How to get rid of "._" files ?

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Level 1

9 points

How to get rid of "._" files ?

We are using Mac OS X 10.5 computers for the most part.
When we transfer files to other volumes such as FAT removable devices or SMB shares we get "._" files.
These files keep the resource fork for Mac users but are sometimes annoying for other users.
I read that the following command could disable the creation of these files :
export COPY EXTENDED_ATTRIBUTESDISABLE=true

I tried it on a 10.5.7 MacBook but I don't see any change. When I copy files I still get for each file a "._" related file.

Any ideas ?

Posted on Jun 24, 2009 7:31 AM

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Answer 1

Niel

Level 10

726,869 points

Jun 24, 2009 9:32 AM in response to p.a

Try using BlueHarvest to turn off their creation.

(44869)

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Answer 2

gumsie

Level 4

2,179 points

Jun 24, 2009 9:48 AM in response to p.a

In addition do a google search for the term, dot_clean.

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Answer 3

Kurt Lang

Level 9

57,996 points

Jun 24, 2009 10:04 AM in response to p.a

While removing the ._ parts don't affect the data of most files you put on an MS-DOS/Windows formatted drive, some are. For the few still in use, Mac Type 1 PostScript and legacy Mac TrueType fonts are. Those have all of there data in the resource fork. If you dump the ._ files, there will be nothing left and will copy back to the Mac as empty "Unix Executable" files.

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Answer 4

p.a Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 25, 2009 1:38 AM in response to p.a

Thanks for your answers.

I had already heard about BlueHarvest. Now I just tested it. It is a useful application but doesn't really fit our needs :
It doesn't avoid creating ._ files it rather removes them after their creation. When you access a directory with several files, if you copy a file it will then delete all the ._files present in the directory. Concerning .DS_Store it seems they are no more created but many free utilities can do this or you can issue a command in the terminal (what we have done).
Isn't there a command to avoid ._ file creation either ?

dot_clean converts from AppleDouble to AppleSingle and remove ._ files. That's not really what we need but it can be useful too.

We already faced the problems with old fonts. If our users use SMB we will have to warn them to let ._file creation activated (if it can be disabled !) if they want to put fonts on the server. For the moment we sometimes use AFP but we have authorizations problems with this protocol (I will make another post on this).

I am thinking about another solution. Maybe we could prevent ._file creation on the Windows server but really I don't know how. I also hope it will not result in an access denied if the Mac can't create ._files.

p.a

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Answer 5

KJK555

Level 4

2,900 points

Jun 25, 2009 3:16 AM in response to p.a

If you transfer files using the command line (cp, rsync, ditto, etc.), you can strip off the ext's and
resource forks using the command line options.

You could create a NTFS partition on your mac server and use it to hold the data going to the Win
machines. You would need Paragon NTFS to be able to get write access to NTFS. Turning off
NTFS access permissions in Paragon strips off the ext's.

On the win machines a little batch file would clean out those ext's.

the following dos commands in a .bat file would do it:
echo off
c:
cd\
del c:\._$.$ /s
echo on
echo All Done
echo hit any key to exit
pause
exit

replace those $ signs in "del c:\._$.$ /s" with the asterisk (star). Asterisk won't display
on this forum.
I think that is correct, forgive me if my dos is a bit rusty.
Using notepad put those commands in a file with a ".bat" extension,
place it on the windows desktop for easy access.
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/n tcmds.mspx?mfr=true

Kj

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Answer 6

Jul 4, 2009 1:17 PM in response to p.a

They best way I have found so far is to use a file copy program that bypasses the finder. I already owned synchronize plus, which worked. I did bit of digging and you can write a quick Automator workflow to copy files from one place to another and it seems like the ._ files are left behind because the files now work in my digital picture frame. The script I use is:

1. Ask for finder items
2. Copy finder items

If you have not used Automator before, it is not too bad to work with. Simply start it up and you will be asked what kind of task you want. I chose the "files and folders" and then where it displays the content pull-downs I chose my mac and the "As for files and folders when my workflow runs." This will enter your first component. Check the box that says "Allow multiple selections". Now click ACTIONS at the top and go to Files and Folders and choose "Copy Finder Items". Drag this under the "Ask for Finder Items." Choose Options and select the "Show this action" which should allow you to choose the destination when run. Save the script as an application, double click to run the application.

I hope this is what you were trying to get done. I was trying to get photos on to a card and make it simple enough for my parents to do this. Those darn ._ files caused the photoframe to crash, so I needed to do something.

From the file menu choose save as, and select application. Give it a useful name.

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