I released a quick bug-fix of Default Folder X a week ago (sorry for not posting then, but I’ve been sick). Version 5.7.5 fixed two bugs:
The Finder-click feature wouldn’t recognize open Finder windows in some Mac configurations. This was due to a change I made in a previous update where I refactored an underlying library and made the criteria tighter for “matching” an open window to its underlying Finder window. The change made no difference in my test cases, but there are apparently a few Desktop configurations in which the matching didn’t work. So now we’re back to the way it was.
Folder switching in Open and Save dialogs would sometimes fail on macOS 13.2 Ventura (and would stay stuck in that failure mode until you quit and relaunched Default Folder X). This was due to the fact that a bug in Ventura always returns an error for one API call, making it impossible for DFX to tell whether that call has succeeded or not. I worked around this the best I could, but Default Folder X would sometimes think the call had succeeded when it hadn’t, causing it to get stuck in an error state. This is now fixed in v5.7.5. And happily, Apple has actually fixed the underlying bug in Ventura for macOS 13.3, so the whole mess won’t be an issue in another month.
If you’re already running Default Folder X, just choose Check for Update from its menu in your menu bar to get the new version. If not, you can grab it from the Default Folder X release page.
Version 5.7.4 of Default Folder X is available, addressing several issues that could impact its reliability in Open and Save dialogs. These ranged from the mundane – a timing bug in the code that switches to new folders in file dialogs – to the “I wouldn’t have guessed that” – where Safari’s SandboxBroker helper app was tricking Default Folder X into thinking there were actually two Save sheets displayed at once.
All of these issues happened infrequently enough that they only generated a few tech support requests (my apologies to those unlucky folks), but chasing them down and getting them fixed will ensure that they don’t disrupt anyone else’s day.
The complete list of fixes and download links are on the Default Folder X release page. Or if you’re already running Default Folder X like you should be, just choose “Check for Update…” from its menu in your menu bar to see the change history and update to the new version.
Version 1.4 of Go64 was released yesterday, correcting a few issues it had when running on Ventura and offering better reporting of the CPU architectures supported by your apps.
As a refresher, Go64 is our free app for analyzing all the apps you have installed on your Mac. It shows you which ones are 32-bit, 64-bit, Intel-only, and Apple Silicon-native. This gives you a full picture of which apps will run on newer versions of macOS (Catalina and later will not run 32-bit apps) and which will run best on newer Macs with Apple Silicon processors (M1 and M2).
Here’s a full list of changes in version 1.4:
Added an option to filter the list of applications to show CPU architectures that are not Intel or Universal.
You can double-click on the separator between column headers to automatically resize a column to fit its contents.
When saving the results of a scan, the architecture of applications is now exported along with the other information.
Fixed the formatting of exported application information that contains tabs, carriage returns and other special characters.
Updated terminology such as “preferences” to refer to “settings” when running on macOS Ventura and higher.
Go64 now correctly reports the developer and website for Akai Professional and Cycling ’74 audio apps.
Fixed user interface layout issues on macOS Ventura.
Version 5.7.3 of Default Folder X works around issues in macOS Ventura that have been causing problems for some of you.
A bug in Ventura’s metadata API could cause Default Folder X to crash when it tried to ask the system for information about the selected file in an Open dialog. This release recovers from the error, though it won’t be able to show some metadata information (like the width and height of jpeg or png images) when the problem occurs. I’ve submitted the bug to Apple so we’ll hopefully have a resolution to the underlying problem at some point.
Another issue in Ventura is its handling of drag-and-drop operations in file dialogs. This, in a round-about way, was causing Default Folder X to hide the mouse cursor for several seconds when switching from one folder to another in Open and Save dialogs. Default Folder X 5.7.3 works around this problem as best it can, usually reducing the length of time the cursor goes missing to an almost-unnoticeable fraction of a second. Again, I’ve submitted a bug report to Apple – fingers crossed that they address this 🤞🏼
Default Folder X 5.7.3 also fixes some minor bits, moving the default position of the button for Default Folder X’s Finder drawer further to the left in the Finder’s toolbar so it doesn’t get hidden behind the “>>” button when Finder windows are small. Descriptions of Default Folder X’s AppleScript commands have also been improved in its AppleScript dictionary so details of their operation are clearer. And finally, the popup path menu in the Open and Save dialogs of Affinity apps will now respect the Dark Mode interface setting in your Affinity Photo / Designer / Publisher settings, even if the rest of macOS is running in Light Mode.
As always, if you’re already running Default Folder X, just choose “Check for Update” from its menu in your menu bar. If you’re not, download Default Folder X and save yourself time and headaches while opening, saving and managing your files!
Version 5.7.2 of Default Folder X is available, addressing several problems when using Stage Manager. Flaky behavior of Default Folder X’s drawer in the Finder has been fixed – it now correctly appears and disappears as Stage Manager shows and hides the Finder’s windows.
And when using Default Folder X’s Finder-click feature (which lets you click on the Finder’s windows to switch to that window’s folder in an Open or Save dialog), Default Folder X now takes Stage Manager into account. Normally, the Finder’s windows aren’t “clickable” when they’re not showing on the screen. Since that’s pretty much always the situation when using Stage Manager, Default Folder X will now allow you to click where the windows would be if the Finder weren’t hidden by Stage Manager. As you move the mouse around, DFX will highlight the areas where Finder windows would be if they were visible.
The shadowed rectangle shows a Finder window displaying “Creative Cloud Files”
This release also fixes a bug that could cause Default Folder X to ask for Security & Privacy permissions on macOS 10.15 Catalina even though they’re already set. And it corrects a few minor user interface bugs and a problem creating aliases for files and folders that contain the ‘/’ character in their names.
Details and download links for English, French, Japanese, German and Danish versions are available on the Default Folder X release page, or if you’re already running DFX, just choose “Check for Update…” from its menu.
There’s a quick update available for Default Folder X, bringing it up to version 5.7.1.
This release provides a fix for a handful of folks who’ve been getting prompts from Default Folder X after they log in, saying that it needs approval in Security & Privacy even though it already has the permissions it needs.
If you’re affected, just choose “Check for Update” from Default Folder X’s menu in your menu bar to get the new version. Or you can download Default Folder X 5.7.1 and update manually.
Please note that this isn’t the only cause of repeated requests for permissions approval. I’ve also seen a number of cases where the macOS TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) database gets corrupted and mistakenly refuses to give proper access to Default Folder X or other applications that require Accessibility, Full Disk Access, Screen Recording and other permissions. If you’re seeing these problems and version 5.7.1 doesn’t fix them, you may need to reset your TCC database. There are instructions for doing that here.
Version 5.7 of Default Folder X is now available, delivering compatibility with macOS 13 Ventura! It also adds integration with Find Any File so you can start a search from a file dialog, and addresses a number of issues such as problems with iCloud and Microsoft OneDrive.
If you’re running a very old version of macOS, however, I have some disappointing news. Default Folder X now requires macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later to run. Apple’s Xcode tools no longer support building software for versions of macOS prior to High Sierra, so I don’t have a way of providing support back to macOS 10.9 anymore. You can still use Default Folder X 5.6.6 on older systems, and it’ll continue to work as well there as it always has.
With that caveat, I encourage you to use Default Folder X 5.7 even if you’re not running Ventura, as it fixes issues when running on earlier versions of macOS as well. Check the Default Folder X Release page for a full list of changes.
Note that there are still a few rough edges as of Ventura’s sixth public beta. When giving Default Folder X permission for Automation, Full Disk Access, etc, you’ll have to enter your password (or Touch ID) more than once. I apologize for this – it’s due to a bug in Ventura’s new System Settings app. I’ve submitted the bug to Apple, but don’t expect to see it fixed before macOS 13.0 ships. As usual, I’ll revisit this and other less visible workarounds for Ventura’s quirks as Apple fixes them.
If you haven’t tried Default Folder X, grab a copy to see how much more convenient Open and Save dialogs can be! And if you’re already running it, just choose “Check for Update” from its menu in your menu bar to download the new version – and thanks for your support!
Version 1.8.5 of Jettison is available. It delivers compatibility with macOS 13 Ventura, while also including a number of other improvements on all supported versions of macOS.
Mounting of disks is quicker, and for those of you using shared volumes from a file server or NAS, it’s more reliable as well. A notification is now also displayed when disks are remounted, so you know it’s no longer safe to unplug them – make sure to use Jettison’s menu in your menu bar to eject them again before disconnecting them! And for the few people that use RAM disks these days, Jettison recognizes that they’re not external disks and will not eject them when your Mac goes to sleep.
There are also tweaks to the user interface to improve your experience, error reporting and handling has been improved, and more information is logged internally for troubleshooting purposes. All in all, the changes should improve many people’s experience with Jettison.
For a full list of changes and download links, visit the Jettison release page. If you’re already running Jettison, just choose “Check for Updates…” from its menu in your menu bar to get the new version.
As Apple continues to refine macOS 13 Ventura before its official release, I’m getting all of St. Clair Software’s apps up to speed on it. While both App Tamer and HistoryHound worked on the latest public beta versions of Ventura, there were a number of details that needed to be addressed.
Version 2.7.4 of App Tamer understands Ventura’s new security restrictions for Login Items and will ask you to approve its helper application when necessary. This release also fixes a bug in App Tamer’s window handling, and corrects a problem with a checkbox not being enabled in the settings for slowing down an app.
Because someone’s going to ask, the now-correctly-enabled checkbox is the “Also slow this app when it’s in front” feature. Even if you’re familiar with App Tamer, you may not have seen this as it only shows up when you hold down the Option key. As its name implies, this checkbox will slow down an app even when it’s frontmost. That’s usually not something you want to do, as it can make the app harder to use, but there are situations where it does make sense.
HistoryHound 2.3.3 is also available now, adapting its prompts for Full Disk Access permission so they work smoothly on Ventura. This update also adds some features, including support for the Orion web browser and new filters that you can use to narrow down searches of your browser history.
Oh, and to be consistent with Ventura, any references to “Preferences” in both apps now refer to “Settings” when you’re running on Ventura, because that’s what they’re called in the new, modern Mac world. Full details and download links are available on the App Tamer release page and the HistoryHound release page. The updates are free if you’ve already got a license for the app in question.
Among other things, the second public beta of Default Folder X 5.7, otherwise known as version 5.7b2, adopts Ventura‘s use of the term “Settings” rather than “Preferences.” Seems like that wouldn’t be a big deal, right? It turns out that those terms occur more frequently than you’d think in various dialogs and error messages, and have to be substituted on the fly to match the version of macOS you’re running. So I spent a couple of days bringing all that into conformance, then testing and localizing, and now it DFX fits in properly on Ventura.
Version 5.7b2 also adds a couple more interesting things, like support for Thomas Tempelmann’s Find Any File application. When you’re in an Open or Save dialog, you can now search with Find Any File from Default Folder X’s utility menu.
Find Any File can be helpful because it performs an exhaustive search based on a file’s name, modification date, and other filesystem properties. While Spotlight indexes these same properties as well as the contents of documents, it won’t always find all files – Spotlight omits the contents of some folders, as well as files contained within application packages and other special locations.
Default Folder X 5.7b2 also fixes a problem with its Recent File and Recent Folder tracking on Microsoft OneDrive that could result in files or folders being listed twice when they’re updated on OneDrive.
If you’re already running an earlier beta of Default Folder X 5.7, just choose “Check for Update” from its menu in your menu bar. If you’re not, head over to the Default Folder X Testing page to download a copy!
