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![[F]](/Images/i7/site.gif) TidBITS  TidBITS TidBITS Talk
Applications folder symlinks ease installation![[kevinv]](/webx/?30@@1) kevinv (apparently) - 08:32am Dec 2, 2005 PSTvia email--On November 30, 2005 3:14:38 PM -0800 "Adam C. Engst" wrote in ExtraBITS:
> Well, it would be easier if your Applications folder was a readily
> available target, but unless you've put it in your Dock or made it
> permanently visible in some other way, you must somehow display it, such
> as by opening another window or revealing the sidebar in the disk image's
> window by clicking the toolbar lozenge. So why not make an alias to the
> Applications folder right in that disk image window, such that
> installation becomes merely a matter of dragging the program a short
> distance in the same window? Particularly if there's a bit of instruction
> and a graphical indication of what to do like an arrow, such an approach
> would make for an even better user experience than we have now.
I was thinking this exact same thing not too long ago (not the actual
implementation but that it would be nice to not have to fool around to get
an Applications target open), and then I noticed James Thomson had
implemented this perfectly with PCalc 3. Open the DMG, it has the
application and a bunch of arrows pointing to the Application link. Drag
the Application to the link and you're done.
http://www.pcalc.com/
keydel
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Dec 6, 2005 1:20 pm
(#1 Total: 8)
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Re: A Better Way to Install Applications
One thing I've *always* wanted was the ability to automatically create a
folder in which to store the application. It's often the case that an
application image will also include ancillary items like a ReadMe, a
manual (which frequently doesn't begin with the name of the
application-- otherwise, I'd simply drag it into the Applications
folder, as well), and an additional subfolder of Extras. As it is, I
must either create the folder myself and drag everything into it, or
rename the items to identify them as being related to the application. Is this already possible? I've tried simply dragging the mounted image
into my application folder, but of course this doesn't work. Anybody
know of any magic keystrokes that will do this? [Sure. Hold down the Option key, and drag the little icon in the window title to your Applications folder. The only downside of doing this is that you tend to get the disk image icon as well, instead of a normal folder icon. -Adam] < http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=08346> Stefan
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scratch
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Dec 6, 2005 1:20 pm
(#2 Total: 8)
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Re: A Better Way to Install Applications
Why not just have the "folder" open the sidebar?
[I don't know of any way of distributing a "folder" that would open the sidebar, and there's really no reason to, since clicking the lozenge in the upper right of the window will do that. Plus, as I responded to another private comment from someone who thought the sidebar showing was the default, that's often not true of disk image windows, not to mention the fact that many people have customized the sidebar such that it doesn't contain the Applications folder. -Adam]
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scratch
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Dec 6, 2005 1:26 pm
(#3 Total: 8)
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Re: A Better Way to Install Applications
Why not add a link to Utilities folder too?
[That seems like overload - the point is to simplify things in the most basic manner possible, not to make suggestions about where the user might want store the application in a non-default manner. -Adam]
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tekelenb (apparently)
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Dec 7, 2005 9:08 am
(#4 Total: 8)
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Re: Applications folder symlinks ease installation
At 12:20 -0800 UTC, on 2005/12/06, Adam wrote:
> [Sure. Hold down the Option key, and drag the little icon in the window
>title to your Applications folder.
Heh :) Reminds me of a friend of mine who after years still insists of
referring to just about everything on her Mac as "little". "I clicked the
little red thing and then... [...] What is that little blue thing when you
open the little thing on the left for? [...] When I do x I get a little
windows with a little green thing on it that [...]" :)
The "little icon" in a window's Title Bar is called a Proxy Icon. (It's
called that because it acts as a proxy - it allows you to interact with the
file that you're viewing in that window, even though you're viewing its
contents. Exactly what you can do with it differs a bit per application.)
I understand why pointing it out to someone would require describing it as
"little icon". I just feel it's more helpful to then also give its name.
Helps people help themselves.
--
Sander Tekelenburg, < http://www.euronet.nl/~tekelenb/>
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Rainer Brockerhoff
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Dec 7, 2005 9:08 am
(#5 Total: 8)
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Re: Applications folder symlinks ease installation
I'd just like to point out that my XRay utility uses the symlink technique since 2003. [Excellent - you have the record for the earliest use on record so far... -Adam] For the Nudge contextual menu, I wrote a small drop application that looks like a folder but tries to route the CM to be installed to the correct folder. I'm considering writing a general drop-install app which would handle several types of items; interested developers are welcome to contact me...
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Chris Pepper (apparently)
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Dec 7, 2005 9:08 am
(#6 Total: 8)
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Re: Applications folder symlinks ease installation
At 12:20 PM -0800 2005/12/06, keydel wrote:
>One thing I've *always* wanted was the ability to automatically create a
>folder in which to store the application. It's often the case that an
>application image will also include ancillary items like a ReadMe, a
>manual (which frequently doesn't begin with the name of the
>application-- otherwise, I'd simply drag it into the Applications
>folder, as well), and an additional subfolder of Extras. As it is, I
>must either create the folder myself and drag everything into it, or
>rename the items to identify them as being related to the application.
>[Sure. Hold down the Option key, and drag the little icon in the
>window title to your Applications folder. The only downside of doing
>this is that you tend to get the disk image icon as well, instead of
>a normal folder icon. -Adam]
If the Disk Image has a generic disk image icon, it goes away
at next login. If it comes with a custom icon, the folder will keep
that, which isn't a terrible thing.
[Hey, that's good to know - I hadn't noticed. -Adam]
--
Chris Pepper: < http://www.reppep.com/~pepper/>
Rockefeller University: < http://www.rockefeller.edu/>
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Chris Pepper (apparently)
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Dec 7, 2005 9:08 am
(#7 Total: 8)
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Re: Applications folder symlinks ease installation
At 12:20 PM -0800 2005/12/06, scratch wrote:
>Why not just have the "folder" open the sidebar?
>
>[I don't know of any way of distributing a "folder" that would open
>the sidebar, and there's really no reason to, since clicking the
>lozenge in the upper right of the window will do that. Plus, as I
>responded to another private comment from someone who thought the
>sidebar showing was the default, that's often not true of disk image
>windows, not to mention the fact that many people have customized
>the sidebar such that it doesn't contain the Applications folder.
>-Adam] -- If you want to unsubscribe or change your address, use this
I always seem to get the DMG window flush left, such that I
have to click the lozenge and then drag the window right to bring the
sidebar & Applications folder onscreen. That's Apple's bug.
So is having DMG windows always open without the Sidebar,
since other windows open with. I don't really expect Apple to fix
either of these, though...
--
Chris Pepper: < http://www.reppep.com/~pepper/>
Rockefeller University: < http://www.rockefeller.edu/>
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Geoff.Odhner (apparently)
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Dec 7, 2005 9:08 am
(#8 Total: 8)
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Re: Applications folder symlinks ease installation
On Dec 6, 2005, at 3:20 PM, keydel wrote:
> One thing I've *always* wanted was the ability to automatically create a
> folder in which to store the application.... I've tried simply
> dragging the mounted image
> into my application folder, but of course this doesn't work. Anybody
> know of any magic keystrokes that will do this?
What I do is get a new Finder window (with the sidebar), then select
the icon for my computer. Once I do that, I can drag the mounted
image *from the next column* to the Applications folder and release
it, holding the Command key to make it copy instead of link. If I
drag from the sidebar, it simply removes the mounted image from the
sidebar, but by dragging it from the next column, it won't. This
works very nicely, though it is a bit clumsy. One day I'll get
around to writing an AppleScript to do it.
Regards,
Geoff Odhner
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TidBITS TidBITS TidBITS Talk Applications folder symlinks ease installation
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