary
~~~~
   There are only 10 kinds of people in the world. Those
   who understand binary numbers and those who don't.

How do you find out what application is generating a plist file in your preference folder?

I have had two similar warnings come up in Drive Genius 3, a program that I use to manage my drives. The warnings occur during a daily verification of preferences on my main drive, a 256GB SSD.
They state:
"The preference file at '/Users/me/Library/Preferences/com.analogsolutions.Football.plist' may be corrupted."
"The preference file at '/Users/me/Library/Preferences/org.machinedevelop.National.plist' may be corrupted."
Per Drive Genius' advisement, "Corrupted files can cause appplication crashes and should be moved to the Trash." I delete the files, however they are regenerated each day.
Q: How do you figure out what application is generating a preference file? And is there a way to tell if this is a OS generated preference file?
I have searched online and cannot find any information about either Analog Solutions or Machine Develop nor am I able to discern what these particular .plist files are for...
Q: Are these two .plist files truly potentially harmful?
Thanks for the Help!
iMac
model iMac12,2
3.4 GHz Intel Core i7
8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3

Hi Everyone, sorry for the late response. I have been monitoring my Preferences Folder; every moment I am on my computer trying to catch what application/process generates these files. I was hoping to try your suggestions, but oddly enough the offensive .plist files have not returned since the last time I deleted them about a week ago.... strange...
In any case, I have responded to some of your suggestions and questions that I have information on:
X423424X wrote: Ok, can you double click the .plist file? If so it should attempt to launch the Property List Editor (in your Utilities folder). That way you can look at stuff in the plist. Maybe (hopefully) there's something in there that can shed some light on who is creating it. If Property List Editor cannot open the file (some apps create files that have the .plist extension but don't actually create the proper XML format -- probably what ProSoft was alluding to) then try opening it with a text editor.
The .plist file when opened in text editor contains a string of (what to me seems to be) an arbitrary list of numbers.
Linc Davis wrote: Those files have been given obfuscated names so you won't know what created them. They must contain encrypted registration data for some third-party commercial software that you use.
Yes, seems likely...
Linc Davis wrote: It should be fairly easy to find out what application is creating them, if you really care. Move the files to the Desktop, then log out. Log back in while holding the shift key as you click the "Log In" button. That will prevent your login items from loading, among other things. Open your account preferences and launch the login items one at a time by double-clicking them in the list. After each one, check to see whether the files have been recreated.
Ran through login, one by one, no luck in identifying the application(s).
X423424X wrote: Another thought, lock the plists on the hope that whatever is using them will "choke" and complain about it (no guarantee that will work but worth a try).
Thanks, the lock idea is the one I will try next if they ever reappear...
X423424X wrote: Also, I don't recall if I asked this but if those plists are deleted while logged in will they be recreated during that same login session. Or do they only appear after you deleted them and then and then logged out and back in? Or do you have to reboot to recreate them?
Unfortunately I do not know for certain. Though from all my login/startup/reboot tests I believe that they are not directly linked to starting up the machine or loging in either.
I'm not really certain why the .plist have not returned. I haven't uninstalled any programs, though I did run a couple updates for some widgets within the last week; however that was about 3 days after I deleted the last set of .plist files and usually they reappered everyday. In any case, given that they have not been regenerated I guess my problem is solved per se, at least I am no longer getting that annoying warning everyday. Still, it's a bit of a mystery
Thanks again for all the help!

How to move .plist files from /Library/Preferences

Hi,
We are trialing using software called Deep Freeze to take a snap shot of the OS that is restored upon reboot thus removing the majority of configuration changes and thus reducing the amount of support calls.
When setting up the software you have the option to create a "Thaw Space" that users can modify at will and the changes will persist over the reboot. Upon creating this space you are able to "map" certain directories such as Documents, Desktop and Library to the Thaw Space.
Initially we did not move the Library folder over so that all changes to wallpapers/screensaves/dock/finder toolbar etc. were restored upon reboot, which ultimately is what we wanted to do from the beginning. This however produced a number of problems of data not being retained over the reboot when we needed it to:
- iCal data
- application specific settings (eg. toolbar settings in neooffice)
- sorting email in apple mail by a field (eg. receive date)
etc. And are continually finding new problems.
So in the end we simply set the entire Library to be mapped to the Thaw Space, however this sets us back to square one in that the users can still change the dock, screensaver, wallpaper etc.
It is my understanding that the files are stored in .plist files in <user>/Library/Preferences. I tried moving individual .plist files out of the Thaw Space and then creating alias files pointing to them, however these were simply deleted and replaced on reboot.
So my question is how would I go about moving a .plist file out of /Library/Preferences
Cheers

It would seem to me that the problem lies with the Deep Freeze software. Changing system files in system directories is not a good idea. Why not contact Deep Freeze and have them fix their software rather than possibly mucking up your own OS.
I would also recommend that you either update your profile or your OS. 10.5.1 had some bugs that were fixed over the years. It's always good to have the latest OS installed.

All plist files are not being pushed out

Current setup : 10.6 Server ( updated to 10.6.8 )
About 10 to 15 client machines ( 10 Desktops and 5 laptops )
These client machines are being managed in a group already for Software Updates from the server and hence already have the managed preferences folder on each machine.
I have just created a new com.apple.print.custompapers.plist file and have added it to the Preference Editor for that group and have set it to 'Often'. ( WorkGroup Manager -> Computer Group -> Preferences -> Details )
But after repeated attempts, I am still not able to push out this plist file to the client machines. I have tried the following already :
1. Deleting the Managed Preferences folder from each machine. Result : It recreates the folder again, but again with only the Software update plist file.
2. I have tried setting the plist to 'Always' from the 'Once, Often, Always' selection in the Preferences Editor. Result: Same result as above.
3. I have tried adding the file manually to Managed Preferences. Result : The file is removed at the next login, and cannot be used before that.
All clients are running on 10.6.8.
If you require any more information, please specify and I'll provide it. Thank you for looking over the problem and giving it thought.
Hope to hear from someone with a possible resolution soon.
Thanks.
Prat.

Have you tried setting another, pre-made preference in the computer group settings to see if it applies?
Have you run plutil /path/to/plist in the command line to see if it is OK (can't see why this would matter, this is a stab in the dark)?
P.S.
I have found that OpenDirectory can be quirky. I have found it become corrupt but still mostly functional quite quickly after setup. Since Apple has not well documented this software and offers no directory maintenance tools, every year I end up having to rebuild the server from scratch. I know this is not very helpful, but strange, unpredictable, and unbecoming behavior seems to be more frequent than I prefer. (Thankfully setting up an OS X Server is a veritable breeze compared to Microsoft Server Products).

10.4.11 disk utility says, OK. Disk Warrior says many corrupted plist files

I had been doing a permissions fix with disk utility and when I restarted, my entire home domain was GONE.
Disk warrior got it back, but DW says a big list of plist files can't be fixed
Address book won't open.
Is this the beginning of a fatal drive melt down?
Can I just toss all the corrupted plist files and retart>
Thanks,
Ty Ford

Hi! Ty ford
.plist are created by an application. Whenever I find that an application is acting strange: I restart, if that doesn't fix it I drag the .plist to my desk top and reopen the application and the application replaces it. I've never had a problem with disk utility which is an Apple application that is especially designed for the Mac. I would ignore the .plist warning unless all those applications fail to work properly. I have an old application that behaves erratically regularly and I restart to fix it; when restart doesn't work I remove the .plist and it runs OK again. One mistake I heard that some people don't turn off their Macs: What is the first thing that is suggested to fix the Mac when something doesn't work properly-Restart or Shut Down. I have very few problems with my old G4 because I shut it down when its not in use and OS 10.4.11 puts everything back in order at restart.
Dick
Message was edited by: Dick Deaton

Strange plist files found

Browsing my ~/Library/Preferences folder I found some 'strange' plist files. Investigating I found I could NOT open them with plist editor. Looking at them with hexedit showed they are binary files. What I could not find so far is who creates them, but some searching hints they are not 'dangerous'.
Some more details:
They are ALL 286 bytes long.
the names are:
com.ElggGroup.Enterprisedigital.plist
com.SysternatemsCorporation.Stoneworks.plist
com.utilineau.dogleg.plist
com.CONAsia.Offspring.plist
Hexdump shows identical content for all files:
martin$ hexdump -v com.CONAsia.Offspring.plist
0000000 00 00 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 1e
0000010 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0000020 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0000030 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0000040 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0000050 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0000060 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0000070 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0000080 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0000090 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00000a0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00000b0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00000c0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00000d0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00000e0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00000f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0000100 00 00 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 1e
0000110 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 1c 00 1e ff ff
000011e
I found three threads that had similar issues
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1662657
http://lists.apple.com/archives/Mpw-dev/2002/Jun/msg00055.html
http://forum.waves.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=4520
But I certainly am not using ProTools and the WavePlugin with it.
One interesting discovery was some sample code here:
http://developer.apple.com/samplecode/FSMegaInfo/listing16.html
There this hex sequence was repeated many times.
My suspicion is that some software I have uses this (or similar) sample code and has not been cleaned. That does however not explain the choice of the plist file names. None of those names appear to relate to any software I have installed.
My question is: how can I search for the culprit on my system? How can I use grep, find or whatever to e.g. search for the string of the plist name?
And what are these files really? Resource forks? What's special about this byte sequence?
Thanks for any input.

Thanks for the kind and quick reply.
They do indead. Binary and xml are possible starting with 10.4 as this article suggests:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071112175807360
Another utility to check and convert plists from one format to another is plutil. But as you can see from the output below, the files are NOT valid plists. And, looking at the binary dump, is not surprising: It contains virtually no information.
martin$ plutil com.utilineau.dogleg.plist
com.utilineau.dogleg.plist:
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
martin$ plutil -convert xml1 com.utilineau.dogleg.plist
com.utilineau.dogleg.plist: XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
As to your suggestion of using spotlight, it does not find anything. Which also is not surprising since it does NOT index every file, particularly binaries.
My hope is to find the string tucked away in some binary. Afterall SOME software either created the plists or copied them to the user library. So the string of at least the 'company' names must be somewhere. Of course that could be in a compressed file so a direct search would not see it.
I still think the files are bogus, searching for those names on google brings precious little. If it were a Windows machine, I'd say there's a virus...
Further suggestions for investigations or hunting are much appreciated.

Can't create new plist for Firefox 2.0.16

I haven't been able to get anyone on the FF forum to answer this. I hope someone here maybe able to offer some suggestions:
I suspected some corruption in the .plist file (users/library/preferenes) of Firefox 2.0.16 and trashed it, assuming that the next time I opened Firefox (2.0.16) it would write a new one. It did not. Next I put the original App, itself, in the trash (it's still there, not yet emptied), downloaded a new dmg. for Firefox 2.0.16. (The original, now in the trash, was an update starting with earlier versions going back several years). That newly installed application (with original user profile saved from the previous one) will not write a new plist either
1. How do I get Firefox to write a new plist?
2. Does it matter? Haven't checked everything, but so far seems to be working OK without a plist. Preferences haven't changed.
3. I have the original on a clone. If necessary, can I just trash the new FF, put the old FF back in Applications and copy over the plist file from the clone?
BTW I notice a small difference between the size of the two Apps, old (48.1MB) and newly installed (47.7MB). They both appear as FF 2.0.16.
Thanks for help.

Well, file this one in the very strange category. I was just about to move over the plist from the clone, but thought I'd check one more time to see if it was still missing. There it was, right where it was supposed to be, created last night at some point in the middle of our exchange. Can't track it down exactly, but it was from before I was modifying FF preferences to see if Console-which never showed anything related- would report something. I can't remember at what point I first opened FF or even if I checked again last night to see if it was still missing. Probably just assumed it still wasn't there.
I had tried closing, opening FF numerous times, and restarting, in the afternoon when this first happened. But last night was a full re-boot. Maybe that's what did it, with first opening of FF?
What's puzzling, also, is none of my preferences were missing or changed throughout, and it didn't seem to make any noticeable difference that the plist was missing. That's why I had asked in my starting post if the missing plist really mattered.
Thanks very much for the help on this.

"Create Archive of" file destination

Very strange… on my computer, when I control-click a folder and choose "Create Archive of…", the resulting .zip file ends up in the same folder as the original. I've just been helping my girlfriend archive some old files, and on her computer, the .zip files are sent to the Desktop. Very confusing, and not the intended behavior. I've looked around in any preferences I could find, and even dug into some of the .plist files within applications, and could find no way to change this. Any ideas?

I don't know if this is what you are observing, but the default location where the archive is created seems to be the same folder where the original is located. However, if the person creating the archive doesn't have sufficient privileges to modify that folder, the archive ends up on their "Desktop". In this context, I suspect that it is the intended behaviour...

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