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From: AES on 14 Jul 2010 22:07
Anyone know where the data base or prefs file for the "Open With"
contextual menu is in OX 10.4.11?

(I'm referring to the one that appears if you Right Click the mouse on a
document in a Finder window, and select Open With. The problem is that
doing so produces many, many duplicate entries for each of the relevant
apps that appear in the drop-down listing.)
From: David Empson on 15 Jul 2010 01:08
AES <siegman(a)stanford.edu> wrote:

> Anyone know where the data base or prefs file for the "Open With"
> contextual menu is in OX 10.4.11?

It is a database managed by Launch Services. I don't know offhand where
the file(s) are, and you probably can't edit them manually in any case.

I think most of it is generated dynamically based on the contents of
Applications folder(s). The only stuff that is stored in files is manual
overrides such as if you have assigned all documents of a particular
type to open in a particular application.

> (I'm referring to the one that appears if you Right Click the mouse on a
> document in a Finder window, and select Open With. The problem is that
> doing so produces many, many duplicate entries for each of the relevant
> apps that appear in the drop-down listing.)

Do you have multiple volumes online (e.g. clone backups) containing
copies of the same applications? If so, Launch Services will happily
offer you all compatible applications in any valid Applications folder
on any mounted volume. (It will also look for an Applications folder in
your home folder.)

If you've also done something like set up a folder of aliases to your
preferred applications, and put that in /Applications or ~/Applications,
it could result in Launch Services listing the same applications twice.
(Theory not tested as I don't have anything running 10.4 handy.)

--
David Empson
dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz
From: John McWilliams on 15 Jul 2010 11:09
Michelle Steiner wrote:
> In article <1jloffo.1f79byb1irewesN%dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz>,
> dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote:
>
>>> Anyone know where the data base or prefs file for the "Open With"
>>> contextual menu is in OX 10.4.11?
>> It is a database managed by Launch Services. I don't know offhand where
>> the file(s) are, and you probably can't edit them manually in any case.
>
> ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.plist
>
> And you can edit them with the Property List Editor.

How does one engage said editor? I can open the plist in Text Wrangler,
and edit, but not with positive results.

Also, found the following next to it:
com.apple.LaunchServices.QuarantineEvents

What gets quarantined, newly downloaded docs and apps? Is this what
keeps the record of things you've said 'ok' to?

--
john mcwilliams
From: John McWilliams on 15 Jul 2010 12:02
Michelle Steiner wrote:
> In article <i1n8av$hk7$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>,
> John McWilliams <jpmcw(a)comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>> ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.plist
>>>
>>> And you can edit them with the Property List Editor.
>> How does one engage said editor? I can open the plist in Text Wrangler,
>> and edit, but not with positive results.
>
> If double-clicking on it doesn't open it with Property List Editor, then
> right-click on it, choose "Open With" in the contextual menu, then choose
> Property List Editor from the sub menu.
>
> If Property List Editor isn't in the sub menu, then install X Code.

Ah, that's it. X-code not installed on this computer.
What edits would one want to make in this plist? Isn't it easier to
option click on a document to select what it's opened with?

--
john mcwilliams
From: Steven Fisher on 15 Jul 2010 22:33
In article <siegman-8CEE69.19073714072010(a)sciid-srv02.med.tufts.edu>,
AES <siegman(a)stanford.edu> wrote:

> Anyone know where the data base or prefs file for the "Open With"
> contextual menu is in OX 10.4.11?

Probably your best bet is to use lsregister. It's stored in different
places in different versions of Mac OS X, but if you use Spotlight and
include system files you'll find it.

If you're using Snow Leopard, pasting this into Terminal will handle it:

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/\
Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/\
Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r \
-domain local -domain system -domain user


Steve
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