Dismiss MacOS Big Sur notifications with keyboard

Update
I'm posting a most robust version that evolved from my initial post. This seems to do a reasonable job of closing all windows, but it's sometimes slow to execute. As I've stated in the comments, I don't know much about AppleScript, so perhaps someone who knows what they're doing can tell us how to improve the performance.
activate application "NotificationCenter"
tell application "System Events"
    tell process "Notification Center"
        repeat

            try
                set theWindow to group 1 of UI element 1 of scroll area 1 of window "Notification Center"
            on error
                exit repeat
            end try

            try
                set theActions to actions of theWindow

                # Try to close the whole group first. If that fails, close individual windows.
                repeat with theAction in theActions
                    if description of theAction is "Clear All" then
                        set closed to true
                        tell theWindow
                            perform theAction
                        end tell
                        exit repeat
                    end if
                end repeat

                repeat with theAction in theActions
                    if description of theAction is "Close" then
                        set closed to true
                        tell theWindow
                            perform theAction
                        end tell
                        exit repeat
                    end if
                end repeat

            end try
        end repeat
    end tell
end tell

Original
Yes, thank you for posting the script, @AndrewJanian.
I received an error similar to @ColinFraizer's when using it as is. I think the issue is the inner repeat over the actions: it's trying to access actions in some cases after the window is closed. A minor tweak fixes this issue for me:
activate application "NotificationCenter"
tell application "System Events"
    tell process "Notification Center"
        set theWindow to group 1 of UI element 1 of scroll area 1 of window "Notification Center"
        # click theWindow
        set theActions to actions of theWindow
        repeat with theAction in theActions
            if description of theAction is "Close" then
                tell theWindow
                    perform theAction
                end tell
                exit repeat
            end if
        end repeat
    end tell
end tell


iPhone 4 needs to restored, but I am concerned about losing photos

There are two apps that will mount your iPhone as a USB drive. One is Called "Phone Disk" the other is called iExplorer. If you google for them you can download one. Simply plug your phone into your computer. When iTunes comes up, hit cancel, and then browse your iPhone just like you would in the finder. Drag the "Photos" folder onto your computer.

All backed up!

Another app, called WiFi Photos (free), goes on your phone, when you launch it any mac on the same wifi can go to a special URL, and browse your iPhone photos and right click to save!


Is the Lightning 8-pin connector magnetic in attachment?

In the external buttons and connectors section of Apple's official spec sheet for the iPhone 5 no mention is made that the lightning connector is magnetic.

Given how proud, and rightly so, Apple is of the MagSafe connector, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts they would mention that the new connector is MagSafe if that was indeed the case.

Secondly, looking at 2D representations of the new connector, it does not have any of the characteristics of the MagSafe connector at all. It uses the traditional male/female plug/socket concept humans find so comforting.

Once I get my new iPhone 5, I'll let you know.


If you are downloading large files like this on a connection that isn't reliable you're best bet is probably to use a command line tool like curl.

Open a Terminal window, change directory to wherever you want to download the file (for example cd ~/Desktop to save to your desktop). And then type the command curl -OC - http://isoredirect.centos.org/centos/7/isos/x86_64/CentOS-7-x86_64-DVD-1503-01.iso to download the CentOS ISO image (I just picked this URL for an example, use you own as you wish).

If the download gets part of the way and stalls or dies, you can just run the same command again and it should restart from the place it left off.

The O in the command tells curl to use the remote filename and the C - tells it to continue where it stopped previously.

Please note: servers have to be set up to allow downloads to start from random positions, so if you try this and it always starts from the very beginning it could be that the server doesn't support it.


My iPhone will not turn on. Please give me advice

take it to the Apple Store, they'll be able to fully diagnose the issue, perhaps its a battery not holding a charge properly. If you're still under warranty(which you mentioned you are) then they will furnish you a replacement in the mean time while yours is being serviced.


Xcode - Can I develop for iOS 11.1 in El Capitan?

I hope you get a better answer, because this is not ideal but is all I have:

You could develop using the latest version of Xcode that will run on your Mac using the simulator for day-to-day testing. Then when you really need to test on a real device, upload a beta to the App Store, configure yourself as an Internal Tester and use TestFlight to download the app to your 'phone.

Edit: This may also require a full developer account!


Using Finder To Arrange Applications By "Application Type"

In Finder, you can Arrange By → Application Category:

This sorts your Applications folder by the category of the application.

Applications without a category are listed under the Other section.


How do I disable auto swoosh (automatic space switching) in MacOS Sierra?

I have macOS Sierra 10.12.6, and this option is in Mission Control settings (also looks like it's in the same place on my old Mac running 10.7.5). Simply uncheck the option "When switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows for the application", and Cmd-Tab will no longer make you switch Spaces.

Clicking on an app icon in the Dock will also no longer switch spaces, unless the app is already selected (its name is in the menubar), in which case further clicks on the icon will cycle you through any Spaces with a window open for that app. Not 100% what you are asking for, but if the app is already selected you should have no reason to click the icon again anyway.


Is there a way to sync contacts between an android phone and an iPad without using a computer?

As comments have alluded to, if you go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts on your iOS device, you can select "Add Account" and add your Google account there.  Once you set that up, you can configure it to sync contacts (and email, calendar, etc) to your Google account.


Does OS X El Capitan have a /boot folder

The OS X boot loader is stored in a file called boot.efi which you can find in /System/Library/CoreServices. It isn't stored in /boot.

You can read more about the OS X boot process on Apple's website here: Mac Developer Library - Kernel Programming Guide - The Early Boot Process


Hidden folder in /Users/Shared that has MD5-encrypted name of another user

Your question appears to be slightly incomplete, however the first two files are standard unix "files".

. is the shortcut for the current directory;
.. is the shortcut for the directory up one in the tree.

A lot of Unix shells require you to completely specify the path to an executable when executing them from the command line, and an example you may have seen:

./Make

Is a request to execute the file Make in the current directory.

Similarly, using the command

cd ..

Is a request to change the directory to the parent of the current directory.

Your third file is not named in your question so I cannot provide an answer for that.


Search folder, copy to new folder and change names of the files!

The following is a proof of concept to show how I'd build out the target_directory and target_filename from the source_filename, based on information in your OP and comments:

$ ls -1
DSC_0008.JPG
DSC_0034.JPG
DSC_0077.JPG
DSC_0132.JPG
codetest

$ cat codetest
#!/bin/bash

find . -type f -iname '*.jpg' -size +500k -exec sh -c '
i=7398
for f in "$@"; do
    m="$(exiftool -d "%Y-%m-%d %H-%M-%S" -FileModifyDate -s -S "$f")"
    d="/path/to/backup/directory/${m:0:4}/${m:5:+2}"
    echo mkdir -p "$d"
    echo cp "$f" "$d/$m $i.${f##*.}"
    ((i++))
done
' sh {} +

$ ./codetest
mkdir -p /path/to/backup/directory/2018/11
cp ./DSC_0008.JPG /path/to/backup/directory/2018/11/2018-11-26 15-39-09 7398.JPG
mkdir -p /path/to/backup/directory/2018/12
cp ./DSC_0034.JPG /path/to/backup/directory/2018/12/2018-12-26 11-52-30 7399.JPG
mkdir -p /path/to/backup/directory/2019/03
cp ./DSC_0077.JPG /path/to/backup/directory/2019/03/2019-03-02 08-36-07 7400.JPG
mkdir -p /path/to/backup/directory/2019/04
cp ./DSC_0132.JPG /path/to/backup/directory/2019/04/2019-04-03 23-42-36 7401.JPG
$

Obviously with the echo command in place, the output shown is not quoted and would fail if that was the actual command executed while copying; however, with the echo command removed, the actual executed command has quotes around the arguments and would not fail because of the spaces in the target_filenames.

Using stat instead of exiftool:

#!/bin/bash

find . -type f -iname '*.jpg' -size +500k -exec sh -c '
i=7398
for f in "$@"; do
    m="$(stat -f "%Sm" -t "%Y-%m-%d %H-%M-%S" "$f")"
    d="/path/to/backup/directory/${m:0:4}/${m:5:+2}"
    echo mkdir -p "$d"
    echo cp "$f" "$d/$m $i.${f##*.}"
    ((i++))
done
' sh {} +

Note: Both of these worked when run as either a script, or, sans the shebang, copied and pasted into Terminal. That said, I'm not sure I'd run this on 30K files all at once without adding some error handling as appropriate for what this code will do. I'll leave that up to you to decide how, or if, you want to implement any error handling in the example code shown.


Automator: extract PDF text and save in current directory

Here is the issue I ran into with the translation of "Hent ut PDF-tekst" in Google Translate while translating from Norwegian to English, it translated as "Get the PDF text" so when I typed "Get" in the Actions Search Box it didn't show any PDF Actions with the "Get" Actions that did show.  Upon further examination I found Extract PDF Text and used it.

I was able to replicate the issue of a zero sized RTF file being created along with the one for the actual PDF file however I was not able to debug it as to why and I did try many different things. Through the Workflow it showed Bane as a Folder being the path to the selected PDF File but then converted it to the zero sized RTF along with the proper RTF file and to me it looks like a bug in Automator.

That said, I present a workaround that you can choose to use if no one else has an answer that resolves the issue without resorting to this workaround.

Add a Run Shell Script Action to the end of the list of Actions, setting Shell: /bin/bash and Pass input: as argument with the following code:

for f in "$@"; do
    if [ ! -s "$f" ]; then
        rm "$f"
    fi
done

Which translates to: If this file does not have a size greater than zero, then delete it.

BTW If you want to test the code first, you can temporarily replace rm "$f" with something like say deleting "$f" so you can hear what file it's going to delete. When satisfied it's going to delete the zero sized file, then put it back to rm "$f".

Here is an image of my Automator Service.


Open iBooks files in other PDF viewers in iPad

I'm afraid it's not possible. I tried several times to do that.
Maybe you'll want to use an app like Documents by Readdle on your iPad? That way you can manage your books from there and open them everywhere you want to.


Installing windows 8 using bootcamp or virtual box

With just having an .exe file you'll need to run that under Windows to create either an USB Installer or an ISO Image or both as they can be used for either Boot Camp or in a VM using VMware Fusion, Parallels Desktop or VirtualBox.

To install in a VM you can use an ISO Image.

To install using Boot Camp Assistant and creating a USB Installer you need an ISO Image to create the USB Installer if the one created under Windows will not work.

If your Mac has an Optical Drive a DVD can be used, creating it from the ISO Image.


Can a foreigner make a purchase in App Store China?

It looks like that Chinese App Store accepts China UnionPay cards. If you have any Chinese bank debit card, you can pay for in app purchases easily.

As per Apple Support:

China

If you're purchasing iCloud storage, an Apple Music subscription, or content from the App Store in China, you can use:

    Alipay
    China UnionPay
    Online banking2
    WeChat Pay
    Gift cards (including App Store Top-Up cards)

UnionPay and Chinese bank cards
When you add UnionPay as a payment method, you must provide the mobile phone number your card's issuing bank has on file for you.

Some cards do not have mobile numbers associated with them. If this is the case with your card, contact your bank to update or replace it.

App Store Top-Up cards
You can also redeem App Store Top-Up cards for store credit in China.


MacBook shut down at 20% battery with no warning?

I had the same problem with a MacBook Pro mid-2009. Even changing the battery for a "non-official" battery did not solve the problem; I had to take it to an authorised Apple service centre; after that, no problems and still happy as the writing of this (about two years).

Any workaround that you might find online (resetting SMC and/or PRAM, recalibrating, etc) is just a temporary measure, they won't hurt at all and might give you some peace of mind.

Besides changing the battery for a new one, the Apple tech guys have special "secret" programs that can modify certain system flags and parameters.

About a year ago my MacBook Pro Retina mid-2012 (2.7 Quad i7) started with the same exact problem; the shocking news came with an estimate of $975.00 AUD to replace the battery (as it comes glued firmly to the housing you have to replace the unibody bottom including keyboard and trackpad). Still one year later the battery has not degraded at all and I still get 3-4 hours of battery life with full performance settings, but now the message has changed from "Service Battery" to "Replace soon", after this there is still a "Replace now" message.

In brief:

Service Battery means:
There might be something wrong with your battery, or it could be nothing, but keep an eye on it.

Replace soon means:
Your battery will last less than expected, but there should be no major issues, stay alert.

Replace now means:
If you hate carrying around your charger have your battery (or the entire laptop) replaced.

Hope this helps.


Network disconnect causes leftover directory under /Volumes

Not an answer, just to let you know that I cannot emulate your problem in a similar setup, and that you might have a problem.

I have an iMac with 10.6.8 and a MacBook with 10.8.1. Sometimes I forget to eject the connected volume on the iMac before I shut down the MacBook, and then the mounted volume remains as an image on the Desktop and in the sidebar of any open folder. I then simply click the eject-symbol in the folder sidebar or right-click on the desktop symbol and tell finder to eject the volume. It disappears. Now, looking in my /Volumes (in Finder as well as in Terminal), there is no remaining network volume. Maybe ejecting it did the trick.

Now, if I do NOT eject the remaining volume after I shut down the MacBook (or put it to sleep) and then boot (or wake) it and connect it again, the remaining volume icon on the desktop disappears and a new one appears. If I check under /Volumes (in Finder and Terminal), there is only one connected volume. (I did not shut down the iMac or do anything, except shut down the MacBook and start it (or put it to sleep and wake it) and connect it again.)

I do not get a Finder notification, that the drive is no longer available, either. If I try and access the disconnected drive by double clicking on the icon on the desktop, I can even browse its contents, until it automatically disappears when I reach I point where I have not been during this connection (open a subfolder that has not yet been opened).


macOS — What is the reason for a 6 Gb Dropbox folder to use 107 Gb of space?

Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud and other could sync programs often show different sizes on one file. You want to check a few files to look at the size on disk as well as the settings about saving space / dehydrating files / optimizing storage before trusting any one tool to measure on disk allocation.
I use ncdu on Macs where I have homebrew running or du -s /path/to/folder to double check things. Finder and even Apple’s system information don’t always tell the true story with cloud files.
You can also get a good measure by using Time Machine to back up the folder and checking size there.
Assuming you are actually that far off, the fix would be to boot to recovery and run disk utility one time on the drive to correct and detect any accounting errors, then potentially uninstalling the sync app to clean up the folder.


What's with all the random folders in the DCIM directory for iPhone?

Just place yourself on the DCIM folder and choose to search.
Search for *.*
Choose some thumb nail view
Sort result by name

You will see all your pictures in order and it's easy to find the picture you are looking for.


Problem in installing Xcode on MacBook Air 2017 with macos Mojave version 10.14.5

You can try to download bittorrent version of Xcode but there's always a risk of downloading files from unknown source and you may not be able to find the latest version, as I could only find Xcode 9.

Side note: In the past, I would've recommended a tool called ADCDownload, which allows you to resume downloads from Apple Developer website. But it hasn't been updated in awhile, and likely  no longer working.


How do I create a groups OS X Mavericks Contacts app that remains local to my machine?

Open Contacts
For the On My Mac account, click the + button to add a new group.

Enter a group name and press Enter.


Is it safe to cancel tmutil delete halfway through?

You have two choices: let it run and delete everything; or stop it and see what's left. The residual backup may be incomplete, in terms of files and times, but it will be something.

My advice for TM has always been: don't mess with it. let it do its thing. When the drive gets full, either let it start deleting the oldest backups (which it will do itself), or get a bigger drive and start again or transfer the archive.


Disable automatic menubar icon sorting in Mavericks?

There are two types of menubar items in OS X. The classical one of type NSMenuExtra which is primarily used by Apple's own stuff like the clock, AirPort, TimeMachine, VPN and keychain, etc. These are not officially available for third party developers.
The other type is an NSStatusItem which is available for everyone and almost all apps that provide a menu bar item use this type.

Historically only NSMenuExtras could be sorted by ⌘ (command) dragging them and NSStatusItems were displayed in launch order from right to left. Since Mavericks Apple allow all items to be reordered by command-dragging them.

The chosen order should be persistent across logins. Some items like location services or screen synchronization will only show up when needed so they may change your sort order temporarily. The order is the same for all menu bars if you're using multiple screens.


For anyone else:  Don't tear apart the G5 without knowing with absolute certainty the PSU will fit.  These two were different.  Mission is a fail.


Is there any way to install homebrew on iOS (jailbroken)

No, this isn't possible.

Homebrew is designed for use on macOS systems. It is not intended for use on iOS, and the packages it downloads will not run on an iOS system. It cannot compile packages for iOS either, as the Xcode toolchain is not available for iOS.

Attempting to install Homebrew will be futile, and may render your device unusable.


How to enable iOS 4.3+ multitasking gestures on iPad?

Both the latest Xcode 3 and the latest Xcode 4 allow you to mark an iPad with the latest 4.3.x as being "used for development". You can cancel if asked for your developer program credentials (which cost $99) and still have access to the gesture switch on the iPad.

Xcode 4 is only available presently as a $5 download from the Mac App store or with the $99 paid Mac Developer program as a restricted download. The free developer account (which still allows you to get Xcode 3) is fairly painless to set up as long as you can agree to all the conditions. You can see the various free and paid programs at http://developer.apple.com/programs/which-program/ - it used to be simpler but the free account is still fairly powerful but not on the cutting edge with pre-release

As with anything that is in software development, all things subject to change often and YMMV.


Is every program that ran on Intel Macs capable of being run on the new M1 Macs?

Generally speaking, yes, but it really depends.
Rosetta 2 is the compatibility layer that will allow legacy software to run on the new Apple Silicon.  It's this compatibility layer that will allow you to use your old software on this new chip much like how the original Rosetta allowed you to use software for PowerPC Macs to run on the new Intel based ones.
I very much hesitate to say that every program will work because there are always exceptions to the rule. Simple function apps or apps that don't make extensive use of hardware will probably work fine.  More complex apps or ones that make direct calls to hardware will likely have issues.  For instance, virtualization software like VirtualBox or Parallels won't work.   If you need Boot camp - that's off the table altogether.  So if you need to run these apps for whatever reason, you're out of luck for now.
Other specialized apps/products could have compatibility issues.  MusicTech recommends holding off for now until thorough testing can be done.  This is good advice across the board.  When your business and/or livelyhood depends on having a stable platform to get work done, switching to a brand new platform is risky, no matter how hyped and shiny the new product is.
If this is your sole computer and it's for work - hold off.  The software that you use is what brings in money and if nothing works, the brand new machine you just bought is effectively a paper weight.  It's like buying a brand new, state of the art robot to manufacture something only to forget to bring in all the new electrical and network connections to run it.
If you have multiple machines and you can continue functioning without it, then I encourage you to go get a new Mac and start testing (I can't wait to get mine in a week or so).  This way you'll know what works, what doesn't and what your options are down the road.


Stuck email open with notification of 500 unrecognized addresses

I was asked if I had tried the Escape button...(by my housemate) and so I did ..the long notification window with no bottom on it that was stuck over my email disappeared leaving me with my email that I intended to send to one person but ended up with 500 recipients that were not recognized by my computer..
I now could simply discard it.
I must say as I commented above..I feel a bit sheepish...


Are there configurable power profiles in Mountain Lion like in Windows?

Something very similar but with some additional options exist.

Open your System Preferences and find the Energy Saver.

Open it, and the you can not only set your power profiles but few more helpful settings.

However this does not set the Mac operating performances, since those are managed more intelligently based on actual demand. Means the system will go in to lowest possible power consumption mode when ever possible. That is best shown in the New MacBook Air, with a battery life of >8 hours.


App to toggle automatic brighness adjustment?

If I wanted to have a Menu bar app that could toggle the check box for Automatically adjust brightness on the Display tab of Displays in System Preferences, this is how I do it...

Using modified code from this answer for the wrapper and adding in the additional code to achieve the desired functionality and goal, here is the example AppleScript code:

-- # Acknowledgment: Some of the code used herein is modified code from the following answer:
-- # https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/293307/applescript-run-from-menu-bar/293392#293392

use AppleScript version "2.4"
use scripting additions
use framework "Foundation"
use framework "AppKit"

property aStatusItem : missing value

on run
    init() of me
end run

on init()
    set aList to {"Toggle - Automatically Adjust Brightness", "", "Quit"}
    set aStatusItem to current application's NSStatusBar's systemStatusBar()'s statusItemWithLength:(current application's NSVariableStatusItemLength)
    aStatusItem's setTitle:"☀"
    aStatusItem's setHighlightMode:true
    aStatusItem's setMenu:(createMenu(aList) of me)
end init

on createMenu(aList)
    set aMenu to current application's NSMenu's alloc()'s init()
    repeat with i in aList
        set j to contents of i
        if j is not equal to "" then
            set aMenuItem to (current application's NSMenuItem's alloc()'s initWithTitle:j action:"actionHandler:" keyEquivalent:"")
        else
            set aMenuItem to (current application's NSMenuItem's separatorItem())
        end if
        (aMenuItem's setTarget:me)
        (aMenu's addItem:aMenuItem)
    end repeat
    return aMenu
end createMenu

on actionHandler:sender
    set aTitle to title of sender as string
    if aTitle is not equal to "Quit" then
        my clickAutomaticallyAdjustBrightness()
    else
        current application's NSStatusBar's systemStatusBar()'s removeStatusItem:aStatusItem
        tell current application to quit
    end if
end actionHandler:

on clickAutomaticallyAdjustBrightness()
    if running of application "System Preferences" then
        quit application "System Preferences"
        delay 1
    end if
    tell application "System Preferences"
        reveal anchor "displaysDisplayTab" of pane id "com.apple.preference.displays"
        delay 1
        tell application "System Events"
            tell group 1 of tab group 1 of window 1 of application process "System Preferences"
                click checkbox "Automatically adjust brightness"
                set isChecked to (value of checkbox "Automatically adjust brightness") as boolean
            end tell
        end tell
        quit
    end tell
    if isChecked then
        display dialog "      Automatically adjust brightness is checked." buttons {"OK"} default button 1 ¬
            with title "Toggle - Automatically Adjust Brightness" giving up after 5
    else
        display dialog "   Automatically adjust brightness is not checked." buttons {"OK"} default button 1 ¬
            with title "Toggle - Automatically Adjust Brightness" giving up after 5
    end if
end clickAutomaticallyAdjustBrightness

Note that the value of the delay command(s) may need to be adjusted for your system, and or additional delay commands may or may not be needed. Adjust values of and or add/remove the delay commands as appropriate.

Copy and paste the example AppleScript code shown above into a new document in Script Editor, saving it as an application, e.g. Toggle - Automatically Adjust Brightness and check the [√] Stay open after run handler check box while saving it.

Then in Terminal, run the following command to hide the Dock Tile on the Dock for the e.g. Toggle - Automatically Adjust Brightness application:

defaults write '/Applications/Toggle - Automatically Adjust Brightness.app/Contents/Info.plist' LSUIElement -bool yes

Now add the e.g. Toggle - Automatically Adjust Brightness application to:

System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility

While checking its check box.

Now the e.g. Toggle - Automatically Adjust Brightness application is ready to run and all that will appear is a yellow icon of the sun on the Menu bar and no Dock Tile on the Dock.

The e.g. Toggle - Automatically Adjust Brightness application will toggle checking and unchecking the check box for Automatically adjust brightness on the Display tab of Displays in System Preferences and display a dialog box afterwards.

The display dialog commands could be replaced with display notification commands if you prefer that instead.

Also note that this method does not work with all version of OS X/macOS however it should work with at least 10.11 and newer.

Note: The example AppleScript code is just that and does not employ any error handling and is meant only to show one of many ways to accomplish a task. The onus is always upon the User to add/use appropriate error handling as needed/wanted.


My emoji in Google Hangouts flip-flops on my MacBook, why?

Both emojis are Google's, they have nothing to do with Apple's emojis.

Many people didn't like Google's "blob" emojis, so Google changed it to this new one.


Mac App Store: How auto update happens for an Application which requires installer

Mac App Store Review Guidelines - Apple Developer:

  2.14 Apps must be packaged and submitted using Apple's packaging technologies included in Xcode - no third party installers allowed

  2.15 Apps must be self-contained, single application installation bundles, and cannot install code or resources in shared locations

  2.16 Apps that download or install additional code or resources to add functionality or change their primary purpose will be rejected


Text selection (not built-in but useful) shortcuts

It is easy to select disparate, non-contiguous text in Apple's TextEdit: Just hold down the command key while highlighting each desired string with the mouse/trackpad. This action works with both plain text and rich text.

Here's a screen capture showing some arbitrary selections of discontinuous text made in this manner:

It's also easy to invert the selection: Click-and-drag the cursor over the chosen text while holding down the command key. Here's the same text after making the change:


How to translate these commands into AppleScript

First of all, be careful with this kind of thing. System automation utilizing something like a virtual keyboard like this can lead to unfortunate side-effects if you end up sending key strokes to an unintended target.

However, here:

repeat
    tell application "TextEdit"
        activate
        tell application "System Events" to key code 124
        delay 2
        tell application "System Events" to keystroke "l"
        delay 2
        tell application "System Events" to keystroke "c"
        delay 2
        tell application "System Events" to keystroke "cool!"
        delay 2
        tell application "System Events" to keystroke return
        delay 2
        tell application "System Events" to key code 53
        delay 2
    end tell
end repeat

Let's go through this code:

First, we are doing a simple repeat without end. This is not a good idea, but you asked for it and that's what you get. If you wanted just a finite number of times, you could add # times after repeat. Ex: repeat 3 times. There are many other methodologies to repeat beyond this answer.

Then you are going to create a tell block and activate the application you are sending these commands to. If you do not do this, you will be sending keystrokes willy nilly to whatever happens to be the active application at the time.

You will then do a series of having the "System Events" application emulate a keystroke and delaying for a count. delay accepts decimals as well as integers for number of seconds. Note that for the Right Arrow and Escape I used key code 124 and key code 53 respectively. The list of key codes can be found in various locations online with a Google search for 'applescript key codes'. Here is a current one at the time this answer was written: http://eastmanreference.com/complete-list-of-applescript-key-codes/

Finally, you will end the tell block, no longer sending AppleScript to "TextEdit" and then you will end your repeat block.


Possible to backup External Disk to Time Capsule regardless which machine it's connected to?

well good question and well described. It is possible to BackUp 2 Macbooks Fooand Barto one TimeMachine Disk.

I had some problems with SnowLeopard but with Mountain Lion it was a lot better and now with Mavericks it is working fine.

So if you have Mavericks installed on both it is no hassle so far in my Envirmonent (have 4 Macbooks and one TimeMachine Disk (in the Network))

Example of may TM Diks

TimeMachine
|- Macbook Pro Martin
|- iMac Martin
|- MacPro Martin
|- Macbook Air

 Folder has been renamed in this example

So the Devices are seperated in Folders on your TM Disk.


Wake On Lan behavior with Mac Mini - how to put asleep and confirm wake success?

To determine if a computer is sleeping:

Use hardware, such as the ‘Caps Lock’ led on a wired keyboard as a proxy for sleep, or the connection light on certain bluetooth hardware
Prior to putting the computer to sleep, check for potential ‘Power Assertions’ that could be blocking sleep
Review the Console system logs afterwards, looking for messages relating to sleep and wake events
Ping the Mac’s local network IP address from another computer - a properly sleeping computer should not respond (at least not in a timely fashion) to a normal ICMP ping (but this may not be decisive for recent macOS versions on recent Macs)

Things like music playback or open SSH connections are good indicators of wakefulness but not of sleep, partially due to #2 above.
The pulsing computer LED is a prima facie indicator of sleep.

Note: if you have certain other Apple devices on your network (certain Apple TV and iPad models, and maybe other Macs and Airport devices), the indicator in your WoL app is likely green because you have “Wake for Network Access” enabled.
These devices monitor the network for connection attempts to your sleeping Mac’s local IP or MAC address - if they see that network traffic, they will send a WoL packet and wake your computer (it’s sort of a proxy WoL system). In this case, your Windows WoL app (or another network device) could actually be what is unintentionally keeping your computer awake.


Utilize "burner" user accounts to sandbox specific "sketchy" apps

I'd be more inclined towards a 'burner' VM macOS install if you're that worried.  Duplicate it before any sketchy install, so you can just delete it after use, keeping the 'master' VM safe.


Where did sharingd file find the IP address it trying to connect?

macOS implements mDNS - Multicast DNS to find other devices on the same network segment. Basically, it says - who can share files and if the other IP answers - you have a connection that can be made if you click on that host in Finder (for one of many possible instances)

https://developer.apple.com/bonjour/
http://multicastdns.org

It's called Bonjour when it's wrapped up in IPv4/IPv6 as well as bluetooth zero configuration networking and this tech powers things like AirPlay, Printer Sharing, handoff / continuity and more.

So to answer your question, it found it by asking on your network. It's not clear why you have 192.168.5.255 and 192.168.2.255 both as broadcast networks, but that's not necessarily wrong if you have your network set up like that.


Strange keyboard shortcuts and menu items

This kind of localization glitch can often be fixed by going to system preferences/language & text/language and using the Edit button to uncheck the box for the offending language and then restarting.

Reports of this issue are not uncommon in the Apple forums.


Dell Color Laser 1320c with Mac OS 10.15 Catalina: Filter failed

This fixes the "Filter failed" (German: "Filter fehlgeschlagen") error with Dell Color Laser 1320c printers under Mac OS 10.15 Catalina by leveraging the Fuji Xerox C525A printer driver which is similar to the native Dell driver.

Download the driver: http://onlinesupport.fujixerox.com/processDriverForm.do;jsessionid=EFF824E51694F73EAFA2D75F3E85546F.worker4?ctry_code=KR&lang_code=en&d_lang=en&corp_pid=DPC525A&rts=null&model=DocuPrint+C525A&type_id=2&oslist=Mac+OS+X+10.13&lang_list=en

Open the .dmg file, then open the .pkg file (via right click > open)

Finish the setup guide

Click on the Apple Menu in the upper left-hand corner of your screen and select System Preferences... click on Printers & Scanners.

Unlock the window using the lock icon in the lower left corner if necessary

Click on the + sign to add a printer

Connect your Dell via USB and turn it on

It should soon appear in the list. Select it.

Change the driver

Finish the setup. In order to be able to print using the paper try, please apply the following setting: "500 sheet feeder"

When you print something for the first time, you'll need to set the correct paper source. -Click the "Show Details" button on the print dialog screen. -In the "layout" pulldown select "Full Zerox Features" --Select "Paper source: Tray 1 (500 sheets)" :

After that, you can save the current settings as a reusable preset. (You might need to Google how to do that). :)


You can try :
diskutil zerodisk force diskX

Where diskX is to be replaced by the internal SSD indentifier.
But given the previous errors, I doubt the effectiveness.
The best solution is to remove this SSD by following this link: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Retina+Display+Mid+2015+SSD+Replacement/48251


How restore missing iMessage messages on iPhone?

There is no master message database at Apple. If it's been less than 30 days, and if Apple's servers think your iPhone hasn't received the messages in question yet, they may yet show up, but it's unlikely.

There's no way to force the issue because messages are only saved for up to 30 days or until delivered, whichever comes first. If their servers think the messages have been delivered, they're already gone.


Double-click bash file -> pwd outputs my home directory instead of the current directory

Scripts/commands are always run from your home directory (which may be inconvenient for scripts run both from Terminal and from Finder). To find the directory they are stored in you need to look at $0 (which contains the full path and name of the script):

#!/bin/bash
echo '$0:' $0
echo 'Script stored at:' ${0%/*}
cd "${0%/*}"
pwd


Make a "Loved" or favorite podcasts playlist?

For podcasts

For podcasts, this worked for me:

I noticed, you must add the podcast through the right-click menu also:


Here's an alternative which worked for me without using iTunes:

Get course URL, for example:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/this-text-doesnt-matter/id775395339

Use a feed extractor like feedflipper. This eventually gives you the raw xml file:

https://p1-u.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/LZStudent.woa/ra/feed/COFFWM26TD

The file is served as text/rss so may not display nicely in the browser.

Open with an RSS reader OR
Download as *.txt file, reopen in firefox and use DownThemAll or alternative OR
Copy the entire XML file and use a link scraper like the one built into JDownloader.


External hard drive disconnected during reformat: now will not format

You could try overwriting the partition table with zeros. To do so, enter sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/disk3 bs=1m count=1 in a Terminal window. This will overwrite the first megabyte of the drive with zeros, which will include (and thus erase) the partition table (or its remnants). Remove and re-insert the drive; if everything goes well it will tell you that the disk was not readable and it'll offer to initialise the disk. (I tried this with an old USB stick a minute ago and it worked fine.)


Unable to Turn off Battery Percentage Indicator

I'm guessing that if you're "several versions of phone and iOS beyond where" you were when you did this, then you are likely not jailbroken anymore? Because they introduced the percentage as an option and is configurable in
Settings >> General >> Usage >> Battery Percentage (last option for me).

If you're still jailbroken and you have this option off already, then I'm sorry, I can't help you there. Good luck


Can't unenroll from Apple Beta Program: All System Preferences popups freezes

It took multiple attempts to download the Catalina update. The last attempt gave an error, but somehow the install screen for Catalina showed up and I was able to perform the update. The issue with System Preferences seem to have been fixed.


App store thinks I have a bunch of apps installed after I reinstalled my mac

The App Store app only consults spotlight for your Mac to determine if an app is installed, so we can rule out any account problem (and you can sign out of the account from the store and reboot to confirm this on your system.)

So, since you have a few apps, you can focus on one app app and check spotlight to see if there are copies of it elsewhere than in /Applications.

Some helpful hints:

be sure to eject all disks except for the one drive you are booted from
consider rebuilding your spotlight index after checking for apps on other volumes by ejecting the volumes


If you mean directly, then no. It's primarily intended to use Exchange server to sync those.


Network Link Conditioner

You can create a custom profile for Network Link Conditioner, using the following settings:

It is a free download in Xcode (go to Xcode → Open Developer Tool → More Developer Tools… and download the Hardware IO Tools for Xcode).


Scanner not recognised on Epson Printer after El Capitan update

El Capitan has problems supporting scanners. After talking to Apple tecs, and Epson techs and getting the run around, my easy fix was to pay for and down load VueScan and my scanner works again.


Where and how are the extra columns available for list view in Finder defined?

Try renaming the folder to "Pictures" or moving it into a folder named "Pictures" -- that did the trick for me.


If you are logged in to the admin account Xcode should open up without issues.

The only reason I can think of for this error would be that the plugin affected was corrupted or failed to install correctly.

You sould remove all xcode files, redownload it and start fresh.


No, mdfind's -onlyin does not perform pathname expansion nor tilde expansion and only accepts explicit pathnames. You can have multiple -onlyin options.


iPod tells me to log in to iTunes account on a computer. What next?

You are doing everything right. Sometimes an error on the other end (apple's servers) can look like a local problem to iTunes. Most of the time, what you did would have fixed this.

Have you considered getting a hand from the billing / account people that work for Apple? Start with the Account & Billing section on the left...

Your computer needs the OK from Apple's on line servers to fix the errors. This is an account issue and you don't have to pay for this support (but may have to start by emailing apple if no one is free when you ask for help).

You could try authorizing your account on any iOS device or another computer to rule out problems with your online account as well.

If you get errors on your computer after you re-authorize, you might have to go through this article on iTunes repeatedly prompts to authorize computer to fix things. If the iPod is giving the error, be sure to restore the iPod (which will wipe everything that's not backed up) to get the new authorization to take on the iPod.


You can make a custom workflow to do this as a Finder (or even system wide) service using Automator.

Look for the Change Type of Images action under Photos and then you just need to decide on your workflow - whether you save this as a service that can be activated by the contextual menu or perhaps make it into a drop folder so you can automate the next step of the process as well.


Searching for contact numbers is possible through FaceTime. Type some digits of the that contact number into the address bar and Facetime will automatically search recent calls. You have to connect your iPhone to a Mac where your iCloud account should be logged in then FaceTime will automatically sync all your call history from your iPhone and then your are able to search a contact number through typing some digits in recent dial call's text field inside FaceTime.


How can I check via software if my iPhone is unlocked?

So in the end I had to do the SIM card dance.

In fact, it seems what the carrier does is mark your phone as allowed for unlock.

Then, the first time you put a SIM card from another carrier, you must connect to iTunes, which will then perform a series of annoyances and alerts and whatnot, and only then your device will be truly unlocked. You need an internet connection for this process.

I know this is a terrible answer to my own question.


Command + Option + W will close ALL Tabs on Finder


I found this via google Disable iWork registration nag screen.

defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.iWork09 RegistrationHasBeenSent true

I have no idea if this will work for you. I wanted to point this out in case you hadn't tried it.

This blog was the first result in google from searching for iwork disable reg. If it doesn't work, you might see if there are more results that might help or a slightly different search that might provide something meaningful. In any event, good luck. I hope it helps.


Icons remains the same after I have changed the default program for opening the file

You can try to rebuild LaunchServices database from Terminal:

  /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister
  -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

Path to lsregister on Mavericks is:

  /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister


How can I use a second computer to manage apps on my iPhone?

You are quite correct, you don't want to sync your iPhone to this new Mac. At the least, you'd lose any songs or movies you have loaded.

You can do what you want using the iPhone Configuration Utility (free at http://www.apple.com/support/iphone/enterprise/). Install, connect the iPhone, click on the iPhone's icon, and go to the Applications tab. It will let you install or uninstall individual apps.

Or connect your iPhone to WiFi (you could use Network Sharing from the new Mac, if no other WiFi is available) to download directly, after buying from either the iPhone or the Mac.


The problem was not STARTTLS, I was able to verify that the mail app supports STARTTLS. My problem is that the iOS 9 mail app does only support old and insecure SSL/TLS protocol versions. Usage of these versions (TLSv1.0, TLSv1.1, SSLv2 and SSLv3) is forbidden by my mail server for security reasons. Since the iOS 9 mail app only supports these insecure protocol versions no connection is possible.

See also 1 and 2.


When Terminal forks process, current app loses focus

In my case it was the Maven Failsafe Plugin that caused the annoying window focus stealing of ForkedBooter, and setting the JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS variable in .bashrc didn't help.

This fix applies to both Failsafe and Surefire (although in my case, Surefire wasn't stealing focus).

In your pom.xml, add a <argLine>-Djava.awt.headless=true</argLine> line inside the <configuration> for the failsafe (and/or) surefire plugin.

It will look like this:

<!-- this is inside your <project><build><plugins> block -->
<plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>${maven.surefire.plugin.version}</version>
    <configuration>
      <includes>
        <include>**/unit/**/*Test*.java</include>
      </includes>
      <!-- prevent the annoying ForkedBooter process from stealing window
        focus on Mac OS -->
      <argLine>-Djava.awt.headless=true</argLine>
    </configuration>
  </plugin>
  <plugin>
    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>maven-failsafe-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>${maven.failsafe.plugin.version}</version>
    <configuration>
      <!-- prevent the annoying ForkedBooter process from stealing window
        focus on Mac OS -->
      <argLine>-Djava.awt.headless=true</argLine>
      <includes>
        <include>**/integration/**/*Test*</include>
      </includes>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
      <execution>
        <goals>
          <goal>integration-test</goal>
          <goal>verify</goal>
        </goals>
      </execution>
    </executions>
  </plugin>


View a list of recent deleted items from Trash in macOS

This following solution will not help you retrieve the filenames which were already removed from the trash, before implementing my solution.  However you can use this solution to retrieve the filenames removed from the trash, in the future if you need to.

This AppleScript code works for me using the latest version of macOS Mojave.

You can attach a "Removing Items From" folder action to the /Users/YOUR SHORT NAME/.Trash folder that will write to file, the names of the files that were removed from the trash.

Create a new Script Editor document and insert this following AppleScript code.

on removing folder items from theFolder after losing removedItemNames
    writeToTheFile(removedItemNames)
end removing folder items from

on writeToTheFile(removedItemNames)
    set theFile to POSIX path of (((path to desktop as text) & "Removed From Trash.txt") as text)
    set text item delimiters to linefeed
    set theText to (removedItemNames as text)
    try
        set writeToFile to open for access theFile with write permission
        write theText & linefeed to writeToFile as text starting at eof
        close access theFile
    on error errMsg number errNum
        close access theFile
        set writeToFile to open for access theFile with write permission
        write theText & linefeed to writeToFile as text starting at eof
        close access theFile
    end try
end writeToTheFile

Next, save your new Script Editor document as "Removed From Trash Folder Action.scpt" to the folder...  "/Users/YOUR SHORT NAME/Library/Workflows/Applications/Folder Actions/".  Saving it to that location will add it to the list of scripts you can attach to folders in the Folder Actions Setup, which can be accessed when right clicking a folder in Finder, in the Services contextual menu.

Before you will be able to attach a folder action to the Trash folder, because the Trash folder is "hidden", you will first need to run this following AppleScript code to unhide all hidden files.

do shell script "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
killall Finder"

After all is said and done, if you want to re-hide all originally hidden files, just run this following AppleScript code to hide all hidden files.

do shell script "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE
killall Finder"

Here is a look at the Folder Action creating the text file with the names of removed files from the trash


Does an iPad last in a public exhibition?

Anecdotally, I attended the Detroit Auto Show this year.  Audi had cleverly embedded iPads into the information stands next to all their cars, running their own information app. The home button was covered by the stand, so the app couldn't be exited. It made for a very impressive display.

I was there during the final weekend of the (very high traffic) two-week show. All of the iPads were functioning marvelously, and the screens were all in very good shape. That said, there was no well to tell if any had needed to be replaced. Take it as you will.


How to see the full date on macOS Big Sur?

The option is there, Preferences -> Dock & Menu Bar -> Clock and select "Show Date".


Using data from https://logi.wiki/index.php/Apple_Hardware_Test_(AHT)_and_Apple_Diagnostics_(AD)_Codes & other similar resources, I can see that 4SNS is a sensor error, then VD0R V for voltage, D for direct current, but I don't know which component might be 0R.
I'd say you need a repair shop.
The answers to your other questions will depend on the results of that investigation. On a 10-year-old Macbook I'd be more inclined to think the battery was failing than the charger.


It is possible to delete individual messages also in the Messages app on macOS. I don't know if exporting is possible.

Open Messages on your Mac computer.
Open the conversation which includes the messages you wish to delete.
Find and click on the specific text bubble (message) that you wish to remove. Make sure you select the entire message bubble, not just the text within it. (Easier to do this by clicking somewhere close to the corners of the message bubble. Your selection grays out a bit once selected.)
Press Command+Click to add additional message selections.
Once completed selecting, Control-Click or Right-Click and select Delete from the drop-down menu. (If you don’t see the Delete option, you probably selected the text rather than the message bubble. Control-Click or Right-Click after selecting multiple messages is a bit tricky. You may use the Edit -> Delete menu from Messages' menu at the top instead in either case.)

These directions mostly come from this source. You can take a look at it if you like a bit more detail on selective deletion and directions for other Messages related actions on your Mac. The official help page for Messages on macOS is also here.


Is there a Terminal command that will force open the DVD tray?

First of all, try the "nice" way using the drive utility

drutil tray eject

If this doesn´t work (probably because the system can´t unmount the volume), the following command will forcefully unmount the Volume with name "untitled" (make sure you´re using the right mountpoint!!):

hdiutil detach -force /Volumes/untitled


That message suggests that you don't have the correct privileges to run atq. Try running it with sudo from the command line to see if that helps i.e.:

> atq
atq: cannot regain privs: Operation not permitted
> sudo atq
Password:
>


OS X (Yosemite) offline password manager

I am also a web developer and couldn't recommend 1Password more highly: https://agilebits.com/onepassword/mac

Honestly, the price has by and far been worth it for me. I believe I have ~300 login items in there and nearly all of them have different, very secure passwords. You can store nearly any data in the there and it is extremely flexible. The keyboard shortcut Command + \ automatically fills out logins and makes that part extremely easy (as long as there is a URL with that). Note that as of 1Password 5.0 it does not support auto-filling HTTP Basic Authentication. You can still copy/paste those credentials, though.

It is also possible to tag and organize items. There are many types of items including logins, servers, credit cards, identities (for filling out your name/address/email/etc.) and notes which also create a natural organization.

Edit: I also like the fact that since the URL can be (and is) saved in 1Password for the login it will not automatically fill in a form that is not the correct URL. For example if a scammer sends you an phishing email with a link to login to your bank, 1Password won't recognize the site and hence will not automatically fill the form when you hit the keyboard shortcut.

I will also note that 1Password offers excellent multi-device syncing.

I have tried SplashID and my brother (who also does web development) has tried LastPass, I believe, several years ago but we both are on 1Password and love it.

I am not affiliated with 1Password.


Default folder icons missing after user account rename

I had never modified account info correctly. It still indicated the lower case directory as home dir - and that worked since the file system is not case sensitive. No more help needed.


You could try connecting it to a PC or Mac and use iTunes to restore the device. It's not likely software is causing this, but you will know if the rest of the phone works and possibly fix it without needing to take it in for hardware service if the display function is broken.

You won't be able to tell if it's the screen or the cable or the video subsystem without replacing parts or getting into the hardware to at least reseat the cables but this is most likely a hardware failure.


OneNote seems stuck with keychain. Can't log in

I like to do a quick test by making a new user account on the Mac and log out of the user account with the problem, in to the new account and try launching and re-licensing the apps.

Outlook seems to pull the most reliable licenses, followed by Word / Excel / PowerPoint, but I don’t know you can’t start with OneNote - just that I typically use another app.

That being said - here is one official KB on fixing keychain permissions and three super helpful / open-source scripts to help with removing licensing entries so you can get a fresh launch. FWIW - reinstalling almost never fixes a license or keychain issue, but it does solve other issues from time to time, so good you ruled that out already.

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/office-for-mac-repeatedly-requesting-keychain-access-ced5a09c-3099-47cb-9190-e961bf63e240
https://github.com/pbowden-msft/NukeOffKeychain
https://github.com/pbowden-msft/Unlicense
https://github.com/pbowden-msft/FlightReset

I like to start with nuking the keychain first, then proper clean unlicensing and if all else fails, resetting the flight (Insider slow / fast / etc...). You might check what license you have before starting - it would be good to be clear if your’re a serialized volume license, O365 or other licensing scheme.


What causes a Macbook Air (mid-2011) crazy CPU cooling since upgrading to Mountain Lion?

I had similar on my late 2008 MBP 15" after upgrading to Mountain Lion.

I found a post about resetting the SMC controller (system management controller) to solve this and it worked a treat for me. I have a removable battery on my MBP so the process was a little different to unibody mbp's where you can't easily get at the battery. It was basically:

remove power cable and battery,
hold the power button for 5 seconds.
Power up normally and see if it worked.

For portables without a user-serviceable battery (like your Macbook Air):

plug in the power cable to mac and a power source,
press the (left side) ⇧ ⌃ ⌥ keys and the power button at the same time,
release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
Power up normally.

Give it a try - there are plenty of posts on the web on how to reset it. Mine is quiet as a mouse now


VirtualBox doesn't start on MacOS High Sierra

These two commands solved my problem:

sudo chown root:admin /Applications
sudo chmod o-w /Applications

I didn't have the right permissions.


Clock app alarms are stopping recordings

Only if you set it up to do so.

The TIMER (not the Alarms) in the built-in Clock app on your iPhone and has a feature called Stop Playing, which will automatically turn off any music, movie, TV show, or video clip that is currently playing. It's perfect for setting your entertainment to turn off at a specific time.

Launch the Clock app on your iPhone. You can also access it from Control Center.

  Tap Timer in the bottom right corner of the screen.

  Select a length of time.

  Tap When Timer Ends.

  Scroll to the bottom and tap Stop Playing.

  Tap Set in the upper right corner of the screen.

You can set it back to "normal" not intrusive just a beep sound.

Or you can go completely silent with this app

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/silent-alarm-free/id541446930?mt=8
OR you can se it to Vibrate only

https://www.live2tech.com/set-iphone-alarm-vibrate/

The choice is yours, but do not confuse the Alarms with Timer.


Finder and Spotlight not returning the expected results when searching

Fixed!.  I just rebuilt the spotlight index like this:
System preferences > Spotlight > Privacy, add and then remove the folder that wasn't returning the expected results (I did it with the home folder just to make sure all is indexed), after you quit System preferences the index will rebuild for that folder.  I guess you need to wait a bit for macOS to rebuild (5 minutes, 1 hour or more? I don't know, it surely depends on the size of the folder).


How can I open a new customized (color, font, etc.) Terminal window from the command line?

CMD+n opens a new terminal window.
CMD+t opens a new terminal tab.
If you want to open something other than the default Terminal, use the techniques here to open a pre-defined Terminal setup. You can also do CMD+n,i,Tab to bring up the Inspector, then use up/down arrows, or type the names, which lets you choose a pre-defined Terminal.
If you want a setup hard-coded and not yet known to Terminal.app, follow these instructions.


Although it was not exactly the same symptoms, I had many connection problems with my iPhone 5S at some point. I could use only some cables, and only in some positions. It turned out that the connector had gathered a large amount of dust (likely gathered in my pocket) that was "compressed" down the socket by plugging the cable. At some point, the thickness of this dust made it impossible to have a proper connection. This is hardly visible with the naked eye, but I eventually discovered it by looking at the connector with a light and a loupe. I then took away the dust using a sharp pin and the iPhone worked again perfectly.


What should you do if your OS X system fails to boot, being stuck at gray screen with the moving wheel?

The OS X boot process is chock full of little tasks in parallel and sequence, but it boils down to three major parts:

Gray Screen - Hardware governed / POST / EFI / locating a boot image.
Apple Logo on Gray Screen - System level OS X processes start.
Blue Screen - User level processes starting.

Since you haven't gotten to the blue screen - it's not anything in your user account as the system itself hasn't booted. Rather than guess what exactly has caused it, I'll link to the two articles that Apple has on getting to the nub of startup issues.

If you see a gray screen at startup
If you see a blue screen at startup

I am including both since you may have to solve user issues if the cause of your boot is hard drive corruption or major hardware issues. Hopefully it's just one thing in the system startup.

If you don't have time - start with a Safe Boot (hold shift key down) to see if you need to get your recovery disk or another bootable system. If you have a backup - you can jump to re-installing the system since that should re-write everything needed to get to a blue screen. Do run a safe boot before or after to rule out incompatible non-essential system level startup tasks - it could be as simple as one launchd problem during the system start process. The system logs will likely point you to what is going on when it pauses.

Good Luck and let us know what you find out!


Short answer is no...    the GSM phones cannot work on the CDMA networks, even when changing SIM cards.   The hardware is actually slightly different.

If you have a GSM iPhone, you'll only be able to unlock it and move it between cell companies using GSM.

This article gives some additional info on the topic...


Administrator of this Mac Disabled Your User Account from Accessing USB Network Gate

Assuming that you are an admin on this Mac it may be that your app security settings need to be either relaxed or for you to give that app permission to install.

Go to System Preferences > Security > General and click on the lock icon and authenticate. That app might be listed for you to explicitly give it permission to run. If not make sure that "Allow Apps downloaded from: app store and identified developers" is selected.

You might also want to ask the developer if they have seen this behavior and what their specific solution is.


Email is not an Apple ID or email is being used as an Apple ID?

Sounds like you are trying to create an apple id. The email you are trying to use already exist as an apple id so you need to create a new apple id (using a different email address) or try to login with that one. If you can't recall the password click on "forgot password?"


One way to cut formula and paste in new location with references 'in tact and relative' is following:

navigate to desired cell containing formula
⌥ + ⏎ ('enter cell edit mode', same as F2 in Windows Excel)
⌘ + A ('select all')
⌘ + X ('cut')
⏎ ('exit cell')
navigate to destination cell
= (opens popup window for entering formula)
⌘ + V ('paste')

Alternatively one can make references in formula absolute with ⌘ + K and then cut-paste whole cell.


You can delete emails and bypass the trash using

⌥ Option + ⌫ Backspace

(Successfully tested with OS X 10.9 (Mavericks). Could work with older versions, too.)

If you want to delete emails that are already in trash it is enough to hit ⌫ Backspace to delete them permanently. If you are accustomed to also press the ⌘ Command, like deleting a file in Finder, you can do so. But basically, backspace is enough.


A file exists in guest Windows XP (under Fusion), can I open the file in an OSX program?

If you keep your files in the OS-X file system and share those folders with your guest - as in your Z: drive example - you can access them from either OS (or both, if you're careful), plus however you backup OS-X will also back up your changed XP files without its having to backup your entire guest VDD for a (e.g.) one-line edit.

The save would not go to your guest file system though, so if that's a hard requirement, this suggestion won't help.  If you just need the guest to have access to it, this would be the way to go.


How do I refresh / check new mail in Mail?

Apple Mail's check for mail icon looks like a new mail message icon, and can be found here:

If it can't be found you can add by right-clicking on the toolbar and choosing customize:

You can then select the icon from the list and drag it to the toolbar at the top:

You can also use "Mailbox" -> "Get All New Mail" which has a shortcut ⌘ + ⇧ + N.

You don't need to synchronize. Synchronize does more than a new mail check (see this answer)


Can the App Store be installed on Xcode's iOS Simulator on the new ARM/M1 powered Macs?

No.  The iOS Simulator does not have an App Store.
There are many iOS Apps available in the macOS App Store on Apple Silicon Macs.


Decrypt Keychain with Password outside of Keychain-App

I use the following script to extract a password from the Keyring:

$ cat get_password_from_keyring
#!/bin/bash
security find-generic-password -a $1 -g 2>&1 | grep password | cut -d \" -f 2


df -h yielding what looks like a strange output: /home, /dev, and /net have 0% free space

You could have a virus or not, but the df listing is 100% legitimate and normal.


Fan Control in Windows on a Retina Macbook Pro (Boot Camp)

I wonder why noone mentioned wonderful and free Macs Fan Control app that works flawlessly on Windows. All mac hardware support is declared, OS X version is also available.


Can I download newsstand in-app purchases via my computer?

I don't think that it is possible to download the magazine onto your computer. I have little experience with newsstand.

However, it may be possible to take your (presumably ethernet) internet connection, and share it to a wifi card in a mac (if you or someone else you know who will let you tweak setting on their computer have one)

On a mac, go to system preferences, and click on the sharing pane.
Click on the internet sharing option in the sidebar. From the drop down menu, select share connection from ethernet, then check the checkbox for wifi.

This should theoretically enable you to download the magazine directly to your iPad, via the computers wifi.


How to search for evidence of Camfecting (webcam hacking) on MB?

Objective See has an application that continuously monitors webcam and microphone activity called OverSight. It throws up a notification if either become active and has worked well for me.

Note: the developers rightly warn that this software may not catch all malicious use of the webcam or microphone.

https://objective-see.com/products/oversight.html


What happens after OS X Internet Recovery without erasing disk

Almost nothing is actually removed. What happens is the installer downloads a fresh and complete set of system files - basically the things that came with the Mac out of the factory minus some iLife apps like Garageband for instance.

The installer doesn't delete any user settings, user files and doesn't even delete apps you installed.

The process is designed to make the system work whether or not you have large or small changes to the system.


OS X 10.11 unable to press "allow" on Keychain Access dialogs

I encountered this same issue today. I could not "Allow" or "Always Allow" any programs, nor could I confirm my password in any dialogues. The interface wouldn't shake, even if I had entered the incorrect password.

I use Synergy to facilitate programming over several different computers. My mouse and keyboard do not belong to the Mac OSX device. I was able to hit the "Allow" button once I used a mouse actually hooked up the Mac OSX device.

In general, try turning off any virtual or physical KVM services and use the Mac mouse/keyboard directly.

Hopefully this can help you or someone else who comes here looking for help.


How do I use the Logitech Webcam 9000 on my Macbook Pro?

I use the Logitech Pro 9000 webcam (which shows up as a Miscellaneous Device in System Profiler, see below) under Mac OS X 10.8.2.

No drivers are required. Simply plug the camera in, then launch a video-enabled application (such as Skype.) You should be able to select the camera as a video device within the app without further ado:


How to enable/disable OS X beta participation from Terminal?

As mentioned by SeanCLT, you/your system needs to be enrolled in one of the programs and you need to have the right utilities installed The statement about the utilities is an assumption, I have not tried it without. After that you can use the softwareupdate command to enable and disable the beta/pre-release source.

You can disable it via:

  softwareupdate --clear-catalog

Enabling is a bit more tricky, because you need to choose your channel/source. The options are:

OS X Public Beta

  sudo softwareupdate --set-catalog
  https://swscan.apple.com/content/catalogs/others/index-10.12beta-10.12-10.11-10.10-10.9-mountainlion-lion-snowleopard-leopard.merged-1.sucatalog.gz

OS X Developer Beta catalog

  sudo softwareupdate --set-catalog
  https://swscan.apple.com/content/catalogs/others/index-10.12seed-10.12-10.11-10.10-10.9-mountainlion-lion-snowleopard-leopard.merged-1.sucatalog.gz

OS X Gold Master catalog

  sudo softwareupdate --set-catalog
  https://swscan.apple.com/content/catalogs/others/index-10.12-10.11-10.10-10.9-mountainlion-lion-snowleopard-leopard.merged-1.sucatalog.gz


If you just can't wait for it to finish (I would just ignore and wait), you could disconnect from the network and then restart.

The iCloud sync respects the local filesystem, so any change there should be immediate once the network / restart changes.

You can log into iCloud.com as well once you clean things up / re-enable the network and give iCloud upload process a few tens of minutes to react and clean up.

I've had 10 GB go up one day, so as long as you aren't paying for the bandwidth and are close to an Apple data center (same half of a continent), 4 GB shouldn't take that long either to get uploaded and then delete.


Display turns black after a few seconds at the login screen before logging in

Even though upgrading from El Capitan to Sierra didn't fix my problem, I reinstalled Sierra and now it works. I booted in recovery mode and reinstalled without an external monitor hooked up, if that matters.


Archive Button in Outlook for Mac Not Showing on Ribbon

As it turns out, the Archive button showed up when I added a Google account to Outlook for Mac. It did not show for the existing Exchange account. Guess the archive feature doesn't work with Exchange.


Trouble repairing a corrupt Time Machine sparsebundle on Synology NAS

I got this error message when I tried to restore from my Synology. But I found this

http://thefunkstop.com/fix-corrupted-time-machine-backups/

Turns out that that the "Time Machine user" was never disconnected when my last backup was interrupted. I had to manually disconnect the user and then everything worked when I tried again. But I think it should work by restarting the NAS as well.
I hope this can help...


No.

Thunderbolt is a protocol for combining PCI express data with DisplayPort video protocols. (i.e. super high speed - low latency protocol for display, networking, data and power transfer)

USB is a serial protocol for increased speeds and backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 and 1.1 It doesn't include PCI express or DisplayPort but does have data and power transfer capabilities.

DisplayPort can carry HDMI signals since it is basically a more capable / flexible standard. HDMI cannot accommodate DisplayPort though. Think of a pickup truck and a motorcycle. You can put some motorcycles in some trucks, but generally never the reverse.

USB Type-C is a physical connector that can be used for USB as well as Thunderbolt 3 protocols which is confusing to say the least to many. The DisplayPort embedded over USB 3.1/Type-C is something that's ready today and makes it less necessary to have thunderbolt for many video applications today on the newest hardware.


Can't install myEclipse on MacBook Pro with Yosemite

Download the installer again. MyElcipse 2015 CI 6 has been rebuilt to solve this problem.


Using Server 5.0.15 to share internet WITHOUT internet sharing

The newest OS X Server versions don't provide any tools to enable NAT/Routing in OS X.

To get NAT working without using Internet Sharing you have to use a pf rule and create a plist to enable forwarding and load the pf rule:

Below I assume en0: the interface connected to the cable modem and en1: the interface connected to the LAN. DHCP and DNS are set up properly in the internal LAN.

Create a pf NAT rule:

Create a file named nat-rules in /private/etc/ with the following content

nat on en0 from en1 to any -> (en0)

Create a shell script named nat-pf.sh enabling forwarding and loading the pf rule. I saved it in /usr/local/:

#!/bin/sh

sysctl -w net.inet.ip.forwarding=1
sysctl -w net.inet.ip.fw.enable=1

#disables pfctl
pfctl -d

sleep 1

#flushes all pfctl rules
pfctl -F all

sleep 1

#starts pfctl and loads the rules from the nat-rules file
pfctl -f /private/etc/nat-rules -e

Create a plist named org.user.natpf.plist with the following content and save it in /Library/LaunchDaemons/ to execute the above shell script at start-up:

<?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>Disabled</key>
    <false/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>
    <dict>
        <key>SuccessfulExit</key>
        <false/>
    </dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>org.user.natpf</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/usr/local/nat-pf.sh</string>
    </array>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
    <string>/tmp/org.user.natpf.stderr</string>
    <key>StandardOutPath</key>
    <string>/tmp/org.user.natpf.stdout</string>
</dict>
</plist>

All three files need a trailing empty line so don't simply copy the above code/lines.
Modify ownership and file modes:

sudo chown root:wheel /private/etc/nat-rules
sudo chown root:wheel /usr/local/nat-pf.sh
sudo chmod 755 /usr/local/nat-pf.sh
sudo chown root:wheel /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.user.natpf.plist

Load the launch daemon:

sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.user.natpf.plist

After testing everything you can delete the following part in the plist:

    <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
    <string>/tmp/org.user.natpf.stderr</string>
    <key>StandardOutPath</key>
    <string>/tmp/org.user.natpf.stdout</string>

org.user.natpf.stderr provides error messages to debug your plist.
On my local router I had to add a static route:

192.168.3.0/24 (the internal network) -> 192.168.0.2 (Mac mini IP-address of the external interface connected to the router)

This last step may not apply to your network environment!


Keyboard freezes after pressing caps lock

For me resetting the NVRAM fixed it:

Shut down your Mac and start it again.
Hold Option, Command, P, and R keys.
Keep the keys pressed until:

You hear the startup sound playing for a second time – on non-T2 models
You see the Apple logo appear and disappear for the second time – on T2 models

From: https://windowsreport.com/mac/macbook-stuck-caps-lock/


If i run terminal on rossetta2 then will all the processes run on rossetta 2 itself?

No, code execution doesn’t work that way on macOS Big Sur.
Rosetta2 automatically translates the app when you install it from an Apple install package or translates on the fly if you otherwise side-load the executable and library code.
It doesn’t virtualize a system - it translates code.
Things like kernel extensions or scripts can not be translated and will fail outright. App developers must make new versions of those extensions and scripts in that case.
The only thing running terminal in Rosetta2 will accomplish is you use the translated M1 instructions and not the optimized ones for the terminal app itself. The shell and things running inside terminal run the same either way.


How can I mirror my OS X screen and functionality to an Android tablet?

OS X has a built in VNC-compatible server (This is for 10.9, older versions have it but I'm not sure if some earlier ones have the controls somewhere else):

Check System Preferences > Sharing > Screen Sharing
Click Computer settings… > VNC viewers may control screen with password: (set a password)
Setup an ad-hoc WiFi connection between the tablet and the laptop: Click Create Network… from the Airport menu and connect to it from the tablet.
Using a VNC client on the tablet, such as: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=android.androidVNC&hl=en, connect to the laptop using the Bonjour address and the password you set above—Back on the Screen Sharing page, it will say something like Other users can access your computer's screen at vnc://mdryden-mbp.local.

With any luck, the laptop's screen should appear on the tablet and you'll be able to control it. I haven't tried the app above, but many tablet VNC clients can be configured to both move the cursor and click upon tapping, or else have a virtual trackpad on screen.


Purge command - Unable to purge disk buffers, error #-2?

Privilege needed

On Mountain Lion purge can be run from a normal user account.

On Mavericks purge can only be run from root account (through sudo).
If you attempt to run it with a normal user account, you will get an error message:

Unable to purge disk buffers: Operation not permitted

Real function

purge doesn't act directly on main memory.
Its core function is to terminate all the IO pending which are using disk cache and then to
free all the occupied disk cache.

purge should free disk space to ease paging out and swapping out of main memory. Hence many people get convinced that purge was freeing main memory. This is an urban legend.

Real fault

This problem is clearly coming directly from the MacOS X kernel.
It might be caused by programs doing a lot of I/O on a system where the virtual memory is already heavily used. But these programs are false culprits.

You may find such a false culprit exhibited here: Mountain Lion Panic - decode

A kernel panic is a kernel fault. The type of error message is a kernel error message. It is a kernel fault.

From your actual context, I advise you to run sysdiagnose and open a bug case at Apple with the result. This tool will run for you all the relevant tools to analyze any misbehaviour of your system or anny application running on it.

Please read this professionnal answer: Apple sysdiagnose


I fixed it by restarting the computer. Annoying bug.


Delete the song, Restart iTunes, go into the iTunes Store and on the Mainpage under Quicklinks "Purchased". Try to download the song again.


Reformat Time Machine backup drive back to an ordinary external hard drive

This process involves a few steps within the built-in Disk Utility program, particularly when your partition is encrypted.

Before we begin, note that you should see hierarchy of disks/volumes in Disk Utility. At the highest level, you should see a logical volume group representing your external drive, with at least one Time Machine partition nested underneath it. These two items could both have identical names, e.g., "Time Machine," but they represent different things.

Also, beware that following these steps will delete everything on your external drive.

In Disk Utility, "unmount" (don't "eject") the Time Machine partition.

Erase the Time Machine partition.

Erase the logical volume group, i.e., the higher-level item that contains the partition.


Can I automatically launch an app at a specific time on Mavericks?

The great thing about a specific question is that it can be given a specific answer.

For example, the OP said: "There's an excellent Flickr app called SuprSetr which I'd like to automatically launch each morning at 3:55 am. How?"

Answer: Save the following as com.tjluoma.SuprSetr.plist (or whatever name you prefer, but it should end with .plist) and put it into the folder ~/Library/LaunchAgents (where ~ is your Home Directory):

<?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>AbandonProcessGroup</key>
    <true/>
    <key>Disabled</key>
    <false/>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.tjluoma.SuprSetr</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/usr/bin/open</string>
        <string>-a</string>
        <string>SuprSetr</string>
    </array>
    <key>StartCalendarInterval</key>
    <array>
        <dict>
            <key>Hour</key>
            <integer>3</integer>
            <key>Minute</key>
            <integer>55</integer>
        </dict>
    </array>
</dict>
</plist>

And then, once the file is in place, you should enter this command in Terminal:

launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.tjluoma.SuprSetr.plist

Then it will be ready to launch the app SuprSetr at 3:55 a.m. every day. (Note: if the computer is asleep at 3:55 a.m., it will run when the computer wakes up.)

From that specific example, once you understand that what this plist file does does is tell launchd to run the Terminal command:

/usr/bin/open -a SuprSetr

at the hour '3' and the minute '55', then it should be easy to extrapolate from that to other apps that you want to run at other times.

Now, if you want to write these all by hand, you can do that for free, but an app like Lingon is a good choice (I'd recommend not buying the Mac App Store version, as the app seems to me like something that Apple is not going to like in the world of sandboxing, and you'd get a more feature-rich app from the developer.

My personal preference is for an app called LaunchControl which is free to try, and then the developer asks for something reasonable like US$10, but there is no DRM, no license codes, but instead relies on the good ol' honor system. (It’s my hope that people who use it will live up to the developer's faith in that system.)


Is it possible to initiate "delete from iCloud" from iPhone?

No, the song can only be deleted from iTunes on Mac or Windows.


I have experienced inconsistencies at times in the language used in communication received from Apple. I am not sure there is a clear answer. While a single Apple Id may be used to authenticate separate systems (e.g. Developer, iTunes, MobileMe) may handle languages differently.

From my experience, the following appear to affect the language used in communication from Apple.

The language of the device that
initiated an interaction using an
Apple Id
The language of the
country for which you are registered
The language in the preferred
language setting

For example, when purchasing from iTunes on my iPhone (Spanish), I received a receipt in Spanish. But when ordering from my Mac (English) I received a receipt in English.

To isolate the problem it may be worth reviewing which systems you use with Apple and in which languages to see what may be causing the change. If you are near an Apple Store, with this information, they may be able to help you sort our what is causing the change. Or perhaps report it as a bug in there system.


Checking for existence of hidden files in AppleScript

Replace Finder with System Events:

set home_path to (path to home folder as text)
set hiddenFile to home_path & ".test"

tell application "System Events"
    if exists file hiddenFile then
        display dialog ".test does exist."
    else
        display dialog ".test does not exist."
    end if
end tell

and it works.


If possible, try deleting an app or two (optimally, one with some data stored on the iPhone) and see if this changes. If it goes up, this could be a "known" bug, in which case the only solution I'm aware of is, sadly, the nuclear option....  wipe the iPhone from Settings, and restore from backup (make sure to backup first!).


Will I automatically get lifetime FREE updates if I buy an iPhone app?

Not entirely. The App Store doesn't allow for paid upgrades of the same application, say v1.0 to v1.1. But there is little to stop a developer from releasing the next version of an app as a separate purchase, v1.1 to v2.0.


Whenever I want to type "A, the text is converted to Ä

I had "US International" keyboard selected. After replacing it with "US", the problem disappeared.


I'm assuming you're talking about the Language & Text > Use symbol and text substitution option found in the System Preferences.

Per comment on Tuaw: Set up Mountain Lion's text expansion options

  It does work - at least in most native applications - but you need to turn it on in each application.  Per Apple Support: Turn on text substitution features in an applications. Control-click and choose Substitutions > Show Substitutions. (In some applications, you can also choose Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions.) In the Substitutions window, select the text substitution features you want to turn on.


App Store on iOS keeps asking for another user's iTunes credentials

When an iPhone is restored from a backup, it gets as much data as is can locally. Any app data is stored in the backup, but the apps themselves either have to be synced from a local iTunes (preferred) or downloaded.
When an iPhone is synched with iTunes, by default all apps on the iPhone are copied to the iTunes library, assuming iTunes is registered with the same Apple ID as they were purchased with. I think.
iOS app files are registered with a specific Apple ID, and without this same authentication, there's no (easy, non-jailbreak) way to use the app with another Apple ID.

So, when you restored your friend's iPhone with your computer, rather than download all of the apps from the iTunes servers, it copied as many as it could from your computer. These apps are linked to your Apple ID, so in order for your friend to use them her iPhone would need to be registered with your Apple ID.

The solution: Your friend can back up her iPhone to iCloud or another computer (make sure, if so, that the offending apps are deleted from the iTunes library after synching) and restore it again. This will definitely keep her data from the other apps, and probably from yours as well. Alternatively, she can delete all of yours and re-download them from the App Store, which will definitely lose the data.


Tried increasing the DPI setting?

  The mouse's DPI setting is adjustable through the home-plate-shaped button behind the scroll wheel.

Source