Archive for October, 2019

Go64 keeps up-to-date and now runs on Yosemite

Tuesday, October 29th, 2019

Version 1.0.6 of Go64 is now available, bringing intelligent updating that refreshes the data in Go64’s list of applications when you update an app on your Mac. This version also now runs on versions of macOS all the way back to Yosemite (10.10), so even if you’re updating to Catalina from a really old version of the system, you can still prepare with Go64.

If you’ve already got Go64, just choose “Check for Updates…” from its menu to get the new version. If you still haven’t downloaded it, you can get it from the Go64 page – it’s completely free (though donations are still appreciated).

Oh, and about that update-checking mechanism… I do know that the modal alerts that pop up in Go64 stall the installation of updates until you click “OK”. That’s also been fixed in version 1.0.6, so shouldn’t be a problem for updates after this one.

You can check here for a full version history for Go64.

Posted in Catalina, Go64, Yosemite | No Comments »

Default Folder X 5.4.1: fixes for Catalina and more

Monday, October 21st, 2019

Default Folder X 5.4.1 is now available. It fixes several issues that have been reported with macOS Catalina. A couple were simple bugs in Default Folder X itself:

  • Empty folders were not added to the Recent Folders menu
  • Items in the Utility menu were sometimes not enabled correctly
  • File dialog menu shortcuts were not working as advertised

Those issues have all been fixed. One other fix, however, is a bit bizarre. I figured I’d briefly talk about it in case other Mac users or developers encounter this:

In Catalina, the Finder must be running before you can approve apps to record the screen

In macOS 10.15, Default Folder X requests permission for Screen Recording (here’s why). If it doesn’t have permission, it tries to capture a portion of the screen, which causes Catalina to pop up an alert asking for your approval. Default Folder X then leads you through System Preferences to ok everything. It’s an annoying process, but works as well as can be expected given Catalina’s limitations. UNLESS you happen to also be a user of CocoaTech’s Path Finder app.

If you’re running Path Finder and have chosen to have Path Finder launch when you log in and have its preference set to quit the Finder after it launches, you’re in for a treat. If an app needs permission to record your screen, you will never see the prompt, and the app will not be added to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Screen Recording, so there’s no way for you to manually approve it there if you happen to realize it needs permission.

Based on testing that I and Ben Surtees at Surtees Studios (developer of the excellent Bartender app) have done, if the Finder isn’t running, the permissions system for Screen Recording just silently fails. Default Folder X, Bartender or whatever app needs permission doesn’t know this, and will continue prompting you to authorize them in System Preferences. Unfortunately, you have no way of approving them because there’s no way to manually add apps to the Screen Recording privacy panel, and if the Finder’s not running, the system doesn’t automatically add apps as it should.

As a developer, this seems pretty arbitrary – why would we need to have the Finder running in order to get permission for Screen Recording? But there you go – if you’re running into this, now you know why. As of version 5.4.1, Default Folder X will launch the Finder when necessary (and quit it afterwards) if it runs into this scenario. It’s a bit of a comical workaround, but hey, it gets you up and running without further pain.

Oh, and here are the details and download links for Default Folder X 5.4.1 🙂

Posted in Catalina, Default Folder X, Development, Tips | No Comments »

Default Folder 5.4 for Catalina, with Path Finder SetApp support, improvements for scripters and more

Monday, October 7th, 2019

I’m happy to announce that the final version 5.4 of Default Folder X is now available. Thank you to everyone who beta tested the pre-release versions and reported issues!

The marquee feature of this release is, of course, support for macOS 10.15 Catalina, which Apple should drop any day now. In addition, there are a couple of new AppleScript commands in Default Folder X’s scripting dictionary to help scripters automate the handling of file dialogs (and don’t forget the scriptable default folders too). This version also adds support for the version of Path Finder distributed via SetApp.

Finally, there are a handful of bug fixes, including corrections for issues with Finder windows, adding new Favorites, and Accessibility quirks. These fixes apply to both Catalina and earlier macOS versions – if you’re running an older version of macOS, you can still update to Default Folder X 5.4. It supports anything from macOS 10.10 to 10.15.

The update is free if you’ve already got a license for Default Folder X 5 – just choose “Check for Updates” from Default Folder X’s menu, or download a copy here. A list of changes and download links, including localized versions, are available on the Default Folder X release page.

Posted in Automation, Catalina, Default Folder X | 3 Comments »