In some flavors of Unix, you feel as if you've been cast into an alternate universe when you open a terminal window and work on the command line. But with OS X and its Darwin core, there's often an elegant integration between the two. In this how-to I'll show you how to launch an OS X app from the command line with the open command.
[Note: A little bit of prior UNIX experience will be helpful here.]
First off, I will admit this technique is fairly geeky. In my [Mac] OS X career, I've only used this trick a handful of times. However, it's so darn cool and charming that one just aches to use it at any opportunity.
Actually, upon reflection, there are some useful scenarios for this technique.
Type chmod 755 foldername, and then press Return. This changes the permissions of the folder to rwxr-xr-x. When it comes to using the ls and chmod commands, practice makes perfect. Try modifying the permissions on a couple of sample files. If you need more help, use the man command to display the manual pages for these commands (e.g., man ls). So, if you are also facing the same problem on your Mac when running software or games on your Mac, then read on this post to know how to fix the “Application Can’t Be Opened on Mac” problem. As you know, MacOS platform is a closed system, so it’s quite selective for games and apps.
The Man Page
The terminal app is in the Utilities folder—which is found the Applications folder. Launch it now. The BSD UNIX command we'll be using is open. Below is the manual page ('man' for short), shown by typing:
I've printed most of the man page for the open command here for your perusal, but I'm not going to explore every argument. And feel free to jump right to the examples below to whet your appetite.
For this limited how-to, one interesting way to use the open command in this context is to use the [-a] option. Some other useful variations and arguments are in the examples below.
Typical Examples
Here are some short and sweet examples of the open command with the -a, -e, and -t arguments. They're easy to try. [If you don't have BBEdit installed, use any other favorite a text editor in /Applications.]
Open Doors
These are just a few of the cool things you can do on the command line with the open command. To keep things simple, I haven't delved into creating a search path or other Unix tricks like aliases. All that's been left for you to explore on your own.
I think this is one of the neatest tricks in OS X.
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Launch button via Shutterstock.
Welcome back to Coding Corner! Today, we're going to go over some great interface and user tweaks you can execute to customize your Mac. These tricks are often simple and can help you spruce up your Mac far beyond what the System Preferences window allows.
So, without further ado, 15 great tricks you can execute in Terminal.
Tweak the Finder
Want to see hidden files, or copy Quick Look text? There are quite a few 'defaults' commands that let you alter how the Finder looks or acts.
1. Show hidden files and folders
Want to see all the hidden files and folders OS X has to offer — or you simply can't find a file you hid? Just use this command in Terminal:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool TRUE killall Finder
To re-hide all your files, just change the
TRUE to FALSE .
2. View any file's contents
If you've had a file get corrupted or you suspect there's something hidden inside its package, you can force Terminal to open it. Just use the following command:
cat ~/enter/file/path
Fair warning: If you try to open a photo or pretty much any non-text document, you'll likely just see text gibberish.
3. Copy the contents of a folder from one place to another
Sure, you can Option-drag any file to a new location to make a copy of it, but if you want to simplify the process and automatically copy the entire contents of one folder to another, check out this simple Terminal trick.
ditto -V ~/original/folder/ ~/new/folder/
4. Download files outside of your browser
Have the URL to a file but don't want to use Safari, Firefox, or Chrome to download it? You can go through Terminal with the following commands:
cd ~/Downloads/ curl -O http://www.thefilename.com/thefile/url.mp3
The first command moves your current Terminal location to your Downloads folder; the second downloads it from the web to that folder.
Modifying screenshots
Want to change how your screenshots look? Here are some commands to help you do just that.
5. Change your screenshot's file format
This Terminal command lets you change the file format of your screenshots. By default, they're saved as PNGs, but you can also save them as PDFs, JPGs, and more.
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
6. Disable drop shadows on a screenshot
Here's another good one if you tend to take a lot of screenshots: This command will disable drop-shadow on your screenshots, only displaying the window you've snapped.
$ defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool TRUE killall SystemUIServer
7. Create a new default name scheme for screenshots
Don't like the phrase Apple uses to save your screenshots? Traditionally, it's 'Screen Shot - [date] - [time]', but you can change 'Screen Shot' to any word you please.
defaults write com.apple.screencapture name 'New Screen Shot Name' killall SystemUIServer`
Get bored of your new name scheme? Go back to the default by typing as follows:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture name ' killall SystemUIServer
8. Change the location of your screenshots
Your screenshots, by default, save to the Desktop. But if you'd prefer they save elsewhere, it's an easy Terminal trick to make it so.
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/your/location/here killall SystemUIServer
You can also drag the folder of your choice on top of the Terminal window after typing 'location' if you don't want to manually type out the file path.
System changes
If you're looking for broader OS X-level changes, these commands might help you get started.
9. Create a custom login message
Whether you want to troll your friends or add useful 'in case of loss' contact information, you can add a personalized message to your login screen with this Terminal command.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow LoginwindowText 'In case of loss, call 555-555-5555.'
10. How long has my Mac been running?
Is your Mac acting sluggishly? It might be in need of a good restart. You can check to see just how long your Mac's been active by checking its uptime with this Terminal command:
uptime
11. Keep your Mac awakeTerminal Command To Chmod An App On Mac Computer
If you need to prevent your Mac from going to sleep — say, you're running an extensive task, or recording your screen — there's an all-too-amusing command for that:
caffeinate
Mac Terminal Command Help
Once you enter this command, your Mac's digital eyes will be pried open and prevented from going to sleep until you end it by pressing Control-C.
If you don't want to rely on being the one to end your poor Mac's suffering, you can also create a set a number of seconds before your Mac sleeps:
caffeinate -u -t 5400
The above command will keep your Mac awake for an hour and a half.
12. Make your Mac automatically restart after a crash
We've all had our Mac freeze up or crash at least once in its lifetime. If you want to skip the crying and the yelling at the screen and get back to work, you can enter this Terminal command, which will make OS X reboot as soon as it senses a full system freeze.
Software has been designed and created to make life easier. Mind mapping mac.
sudo systemsetup -setrestartfreeze on
Modify your Dock
Want to make your Dock look different? Check out these Terminal tweaks.
13. Add spacers to your Dock
You can organize your Dock's many icons by adding in blank spaces with this handy terminal command:
defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{'tile-type'='spacer-tile';}' killall Dock
Repeat this command for each spacer you'd like for your Dock. To remove a spacer, you can drag it out to the right until you see the poof icon.
14. Dull hidden apps in the Dock
Not sure which apps are visible on your screen? You can make this information extra pertinent by using this Terminal command, which lowers the opacity on icons for hidden apps in the Dock. It's a great way to see what you haven't used lately, as well as what's cluttering up your screen.
defaults write com.apple.Dock showhidden -bool TRUE killall Dock
15. Hide non-active apps in your Dock
If lowering the opacity of hidden apps appeals to you, you might like this Terminal command even better: It hides any closed app from your Dock at all times.
defaults write com.apple.dock static-only -bool TRUE killall Dock
![]() Your favorites?
Have a Terminal command you love that we didn't mention? Drop it below in the comments.
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Lawsuit time
Google faces privacy lawsuit over tracking users in apps without consent
Law firm Boies Schiller Flexner has filed another lawsuit against Google. This time, the law firm has accused Google of tracking users in apps even after opting out.
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