TransparentDock 2.0 for Mac OS X 10.2

TransparentDock is an application that allows customization of the Mac OS X dock. The transparency level of the dock is fully adjustable, from fully transparent to fully opaque, or something in between. An assortment of features can be applied to the current dock, or used in conjunction with the selected transparency or opacity settings. A fully customizeable palette allows saving & switching between an unlimited number of custom dock themes. A built-in reset option allows returning the dock to its original state.

Please note:

This application will only make changes to the dock under Mac OS X 10.2 or later. If run in earlier versions of Mac OS X, the TransparentDock application will not make the dock transparent.

New in Version 2.0:

- Completely rewritten in AppleScript Studio... the application will only run under Mac OS X 10.1.2 (with AppleScript 1.8) or later.

- AppleScript scripting additions are no longer required for any features.

- A few new options were added, including:

- Fully adjustable transparency with 7 transparency levels

- Set the color & transparency of the dock background & borders

- TD Themes palette allows saving & switching among custom dock themes

- Customize the dock poof effect

- Control the icon name font size

- Control the floating state of the dock

- Lock icons in dock (disables icon dragging)

- Allow Finder icon dragging

- Enable single application mode when switching applications from the dock

- Show or hide background-only applications

- Place Hide & Hide Others commands in the docked application popup menus

- Show or hide package contents in the docked directory popup menus

- Show or hide invisible & system files in the docked directory popup menus

- Control the depth of hierarchical menus from the docked directory popup menus

Installation: Just drag the folder "TransparentDock 2.0" from the mounted disk image to a convenient directory, or decompress the BinHex archive. Then just run the TransparentDock application to customize the dock. (See below for directions to uninstall)

TransparentDock Options:

Locations of the customizeable dock features:

Custom Dock:

- Dock Background:

- Choose from 7 transparency levels for the main dock background (from fully transparent to fully opaque)

- Choose from 16 different colors

Hint: to get the "no pdfs" look back from previous versions, try a high transparency level (1 or 2).

- Outer Border:

- Choose from 7 transparency levels

- Choose from 18 different colors

- Inner Border:

- Show or hide the white dock inner border

- Open App Triangle Color:

- Controls the color of the triangles under open (running) applications

- Choose from 3 colors (black, gray or white)

Dock poof:

- Customize the dock poof (puff of smoke (default effect) for dragging items out of the dock)

- Current poof: No changes

- Custom poof: Choose from the default or add your own custom poof

(* Any additions to the custom poofs folder would be welcomed :))

To apply your own custom poof, just add a folder with your poof (named "poof.png") to the "Custom pdfs" folder (created by the script when "Custom poofs" is first selected).

Dock Effects:

- Customize some effects... turn on or off:

- Semi-transparent Icons for hidden apps

- Magnification of minimized window thumbnails

(shows just upper left corner of minimized docked window, rather than whole window)

- Subtle dock drop shadow (very subtle :))

- Also customize:

- Icon name size for docked items

- Minimize effect

- Dock Placement

- Dock Pinning

Dock Setup:

- Customize some general features of the dock, the dock menus or included apps...

- Control floating state of the dock

If the dock is sent behind other applications:

- the dock will still respond normally to mouse over & mouse click events

- adjust the position of an individual icon to bring it to the front (restart the dock to send it back)

- Allow dragging of the Finder icon...

If Finder icon dragging is enabled:

- the Finder icon can be moved to any position on its side of the dock

- the Finder icon can be removed from the dock (until the next dock restart)

- restart the dock to replace the Finder icon to its default position

- Show or Hide Background-Only Apps ("loginwindow","SystemUIServer", etc...)

Please Note: Quitting some background only applications from the dock (such as ≥loginwindow≤) will cause a system crash/forced logout without saving current data. Quitting other applications may have unpredictable results.

- Lock icons in the dock (disables icon dragging or removal)

- Enable single application mode when switching applications from the dock

- Show or hide background-only applications

- Place Hide & Hide Others commands in the docked application popup menus

- Show or hide package contents in the docked directory popup menus

- Show or hide invisible & system files in the docked directory popup menus

- Control the depth of hierarchical menus from the docked directory popup menus

- Place a Quit menu item in the Finder popup dock menu

- Place Quit & Pinning options in the dock's popup menu (available on control-click (right-click, click & hold) near the dock divider)

- Place Hide Commands (Hide & Hide Others) for Running Applications in the dock (hold down the option key for "Hide Others" command)

Quit & Pinning Options Hide Commands

Reset Dock:

- Reset the dock to its original state. Choose from 2 reset methods:

- Reset current dock: reverse all changes made to the current dock

- Reset from backup...: Replace the entire Dock package with a backup copy. You will be prompted to locate your backup copy of the "Dock.app" application package, & the contents of the current "Dock.app" in "/System/Library/CoreServices/" will be replaced with the contents of a copy of the backup, leaving the original backup in place.

- Refresh: Refresh the settings of TransparentDock to match the current state of the dock (in the event that the settings are not updated after applying changes).

Before any changes are made, the option will be presented to save a backup of "Dock.app" (the entire package) to a folder called "DockBackup" in a directory of your choosing for safe keeping. Since by default the Dock application is owned by the system, applying any changes to the dock requires an administrator password. The password will not be stored by the application when not running, and will have to be reentered the next time the application is run.

Applying Changes & Restarting the Dock:

Apply Changes Button: After any option is selected, the "Apply Changes" button becomes available. Pressing this button will apply all selected changes for all tabs except "Reset Dock" to the current dock. After applying changes, the dock will be automatically restarted to view the selected changes.

Reset Button (Reset Dock tab only): Pressing this button will reset the dock to its original state using the selected reset method (currently installed dock or backup dock) and reset source (the path for the reset source is printed in the accompanying field). See "Reset Dock" above for details. If "Reset from backup..." is selected, the Reset button will only become available after a valid backup dock file is selected. After resetting the dock, the dock must be restarted to view the default dock.

Restart Dock: Just relaunches the dock... this button is always available except while changes are being applied or the dock is in the process of restarting.

TD Themes Palette:

The TD Themes Palette allows saving dock configurations ("themes") and switching between saved dock themes. Each dock theme can include the general dock preferences (included applications, documents & folders, on screen position, pinning, magnification, size...), & "custom themes" can include a custom appearance configured with TransparentDock.

The locations of some of the features of the TD Themes palette:

Custom Themes: A customized "Dock" application file can be applied to a dock theme (for example, one dock can have full transparency, white triangles and no icon names while another dock can have a semi-transparent background, black triangles and show background apps). Switching to a saved theme with custom features requires authentication... if authentication is not in effect (the password has timed out), or "Include Dock Background When Switching Themes" is not selected in Preferences, only the general dock preferences (size, magnification, docked folders & applications...) will be switched.

Please Note: Custom themes always start with the current dock setup (current icon set, magnification, etc...). The first time TransparentDock is run, it will create 3 custom themes:

- "Standard": the current dock setup

- "Classic": full transparency with white triangles

- "Tape": A "sticky tape" look (semi-transparent) with black triangles

These themes will start off with the current dock preferences, but any changes in the icon set, placement, etc... will be saved when switching to another theme.

Preferences:

The TransparentDock "Preferences..." menu item allows setting certain features of the TD Themes palette, Including:

- Show or Hide the TD Themes palette

- Control floating state of the palette

- Control the transparency of the palette

- Show or Hide Tool Tips for the palette

Also, the following features can be set through the Preferences dialog:

- Include Dock Background When Switching Themes... allow custom themes (if you do not want to use custom dock themes, & only wish to save & switch general dock preferences, deselect this item).

- Run TransparentDock as a background application (hides dock icon)

- Control the password timeout... the amount of time the password is "remembered" by the TransparentDock application (the password is never written to the TransparentDock application or its preferences).

- Allow changes to the dock by an administrator without the need for a password... privileges of the dock are set to read & write for administrators. This can be disabled again by deauthenticating (clicking the lock icon on the TD Themes palette) or reselecting this preferences item.

*IMPORTANT NOTES*

This application applies small patches to the "Dock" application and if chosen, the dock menus property list, & could conceivably cause your Dock to stop functioning properly. Please be sure to make a backup copy of the dock package before making any changes to the currently installed dock. The option to make a backup of the current dock is presented once every time the TransparentDock application is run... before any changes are made. One of the "Reset Dock" options can reset the dock to its original state. All of the patched or moved files are also backed up in a folder named "Backups" in the "Resources" folder of the Dock package.

- At this time, some option characters cannot be authenticated by the script, & passwords containing these characters and blank passwords are reported as incorrect. The following option characters are not recognized: (Â, ¡, ≈, Õ, Œ, œ, ”, ‘, “, ⁄, ¬). This is a limitation of AppleScript in OS X, & hopefully can be resolved in a future version.

System Requirements:

- Mac OS X 10.2 minimum

- Applescript 1.8 (installed with Mac OS X 10.1.2) or later

To Uninstall: Remove the following Items:

- "TransparentDock 2.0" folder (located wherever it was originally installed/copied from the disk image or archive)

- "TransparentDock Preferences" folder (located in the user preferences folder (~/Library/Preferences))

- "com.freerangemac.transparentdock.plist" file (located in the user preferences folder)

- "TransparentDock.plist" file (located in the user preferences folder)

Cost: TransparentDock 2 is shareware... however, registration is not required for basic functionality. In other words, if you'd like to donate something for the cause, please by all means do! After one week of use, some options will be disabled in the unregistered version, & a reminder window will appear upon launch reminding how cool it is to register. :) The suggested shareware fee is $8.00, but may be modified somewhat according to what you feel the program is worth. I will continue to develop TransparentDock & a number of other OS X utilities, & every little bit of support helps the effort.

To purchase, please see the link on my site: (http://www.freerangemac.com).

After receiving your registration code (within 1 week by email), to register TransparentDock, select the "Register..." menu item from the "TransparentDock" application menu.

Upon registration, a few more new options will become available !

Issues & Limitations:

- No lines, no boundaries... just loose icons floating on the desktop. If you like order on your desktop, this may not be for you! :)

- Passwords with some high bit (option) characters cannot yet be authenticated by the application (see important notes section above for details)... until this can be resolved, superuser (root) privileges for the dock application package must be secured by another means.

"Agreement"

TRANSPARENTDOCK IS PROVIDED AS IS, & WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MECHANTIBILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. YOU MAY REDISTRIBUTE THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION WITHOUT RESTRICTION, PROVIDED YOU INCLUDE THIS FILE AND DO NOT CHARGE ANY FEES FOR ITS DISTRIBUTION OR USE. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK... IN NO EVENT WILL THE AUTHOR OF THIS PROGRAM BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PROGRAM (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES, OR LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS), HOWEVER CAUSED AND WHETHER UNDER THEORY OF CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Thanks!ä

Thanks to Mike Harris & Mason Lee for all their help with early testing & suggestions for improvement of version 2.0.

Thanks to all who helped with the version 2.0 betas (especially Marcus Harvey).

All who helped with the version 1.0 - 1.5 betas (especially Eric Johnson, Ken Lanxner & Edward Pestian).

Thanks to Ryan Nelson & to Michael Zara for the opaque dock suggestion & pdfs (unfortunately no longer applicable), & everyone over at MacAddict's OS X forums.

Thanks to Apple for a cool platform, a great OS & a killer app in Dock.app (please make this app obsolete by including its options in the next release! - I'm sure I'll find something else to work on...)

And everyone else who's helped make this hack possible :)... thanks! If I've forgotten anyone, please let me know & you'll be in the next update.

If you have any questions, email me at:

kfk@freerangemac.com

For some other Mac OS X utilities, visit my website:

Free Range Mac at: http://www.freerangemac.com

-Kevin Kelleher, 2001-2002

Version Notes:

Changes in Version 2.0:

- Completely rewritten in AppleScript Studio with a few new options.

- AppleScript Scripting Additions will no longer be required for any features.

Changes in Version 1.5.9:

- Added support for passwords with most option characters (see list above for those not supported.

- Added error traps for a few minor errors involving terminal scripting resources.

Changes in Version 1.5.8:

- Improved support for passwords with non-alphanumeric characters. Passwords with option characters are not yet supported.

Changes in Version 1.5.7:

- Added support for passwords with non-alphanumeric characters, and drag & drop support for the DockReset script. Also, fixed a few minor bugs involving system version checks and interface elements.

Changes in Version 1.5.4:

- Updated the READ ME.rtfd file with important info about updating from a previous version of the script, & a few minor bug fixes.

Changes in Version 1.5:

- AppleScript scripting additions are no longer required for automatic mode in Mac OS X 10.1... automatic mode is now the default (if one of the scripting additions is not installed, the script uses the built-in scriptability of the "Terminal" application in Mac OS X 10.1). Mac OS X 10.0.x still requires one of the scripting additions for automatic mode.

- Drag & drop installation of scripting additions (installed in ~/Library/ScriptingAdditions).

- New patch no longer requires pdf removal for full transparency.

- Option to apply custom pdf background images. Select from the default set(s) or add your own.

- Option to change the shade of triangles for open apps to gray or white (10.1 only).

- To improve speed on subsequent runs, the "help dialogs" are no longer displayed after the first run, but can be toggled by drag & drop.

Changes in Version 1.4.9:

- Added border options for the opaque dock, and fixed some bugs with creating the dock backup.

Changes in Version 1.4.7:

- Added option for an opaque dock.

Changes in Version 1.4.5:

- Fixed an AppleScript bug (descriptor type mismatch) introduced with version 1.4.

Changes in Version 1.4:

- Workaround for compatilbility with all included character sets in OS X.

Changes in Version 1.3:

- Workaround for "cannot perform this operation on text longer than 32k bytes" error.

Changes in Version 1.2.1:

- Removed compatibility checks for better compatibility!

Changes in Version 1.2:

- A few more bug catches & error traps to optimize for use with OS X 10.1.

Changes in Version 1.1b9:

- Fixed a bug that generated an error if the script couldn't determine the system language.

- The script now saves backups for all 3 pdfs, the dock application file & the dock menus property list to the folder "Backups" in the "Resources" folder of the Dock application.

Changes in Version 1.1b8:

- Added options for a pinning menu & quit command to the dock's popup menu (10.1 only).

- Added additional customization options (see above).

Changes in Version 1.1b7:

- Another update for 10.1 compatibility.

Changes in Version 1.1b6:

- Improved patches to fix issues with magnification & allow switching among all transparency settings.

Changes in Versions 1.1b3 - 1.1b5:

- Added option to reset the dock to its original state to the TransparentDock script.

- Updated for Mac OS X 10.1 compatibility, & incorporated DockPin script into TransparentDock script.

Changes in Versions 1.1b1 & 1.1b2:

- Some minor code additions for greater compatibility.

- Added DockPin script for adding pinning options to the dock (not compatible with OS X 10.0.0 through 10.0.4))

Changes in Version 1.0b8:

- Reworked the backup routine & Finder events in both "TransparentDock" & "DockReset" for compatibility with UFS formatted disks. Both scripts should now be fully UFS compliant - if not, let me know!

Changes in Version 1.0b7:

- Fixed a problem with the script converting Mac OS/applescript filepaths to Unix filepaths that would result in an error during the Dock.app backup process.

Changes in Version 1.0b6:

- Added PatchFinder script utility to the archive.

Changes in Version 1.0b5:

- Fixed a major bug that would cause the script to fail to copy the patched "Dock" file to the Dock application package in the System folder if the backup folder was saved to a disk that was not the startup disk.

Changes in Version 1.0b4:

- Added the option to skip backup of the current "Dock.app" package on runs after the first run of the script, as the backup should already be in place.

- Added the option to choose from 3 states of transparency, still including fully transparent.

Changes in Version 1.0b3:

- More Finder errors fixed; removed all global alias designations in the Finder.

Changes in Version 1.0b2:

- Fixed some Finder errors caused by improper alias representations.

Copyright © 2002, Kevin Kelleher & Free Range Mac ï