Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Tyler McAdams · Jun 16, 2003, 11:34 AM

I knew of an app in OS X that would hide the Apple menu bar... does a utility exist for OS X?

zachs · Jun 16, 2003, 11:48 AM

Nope, the menu bar cannot be hidden.

blackbird_1.0 · Jun 16, 2003, 12:11 PM

I personally wish we were given the choice for an advance3d feature that would disablle the menubar BUT give us a conextual menu ala Nextstep/Openstep, with all the menubars functions. Of course time/date, etc. could be maintained in the Dock.

fisherKing · Jun 16, 2003, 12:30 PM

i ran that app in os9 (bartender??), but it caused a lot of problems...

would be great to have options; contextural menus, even text & icons, where the menubar is, but over the desktop image (& being able to change font size & color for example)

some macnn'ers (see the gui forum) have desktop pictures in similar color to custom themes menubars...looks great!

oh well

Samanoske · Jun 16, 2003, 12:50 PM

jepp - that would be nice (especially the contextual version - n1!). The flag in the middle is the most annoying thing in the menu bar (IMO) and I have to keep it to switch between keyboard layout easily. If I could at least change the Icon

lookmark · Jun 16, 2003, 12:52 PM

Applications that run full-screen (like DVD Player, presentation software, or games) can hide the Apple menu bar, and sometimes provide a key to toggle it on and off. But there's no standalone utility that does that. The menu bar is just too important. And its disappearance perhaps too heretical.

Check out Silk from unsanity.com if you want more options customizing the font and font size of the menu bar (plus Finder).

lookmark · Jun 16, 2003, 12:53 PM

Arkham_c · Jun 16, 2003, 12:58 PM

It's pretty easy programtically to hide the menu bar in a given application, but there is no way to set it globally.

I couldn't imagine why you'd want to hide the menubar outside of a game though. It's an integral part of the user interface.

ebolla · Jun 16, 2003, 02:18 PM

-------
The flag in the middle is the most annoying thing in the menu bar (IMO) and I have to keep it to switch between keyboard layout easily. If I could at least change the Icon
------

i'm surprised apple made that ugly flag icon and not something more minimalist like the other CM menus

Does any body know how to change that icon?

mike one · Jun 16, 2003, 02:26 PM

Originally posted by blackbird_1.0:
I personally wish we were given the choice for an advance3d feature that would disablle the menubar BUT give us a conextual menu ala Nextstep/Openstep, with all the menubars functions. Of course time/date, etc. could be maintained in the Dock.

that would be awesome.
use my friends debian box all the time, find the lack of a menu bar PLEASING.

not going to happen from apple though, not a chance in sheep heaven.

techtrucker · Jun 16, 2003, 02:47 PM

I know how to do it programmatically...maybe I should whip up a quick Cocoa app!

Steve W

zachs · Jun 16, 2003, 03:00 PM

I know how to do it programmatically...maybe I should whip up a quick Cocoa app!

If you could do it globally, then yes!.

Tyler McAdams · Jun 16, 2003, 07:44 PM

The reason I want the menu bar off the screen is because somebody keeps turning off my iMac in my apartment... me and my little bro just moved in to a new place and I think his friends are playing around with it... not a big deal, that's what it's there for, but I'm running comandline seti in the background and I have to reboot it every time I get home from work... What I did was take a screenshot of the screen with all the icons on it... then place that picture as the desktop pic and removed all the icons that were there... making it look like it's not responding to mouse clicks... hiding the apple menu would be that extra step... too bad. Not that I don't mind them playing on it... but there are plenty of other computers in the apartment to play with, so when they see this, hopefully they will simply move on.... I've got a great bluescreen screensaver for my PC that I run when I leave my computer on to encode mpeg2 clips... works like a charm... everyone's always like Dude... I think your computer's broke.... I'm like hmmm let me take a look...

zachs · Jun 16, 2003, 08:54 PM

Perhaps you could use that pic as a screensaver, and turn off all of the cross-fade, etc. effects. Then set it to ask for your password.

Tyler McAdams · Jun 16, 2003, 09:43 PM

Originally posted by zachs:
Perhaps you could use that pic as a screensaver, and turn off all of the cross-fade, etc. effects. Then set it to ask for your password.

I like the way you think... excellent idea!

zachs · Jun 16, 2003, 11:23 PM

Open up Keychain Access (/Applications/Utilities). From the View menu choose "Show Status in Menu Bar". Now there should be a little lock icon in the menu bar. From there, you can select "Lock Screen" to automatically turn on the screen saver with password-protection (you don't even need to set it in System Prefs - this only does it when you select it from the menu).

Easy.

Tyler McAdams · Jun 16, 2003, 11:59 PM

Originally posted by zachs:
Open up Keychain Access (/Applications/Utilities). From the View menu choose "Show Status in Menu Bar". Now there should be a little lock icon in the menu bar. From there, you can select "Lock Screen" to automatically turn on the screen saver with password-protection (you don't even need to set it in System Prefs - this only does it when you select it from the menu).

Easy.

Nice... very nice...

bracken · Jun 17, 2003, 12:06 AM

Originally posted by blackbird_1.0:
I personally wish we were given the choice for an advance3d feature that would disablle the menubar BUT give us a conextual menu ala Nextstep/Openstep, with all the menubars functions. Of course time/date, etc. could be maintained in the Dock.

You got the right idea...

Tyler McAdams · Jun 17, 2003, 01:12 AM

Can't remember the way to take a desktop picture w/o grab appearing on the desktop at the same time... or does it? (I'm away from all my mac's right now...)

digitaljames · Jun 17, 2003, 09:22 AM

apple-shift-3 for fullscreen, apple-shift-4 for a crosshair.....

Originally posted by Tyler McAdams:
Can't remember the way to take a desktop picture w/o grab appearing on the desktop at the same time... or does it? (I'm away from all my mac's right now...)

moonmonkey · Jun 17, 2003, 07:20 PM

Originally posted by digitaljames:
apple-shift-3 for fullscreen, apple-shift-4 for a crosshair.....

+Control to capture to clipboard (I think).

Brass · Jun 17, 2003, 09:56 PM

Originally posted by digitaljames:
apple-shift-3 for fullscreen, apple-shift-4 for a crosshair.....

Then space bar to toggle between crosshair (drage to select rectangular area to capture) and capturing a window (click the window to capture, inc dock, menubar).

typoon · Jun 18, 2003, 08:57 AM

Originally posted by Tyler McAdams:
The reason I want the menu bar off the screen is because somebody keeps turning off my iMac in my apartment... me and my little bro just moved in to a new place and I think his friends are playing around with it... not a big deal, that's what it's there for, but I'm running comandline seti in the background and I have to reboot it every time I get home from work... What I did was take a screenshot of the screen with all the icons on it... then place that picture as the desktop pic and removed all the icons that were there... making it look like it's not responding to mouse clicks... hiding the apple menu would be that extra step... too bad. Not that I don't mind them playing on it... but there are plenty of other computers in the apartment to play with, so when they see this, hopefully they will simply move on.... I've got a great bluescreen screensaver for my PC that I run when I leave my computer on to encode mpeg2 clips... works like a charm... everyone's always like Dude... I think your computer's broke.... I'm like hmmm let me take a look...

There is an option to disable the restart and shutdown options from the Apple Menu under users. Why not set that up then it would get rid of it. Wouldn't that be simpler?

piracy · Jun 18, 2003, 09:42 AM

For an example of hiding the menu bar, see:

http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn2002/tn2062.html

and download the UsingSystemUIMode utility about a third of the way down the page.

zachs · Jun 18, 2003, 10:54 AM

Originally posted by piracy:
For an example of hiding the menu bar, see:

http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn2002/tn2062.html

and download the UsingSystemUIMode utility about a third of the way down the page.

OK, so it's very easy to implement.
But can anyone do it system-wide?

GORDYmac · Jun 18, 2003, 03:06 PM

Originally posted by ebolla:
i'm surprised apple made that ugly flag icon and not something more minimalist like the other CM menus. Does any body know how to change that icon?

I have no clue what you're talking about. What icon?

Originally posted by zachs:
Perhaps you could use that pic as a screensaver, and turn off all of the cross-fade, etc. effects. Then set it to ask for your password.

Wondeful idea, but then it's not really "Screen Saving". Then again, aren't screen savers more for security and decoration nowadays anyway? Do monitors still need screen savers? Oh well, never mind.

phillryu · Jun 18, 2003, 03:21 PM

With making the menubar disappear globally, could an Application Enhancer haxie work? I think it somehow taps into apps as an extension, and can do stuf like turn off/on metal globally, add windowshading, system sounds, etc.

zachs · Jun 18, 2003, 03:46 PM

Wondeful idea, but then it's not really "Screen Saving". Then again, aren't screen savers more for security and decoration nowadays anyway? Do monitors still need screen savers? Oh well, never mind.

Yeah, I suppose it's now "Screen Effects" in 10.2. Well, just substitute "screen effect" for "screen saver" then.

cpac · Jun 18, 2003, 03:58 PM

Originally posted by Tyler McAdams:
The reason I want the menu bar off the screen is because somebody keeps turning off my iMac in my apartment... me and my little bro just moved in to a new place and I think his friends are playing around with it... not a big deal, that's what it's there for, but I'm running comandline seti in the background and I have to reboot it every time I get home from work... What I did was take a screenshot of the screen with all the icons on it... then place that picture as the desktop pic and removed all the icons that were there... making it look like it's not responding to mouse clicks... hiding the apple menu would be that extra step... too bad. Not that I don't mind them playing on it... but there are plenty of other computers in the apartment to play with, so when they see this, hopefully they will simply move on.... I've got a great bluescreen screensaver for my PC that I run when I leave my computer on to encode mpeg2 clips... works like a charm... everyone's always like Dude... I think your computer's broke.... I'm like hmmm let me take a look...

This sounds like a lot of effort. Why not just say "stop turning my computer off?" or lock the screen?

MacManMikeOSX · Jun 18, 2003, 04:15 PM

Someone do it but not with ape, apes are terrible.

phillryu · Jun 18, 2003, 07:10 PM

I don't think it's even possible to hide the global menu bar with an application. However, what you could do is try downloading "Deskshade Plus", which can lock your desktop.

http://www.macrabbit.com/deskshadeplus/

fisherKing · Jun 19, 2003, 07:31 AM

seek & ye shall find (or something like that)

go here

stew · 10:39 AM

I just wrote a simple APE calling HideMenuBar() for every application, with mixed results:

Yes, it does hide the menu bar of all the apps I tried so far. However, many windows still can't be moved all the way to the top, they stop where the menu bar would be. Looks like this happens to Cocoa apps, Carbon apps' windows can be moved all the way to the top. Also, it disables the Dock, too - wether or not you like that effect is a matter of personal taste. Anyhow, I'll see if I can upload it somewhere for the interested (but first I have to read the legal mumbo jumbo from Unsanity to figure out if I have to give them my firstborn for doing that).

Tyler McAdams · Jun 19, 2003, 05:02 PM

Originally posted by fisherKing:
seek & ye shall find (or something like that)

go here

Wow... that's crazy! To turn it off, hit option plus shift and hit the left mouse button... I didn't look at the instructions and had to cold reboot! lol...

Tyler McAdams · Jun 20, 2003, 06:30 PM

Originally posted by fisherKing:
seek & ye shall find (or something like that)

go here

I just bought 2 licenses for BaspeDlock! It's works great, but a few things. First, be ready to do a little translating because the app uses Spanish in the registration process instead of English, and second the serial number is about a mile long and you can't copy and paste it. Other than that it works perfectly... in other words, the application itself works like it should.

headbirth · Jun 22, 2003, 01:05 PM

Wasn't X suppose to have tear-off menus originally?

The old app CustomMenus was killed because it was assumed X would implement all it's features and lo and behold X did nothing.

King Bob On The Cob · Jun 22, 2003, 01:22 PM

Originally posted by MacManMikeOSX:
Someone do it but not with ape, apes are terrible.

Apes are only as bad as your system (They work fine but they can interfere with other hacks your running or an unsupported driver ect...)