[Phosphor]

eMac 1 GHz ATI Graphics; OS X 10.4.5...

I've been using a custom shortcut to Show/Hide my dock, which I have anchored at the bottom left corner of my monitor, thanks to the extended custom positioning provided by Onyx. I'm used to the shortcut and can invoke it without even really thinking about it.

Often when working on particularly palette-crowded apps I hide the dock, but every time I mouse near the bottom of the screen the dock springs up out of its hiding place.

Is there any utility, haxie or terminal command I can use/apply so that the dock will no longer spring up when I have it hidden? I don't want to turn off the dock, I just want it to stay hidden until I mash the custom Show/Hide shortcut I have assigned.

Many thanks in advance to anyone who might help me banish this annoying behavior.

Cheers!
Phos....

[reader50]

A keyboard shortcut to make the dock invisible might do it. I don't know how to pull that off. The Dock is an application that runs under the WindowServer daemon, so it must be possible to send a command to the WindowServer to make the Dock invisible.

The only thing I turned up is a UI services utility posted by Apple in a technote regarding kiosks on Mac OS X. The utility appears at the end of the Features of the SystemUIMode API section, along with a screen shot. It can be downloaded there, as well as at the end of the page. Setting the radio button to kUIModeContentHidden does make the Dock fully invisible ... until you switch to a different application.

[Phosphor]

Originally Posted by reader50

A keyboard shortcut to make the dock invisible might do it. I don't know how to pull that off. The Dock is an application that runs under the WindowServer daemon, so it must be possible to send a command to the WindowServer to make the Dock invisible.

The only thing I turned up is a UI services utility posted by Apple in a technote regarding kiosks on Mac OS X. The utility appears at the end of the Features of the SystemUIMode API section, along with a screen shot. It can be downloaded there, as well as at the end of the page. Setting the radio button to kUIModeContentHidden does make the Dock fully invisible ... until you switch to a different application.

Ahhh, SUPER-easy solution!

Scroll down a bit on that page, and there's a little demo application that requires only the click of a radio button to hide the dock and keep it hidden. Click the default radio button of the little demo app, and everything returns to normal.

Get it directly from the following link.
http://developer.apple.com/technotes...s/tn2062_1.hqx

Now....next, I need to see if I can figure out a way to assign keyboard commands to the radio button selections, while basically keeping the little demo app invisible.

Hot Bubblin' Damn!

Thanks for the pointer, mate!!

Cheers!
Phos....

[monkeybrain]

I think you should be able to do that with AppleScript. I'm not too knowledgeable about it myself, but I believe you can create an applescript that will mimic the movement of the mouse (so I think you can first record the mouse movement of clicking the radio button). Then you could use one of many apps to assign a keyboard shortcut to run that applescript (for instance, Butler can do that, amongst many other things! And it's free).

[Phosphor]

Originally Posted by reader50

Setting the radio button to kUIModeContentHidden does make the Dock fully invisible ... until you switch to a different application.

Oh. Hmm...Dang!

Now that I've played a bit with that demo app, I see where it doesn't serve my needs as it stands. Now I understand why it's just a demo application. Crap.

I suppose I have to figure out a way to invoke the "ContentHidden" mode—Perhaps through an AppleScripted Terminal command (just my lame-brained conjecture) so that the dock STAYS hidden when I switch to Photoshop or GarageBand, to name just two applications for which I most want to enable this behavior. This means, then, that I'll have to ramp up my fluency with AppleScript and Terminal. That's OK...I could use the knowledge upgrade.

Ahhh, what a box of bees I've opened. But, I still say thank you for providing me more information than I started with.

Regards,
Phos....

[Phosphor]

Originally Posted by monkeybrain

I think you should be able to do that with AppleScript. I'm not too knowledgeable about it myself, but I believe you can create an applescript that will mimic the movement of the mouse (so I think you can first record the mouse movement of clicking the radio button). Then you could use one of many apps to assign a keyboard shortcut to run that applescript (for instance, Butler can do that, amongst many other things! And it's free).

Looks like we were on the same wavelength at the same time, Monkeybrain.

I checked out Butler quite awhile back...looks like it might be time to revisit it.

Thanks for the nudge in that direction.

[- - e r i k - -]

Keep us in the know of what happens, a stay down dock could be interesting.

[Phosphor]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - -

Keep us in the know of what happens, a stay down dock could be interesting.

Well, I scoured SourceForge and found nothing.

Too bad I wasted all that time, because I then decided to try looking in an all-too-obvious place, which I had dismissed earlier:

MacUpdate.

I found a US$5.00 menulet/app called DockBlock from Sideburn.com. I tried it in demo mode, and it does what I've been looking for, but it seems to slow my system down considerably. I'm not willing to give up the speed.

I'd be interested to read how well it works for others.

[kick52]

i suppose you could write a script to kill the dock when you start up, but then you wouldnt be able to use the dock.

[fisherKing]

i used to use dockblock, but...no longer. other issues with it.

i've been using transparent dock (not yet updated for 10.4.7, alas), to let windows sit OVER the dock, meaning full-screen photoshop, logic, reason, etc...

a different solution, but works (and transparent dock would work now with 10.4.5...)
check versiontracker for it, try it...

[Phosphor]

Funny you should mention Transparent Dock (the utility). I didn't remember that it had the "Always on Top" and "Hide Under App Windows" settings.

But the real funny thing is that I have it, but I'm not using it. But my Dock is transparent. I spent a little time last night looking for what I've used to make my dock transparent, but I can't figure out what it is!

It's been working so well for so long, I've forgotten. I s'pose I need to dig a little deeper.

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by Phosphor

Funny you should mention Transparent Dock (the utility). I didn't remember that it had the "Always on Top" and "Hide Under App Windows" settings.

But the real funny thing is that I have it, but I'm not using it. But my Dock is transparent. I spent a little time last night looking for what I've used to make my dock transparent, but I can't figure out what it is!

It's been working so well for so long, I've forgotten. I s'pose I need to dig a little deeper.

glad it's just been updated. (i have no patience!)

locking icons in the dock is great; i keep my dock on the right, sometimes when i scroll, i move one...

but not having the dock float over apps...rocks. again, fullscreen apps! (for me, on a 12" powerbook, essential)

[Phosphor]

Originally Posted by fisherKing

glad it's just been updated. (i have no patience!)

Oops...perhaps I should have reiterated that I'm still running 10.4.5.

And in case I wasn't clear (pun intended), I'm NOT using TransparentDock. I DO have it, but apparently I have something else that's causing the transparent appearance of my dock. I'm too lazy/busy (take your pick) right now to figure out what it might be.

[sc_markt]

This is why somebody needs to make an OSX version of taskmenubar. The dock is not really useful.

- Mark

[Phosphor]

Originally Posted by sc_markt

This is why somebody needs to make an OSX version of taskmenubar. The dock is not really useful.

I've been revisiting Butler, Mark, and it looks like it can pretty well replicate most of TaskMenuBar's functionality, along with a whole lot more.

[Phosphor]

Originally Posted by sc_markt

This is why somebody needs to make an OSX version of taskmenubar. The dock is not really useful.

- Mark

Just discovered HimmelBar on MacOSXHints.com today.

It's worth a look.

http://softbend.free.fr/himmelbar/index.html

Click the thumbnail!

[pheonixash]

Just put the applications folder and the utilities folder in the Dock, and you'll see the exact same thing.

[sc_markt]

Originally Posted by Phosphor

I've been revisiting Butler, Mark, and it looks like it can pretty well replicate most of TaskMenuBar's functionality, along with a whole lot more.

Never tried it but will take a look at it. Thanks for the suggestion.

[sc_markt]

Originally Posted by Phosphor

Just discovered HimmelBar on MacOSXHints.com today.

It's worth a look.

http://softbend.free.fr/himmelbar/index.html

Click the thumbnail!

This looks like a nice app but where taskmenubar really shined was when you wanted to switch to an open app or switch to an opened app AND hide all others. All you had to do was click once on an app's opened icon in the menubar and you got that app. If you double-clicked on an opened app's icon in the menubar, you got that app AND also hid all other apps at the same time. All with using on hand! Not only that, but taskmenubar loaded the opened apps icons and put them in the menubar where it was easy to see what you had opened vs looking for a tiny triangle next to icons in the dock. Taskmenubar was one of the best classic apps (in my opinion) ever.

[sc_markt]

Originally Posted by Phosphor

I've been revisiting Butler, Mark, and it looks like it can pretty well replicate most of TaskMenuBar's functionality, along with a whole lot more.

Just tried out Butler and so far, its the best pulldown apple menu type app I have used. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to use this app from now on.

Mark

[Phosphor]

Just thought I'd return and post bit of an update on this old thread (Yes, I have it bookmarked! )...The following is pasted from a thread I started at the MacMinute Reader's Café Forum. Just thought some folks may like to give it a go:

I'm currently having a go with EternalStorms' PresentYourApps, and so far, I'm enjoying it. I discovered it by reading a post by Rob Griffiths at the MacWorld site.

Here's what this little app does:
It allows you to set the hiding prefs for your Dock and Main Menu bar on an application-by-application basis.

I hate having the dock visible when I'm working with Photoshop. Sooo, with this utility, whenever I switch to Photoshop, the dock goes into hiding. Switch back to Finder, say, and the dock reappears. Now, understand that I already have a shortcut set to Show/Hide the dock— Control + tilde. It's just nice to not even have to do that.

The utility is supposed to allow you to remove your dock—which I would assume means that it won't even appear when you hover over its area with your mouse—but it doesn't seem to work (but I'm still exploring the PresentYourApps utility). And that kinda sucks; this is something I've wished for before, and asked about it on the MacNN forums (this is a recursive link back to this thread).

Hiding the Main Menu bar isn't something I could see doing too often, though. It's a little disconcerting. I know a lot of keyboard shortcuts, but not ALL of them.

And unfortunately, you can't set the prefs differently for each app...say hide JUST the dock for one app, and hide both the dock and the Main Menu bar for another app. Those prefs are global.

Still, just to be able to have the dock hide on a per-application basis is nice.

[Angelo78]

Originally Posted by Phosphor 

And in case I wasn't clear (pun intended), I'm NOT using TransparentDock. I DO have it, but apparently I have something else that's causing the transparent appearance of my dock. I'm too lazy/busy (take your pick) right now to figure out what it might be.

Maybe you also have ClearDock installed. It would be shown in System Preferences>Application Enhancer>ClearDock. That's what I have to remove the Dock background.

[sideburn]

You might want to give the new version of DockBlock a try. It works much beter and doesn't get rid of the Application Switcher or Exposé.

http://www.sideburn.com/dockblock/