Buying Options
Modding Mac OS X
Print $24.95
Add to Cart
Safari Books Online
Add to Cart
What is this?
Print £18.99
Add to Cart
What is this?

Modding Mac OS X

Extreme Makeovers for Your Mac

By
Erica Sadun
Publisher:
O'Reilly Media
Released:
September 2004
Pages:
304
Description
This book uncovers dozens of ways to customize the user interface for both Mac OS X and its applications, using the newest tools; from hacking the preferences, enabling and disabling plug-ins, to using the Terminal and applications like the Property List Editor to tweak files and edit resources. If you're ready to tweak and experiment, to create and refine, to customize and control OSX and your applications and have some fun doing it--this is an indispensable guide.
Full Description
Table of Contents

  1. Chapter 1 Transforming Your Mac

    1. Desktops

    2. Screensavers

    3. Altering the Dock

    4. Changing the Look of Finder Windows

    5. Customizing Standard Icons

    6. Custom Themes

    7. Changing the Boot Panel

    8. Final Thoughts

  2. Chapter 2 Inside Application Bundles

    1. Application Bundles

    2. Understanding Bundle Structure

    3. Building Bundles

    4. Exploring the Resources Folder

    5. Understanding Localizations

    6. Plug-ins

    7. Property Lists

    8. Shrinking Applications

    9. Final Thoughts

  3. Chapter 3 Application Dumpster Diving

    1. The Xcode Tools

    2. Finding Goodies

    3. Changing Sounds

    4. Searching Through Alternate Locations

    5. Finding and Changing Images

    6. Peeking at (and Playing with) String Files

    7. Final Thoughts

  4. Chapter 4 Changing Icons

    1. Mac OS X Icon Files

    2. Viewing Icons

    3. Creating Custom Icons

    4. Changing Icons

    5. Creating a Pseudo-Application

    6. Final Thoughts

  5. Chapter 5 Preferences Files

    1. Preferences Files

    2. Managing Property Lists

    3. Real-World Preferences Files

    4. Discovering Undocumented Preferences

    5. Final Thoughts

  6. Chapter 6 Discovering Domains and Support Files

    1. Folders

    2. Libraries and the Applications That Use Them

    3. Preferences Domains

    4. Recovering Preferences Settings by Domain

    5. Final Thoughts

  7. Chapter 7 Changing Interface Elements

    1. Making Alterations

    2. Getting Ready to Hack

    3. Meeting Interface Builder

    4. Changing Window Styles

    5. Adding a Tool Tip

    6. Adding an Item to the Contextual Menu

    7. Adding a New Button

    8. Adding a Custom Drawer

    9. Adding Objects from Another NIB File

    10. Changing Object Classes

    11. Restoring the Terminal Application

    12. Final Thoughts

  8. Chapter 8 Altering Keyboard Shortcuts

    1. Philosophy of Keyboard Shortcuts

    2. Panther's New Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences Pane

    3. Changing the Keyboard Shortcuts

    4. Adding Application Keyboard Shortcuts

    5. Keyboard Shortcut Equivalents

    6. New Ways to Define Keyboard Shortcuts

    7. Speakable Items

    8. Viewing Keyboard Shortcuts

    9. Final Thoughts

  9. Chapter 9 Basic Application Scripting

    1. Discovering Scriptable Applications

    2. Getting Ready to Script

    3. Talking to Applications

    4. User Interface Scripting

    5. General Application Scripting

    6. Final Thoughts

  10. Chapter 10 Scripting the Unscriptable

    1. Activating Application Scriptability

    2. Expanding Suite Possibilities

    3. Updating the Core Suite

    4. Reverting to the Original NSCoreSuite Files

    5. Final Thoughts

  1. Colophon

View Full Table of Contents
Product Details
Title:
Modding Mac OS X
By:
Erica Sadun
Publisher:
O'Reilly Media
Formats:
  • Print
  • Safari Books Online
Print Release:
September 2004
Pages:
304
Print ISBN:
978-0-596-00709-6
| ISBN 10:
0-596-00709-4
Customer Reviews
About the Author

  1. Erica Sadun

    Erica Sadun holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She has written, co-written, and contributed to almost two dozen books about technology, particularly in the areas of programming, digital video, and digital photography. An unrepentant geek, Sadun has never met a gadget she didn't need. Her checkered past includes run-ins with NeXT, Newton, and a vast myriad of both successful and unsuccessful technologies. When not writing, she and her geek husband parent three adorable geeks-in-training, who regard their parents with restrained bemusement.

    View Erica Sadun's full profile page.

Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. Emily Quill was the production editor and proofreader for Modding Mac OS X. Derek Di Matteo was the copyeditor. Patti Capaldi and Emily Quill did the typesetting and page makeup. Philip Dangler and Claire Cloutier provided quality control. Mary Agner and James Quill provided production assistance. Julie Hawks wrote the index.

Emma Colby designed the cover of this book using Photoshop CS and InDesign CS. The cover image is from Photos.com. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with InDesign CS using Linotype Birka and Adobe Formata Condensed fonts.

Melanie Wang and David Futato designed the interior layout using InDesign CS, based on a series design by David Futato. This book was converted from Microsoft Word to InDesign CS by Julie Hawks. The text and heading fonts are Linotype Birka and Adobe Formata Condensed, and the code font is TheSans Mono Condensed from LucasFont. The illustrations and screenshots that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia Freehand MX and Adobe Photoshop 7.

  • Book cover of Modding Mac OS X
Got a Question?
icons
Favicon Service and support by Satisfaction