Dictionary Contextual Menu Bug from within Preview or Skim

Seems like there is a bug with the way 10.5 handles pdf's and the contextual dictionary menu item. Highlighting a word and selecting the 'Lookup in Dictionary' contextual menu item seems to be unreliable at best. Most of the time, this feature refuses to work in either Preview.app or Skim. Any ideas? BTW i currently use Dictionary with both the standard Oxford dictionary and Wikipedia functions.

The "Mail Document" option in preview works fine for me...dunno what the problem could be, but perhaps if you removed the preferences file for preview from your "~/Library/Preferences/" folder, that might help resolve it. Faulty preferences files are causing folks a lot of application misbehaviors.

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Has anyone been having issues using tags? Adding tags to PDF's from within Preview results in a delays

When adding tags to documents from within the document using the menu, after typing a few letters and then selecting a tag it then resets and you have to go back to the beginning. This is especially annoying when trying to edit a large number of documents quickly.
It seems you have to wait up to 5 secs after typing a tag before trying to add it again. The problem appears to be some system wide delay in editing the tag into the file.
I checked the problem against my new MacBook Air and it occurs there as wel.
Anyone else come across this?

Hi VikingOSX,
The method you described is the current way I am doing it, my apologies I probably wasn't clear enough.
The tagging works, but the issue is that as I start to edit in the tag area, after choosing a tag(s) it resets to blank after a couple of seconds and I have to tag again. After the second time the tags stay there and I can save the document.
The tags I am choosing are from existing tags and it doesn't matter whether I click on them from the list or start typing a few characters and they appear, the problem is the same. It might seem trivial, but I regularly scan in a large number of documents and then edit their name and tags from the Preview title bar.
I would be interested if you can recreate the issue yourself, I have it on two different Mac computers so thought it was something that was a bug in Mavericks.

Contextual menu bug

I think Leopard is full of bugs. Here is something I've tried to figure out without any luck and is hoping that someone have an intelligent answer for this.
This is the problem; when I e.g. right click an .html file and choose "open with" many of the apps are listed with several versions. And the really weird part is that it is not consistently. The contextual menu is different from each .html file. This problem goes for a lot of different file types. If anyone bother to have look at some pictures to see what I'm talking about, their here: http://home.no.net/pixelmix/htmlopenwith01.jpg. It's four pictures so just change the 01 to 02, etc.. By the way, I'm using a Norwegian edition of Leopard.
To save you all some time: I do not have several versions installed of the apps in subject.
So, that's that. Anyone with a clever mind out there? I would really appreciate an answer.
Thanks!

You can clean up the "open with" menu by running the following command in the terminal:
/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchSe rvices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user
All old application versions will disappear from the "open with" menu.

Accidently removed "Contextual Menu Item" from /Library

Hello
I was testing an application called iTrash during which it seems like i have deleted the "Contextual Menu Items " folder as its no longer present and i can no longer right-click anywhere on my Snow Leopard. I don't have any backups. Can someone tell me how i can recover that folder or if i can download the files needed to have in that folder (just the original ones) to regain the Right-click again?
Trash is empty so i can't recover from there. Can someone please help

Normally, that folder's empty. Just recreate it. However, it has nothing to do with right-clicking and getting contextual items. Something else is amiss. Check System Preferences->Mouse and ensure that you haven't disabled the right click. BTW, there isn't any Archive & Install in Snow Leopard, just install.

Using "Mail document" from within Preview

I noticed that when in Preview if I attempt to use the "Mail document" function under the "File" menu the Preview document does not get attached to the new Mail document. To enable this function I must go to the print menu, scroll down to "Mail document" and, voila, the Preview document now appears in the Mail message panel.
I suspect a bug here. Have others experienced this?
(This happens on the G5; I haven't tried on the MacBook Pro.)

The "Mail Document" option in preview works fine for me...dunno what the problem could be, but perhaps if you removed the preferences file for preview from your "~/Library/Preferences/" folder, that might help resolve it. Faulty preferences files are causing folks a lot of application misbehaviors.

Address book access from within Preview

Using a Canon MF4350d I have been unable to access Contacts/Address Book from Preview when faxing.
I can add a single destination, but I can't save it. So each time I fax I must do that.
I can access Contacts from Word, Evernote, Firefox, MoneyDance, Mail, Contacts and Safari, but not from Preview, TextEdit, or Chrome.
Though in all likelihood, it's just Preview I'd ever fax from and want the Contacts.
Any ideas?

I can enter a destination and fax from both, just can't access Contacts/Address Book.
Judging from my email exchange with Canon US, they say it's an Apple issue. blah, blah, blah.
I would think that there is an Apple API for those apps that for some reason Canon didn't bother with.
I tossed Reader some time ago for Preview. Other than this issue, Preview is better for my purposes, (and as you probably know, integrates with other apps like Safari rather well) and doesn't require updates every month.
thanks though.

ITunes and contextual menu bug

Can anyone verify this?
If I use my Mighty Mouse to right-click on a track in iTunes either the menu selection (e.g. 'get info') has no effect (4.9) or iTunes crashes (5.0 and 5.0.1).
The same thing happens if I control-click, so not just a Mighty Mouse thing.
I thought it might be fixed in yesterday's update but it wasn't.

Raymond hello,
Your problem indicates that you do not have the ownership and or permission set right on your Music library and or the data files.. you may also have locked files to contend with.... Do this..
Check that your HD is in order with 'Disk Utility' ...
Run repair HD from original CD or DVD install disk...
insert disk and re-start holding down the 'c' key until you see the spinning gear.
At installer level do not continue...
Use top menu and go 'Disk Utility' select your HD volume with the Operating system on...
select 1st aid... select repair Hard Disk.
if errors are repaired run again until none are reported then verify your HD.
quit and return to the Finder Do not continue with the Installer...
Check the permissions are set correct on the Apple installed software...
Use 'Disk Utility' from Applications > Utilities > select HD... select 1st aid. repair permissions... if repairs are needed run again until none are repaired... do not worry about messages 'we are using special permissions etc... they are OK Quit when finished.
Use BatChmod to set correct permissions on your home ~ Music folder
To set preferences using BatChmod is very easy...
This compact GUI will perform the same tasks as a 'command line in Terminal '
drag the complete Music folder
with libraries and iTunes Music folder inside to the BatChmod Icon and drop....
check path is correct.... tick if not already.... Owner=R W X, Group=R, Others=R,
then tick 'Apply ownership and priviledges'...'Unlock' & click Apply...
provide password... all done very quick...
come back and report the results Raymond .... TP

Accessing Dictionary / Thesaurus with Contextual Menu

If I have the Dictionary Application selected in the preferences, when I control click on a word, I get only the dictionary or the thesaurus (depending on the order I set in the preferences), but not both. If I have the Dictionary Panel selected in the preferences, after the panel appears, I click “more”, then I’ll have both the dictionary and the thesaurus. Am I missing something, because it would be nice to have the Dictionary Application come up right away with both?
Steve Dutton

Hi, Steve.
Your post is a little hard to follow since you've not quite got the terminology correct. The short answer is that "Look up in Dictionary" is "working as designed."
Let's see if I can clarify what's happening:
1. In Dictionary > Preferences, under Contextual Menu, if you select "Open Dictionary application" then when you Control-click a selected word and select "Look up in Dictionary" in the contextual menu, it launches the Dictionary application and displays either the definition or thesaurus entry, depending on which is first in the list at the top of Dictionary Preferences.
2. In Dictionary > Preferences, under Contextual Menu, if you select "Open Dictionary panel" then when you Control-click a selected word and select "Look up in Dictionary" in the contextual menu, a tiny window (the Dictionary panel opens showing either the definition or the thesaurus entry, depending on which is first in the list at the top of Dictionary Preferences. If you click More, this launches the Dictionary application, enabling you to see both the definition and thesaurus entries in one Dictionary application window.
How the "Look up in Dictionary" contextual menu choice works on selected text depends on the setting of the Contextual Menu option in Dictionary Preferences and the first item in the list the top of those Preferences, as follows:
• The Dictionary panel shows only one of the items for the selected text — definition or thesaurus entry — i.e. whichever is first in the list at the top of Dictionary Preferences. One then has to click More to see both definition and thesaurus entry in a window in the Dictionary application
• The Dictionary application likewise shows only one of the items for the selected text — definition or thesaurus entry — i.e. whichever is first in the list at the top of Dictionary Preferences.
Note that if you make changes in Dictionary's Preferences, you have to close the Dictionary Preferences for the changes to take effect.
It appears one only receives both the definition and thesaurus entry for a word simultaneously if:
(a) One has set Dictionary Preferences as noted in item 2 above and clicks More after having selected text and opened the Dictionary panel via "Look up in Dictionary."
(b) One launches Dictionary independently, searches for a word directly in Dictionary, and then selects that word from the list of search results.
If you'd like to suggest that Apple change these behaviors in Dictionary, submit a Mac OS X Feedback.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X

Services menu missing from contextual menu

i think my services menu is broken. it doesn't show up at all in the contextual menu and from the application menu if i have say a pdf selected the only thing i see listed is 'new email with attachment' and services preferences. anyone else have this problem.

Yes, can report the exact same issue as well.
The loss of the services and automator menus from a contextual click is a real annoyance, and I really shouldn't have come to the Apple discussion forums to find this answer.
My scenairo is that I'm an entourage user for corporate mail and services (Sorry, can't stand the in-built clients for this purpose, they irritate me to no end). I had an automator action setup to easily create a new email with the selected items from the finder with a simple right click.
To do this now requires a whole new way of working, and to get back to some semblance of what I had before, as documented here, you have to de-select then re-select all the services in the services preference pane.
And while we're on the subject - why oh why can't we set the default program which email actions/services are sent to for existing services.
This is a real pain, and shows a distinct lack of polish in the end use expeirence for snow leopard, sigh.
Message was edited by: thewinchester

Setting default browser for Mail's contextual menu items

I use Firefox as my default browser. In "Safari>General>Default Web Browser" I have it set to Firefox and URL links within Mail trigger Firefox as expected.
However, if I right-click within an email message on some text and select 'Search in Google' it opens in Safari regardless of the default browser indicated in the Safari preferences.
Anybody know how to fix this? It's very annoying.
Dual 2.0 GHz G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Hello,
I have been searching for the cause of this failure, but have not found much. It may relate to some problems with Contextual Menu Items, discussed within the article at the link below, but I do not know for sure:
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/05/28/cm_pt1.html
and may relate to some incompleteness in Firefox, rather than OSX, per se. The contextual menu items are separate from the default preferences, I believe.
Btw, while I like some aspects of a Google search with Firefox, the fact that PDF links are downloaded, rather than opened in the browser, make me prefer Safari for searches. Perhaps there is a preference to cure this problem, but I have not looked very hard for it.
Ernie

Size of resulting file not displayed within Preview

Under Snow Leopard, when you were saving a file from within Preview, you were shown the size of the resultant file, and the effect on this size as you changed the quality. Under OS X 7, Preview, you can still change the quality of the file that you are saving, but Preview does not appear to display the size of the resultant file. Can this be turned back on, and if so, how?

Hi
When you embed the .swf inside a html page just specify the new object width and height (preferably keep aspect ratio). If your symbol/object/sprite inside the the movie are all vector, you should not suffer any quality loss.
If your movie has raster image (e.g. jpg), you'll need to open the original .fla and use flash to resize the stage/canvas and everything inside it.
If you don't have the .fla source, try open your .swf file using swf decompiler software (like sothink) and convert it back to .fla, then use flash to resize it.
Thanks
Puneet

Contextual menu won't come up with control click

I have a user with a one button mouse who can't bring up a contextual menu with control click any longer. When you control click, you get a new finder window or sometimes it brings up Fontbook instead of a contextual window!
it happens no matter who logs into machine. I have tried, thus far, repairing permissions and trashing the finder.plist under this one user. No effect.
I could not find anything when doing a search on the Knowledge Base, so am posting here. Has anyone seen this behavior in 10.4 yet?
Thanks,
Lisa

Try removing the items in these folders:
"/Users/username/Library/Contextual Menu Items"
"/Library/Contextual Menu Items"
Log out/in or restart, if things return to normal you can then start putting items back one at a time until you find the offending item. One common bad actor is a contextual menu item from StuffIt.
Francine
Francine
Schwieder

Changing contextual menu to make Dictionary/Thesaurus faster to get to . .

In other Apple programs (e.g. Safari, Mail), the Dictionary/Thesaurus is in the first level of the contextual menu ("Look Up in Dictionary"). In Pages, it is in the second level ("Writing Tools>Look Up in Dictionary/Thesaurus"). I use the dictionary and thesaurus function a lot in writing, and find it slows me down to have this critical writing function not at the first level.
Any way to change that?

Try this:
Go under the Apple menu, to System Preferences, and choose Keyboard & Mouse. When the dialog appears, click on the Keyboard Shortcuts tab, then click the plus sign at the bottom left of the dialog. Another dialog will appear. Choose Finder from the Application pop-up menu, and then type the exact name of the menu command you want to add a shortcut for. Now type the shortcut you want to use and click the Add button
Walt

Anyone using Ichat Theater Preview from within AE 5.5*

I've got AE5.5, and I'm trying to use Ichat theater preview output. No luck. Works from within fcp7, all other output options work. Have a blackmagic intensity pro card installed on my macpro. Is this working for anyone? Running Snow Leopard.
Sorry if this has been discussed before. New to Adobe forums. Did some searching here and googled without any luck.

Reset the LaunchServices database by copying and pasting this one-line command into a Terminal window (/Applications/Utilities/) and hitting the return key, restart, and reassociate the desired file types with Preview:
*/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchS ervices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user*

RoboHelp 11 - When previewing topics from within the project, a script error displays: 'HHComponent Activator' is undefined. How do you get rid of this script error?

RoboHelp 11
When previewing topics from within the project, a script error diplays: 'HHComponent Activator' is undefined.
How do you get rid of this script error?

Hi there
Have you tried clicking Help > Updates and applying the service release?
If not, I'd start with that.
Cheers... Rick

Dictionary Contextual Menu Bug from within Preview or Skim

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