My Dictionary Widget

HI,

Congrats on the new MacBook Pro!

Try deleting this file. com.apple.widget.dictionary.plist

/Users/YourName/Library/Preferences. Drag that file from the Preferences folder to the Trash, empty the Trash and restart your MBPro.





Carolyn 🙂

Strange.
On my (late 2008) MBP the dictionary widget came preloaded and works fine.

Maybe you somehow transferred the older one to your new machine and it's not compatible?

Maybe the newer, compatible one is actually in your widget folder and can be gotten via "Manage Widgets"?

Maybe you could use Pacifist ( http://www.charlessoft.com/) and search your installation DVD for this widget, then (re)install it?

charlie

Try repairing disk permissions. That can fix a myriad of bugs.

Quit any open applications/programs. Launch Disk Utility. (Applications/Utilities) Select MacintoshHD in the panel on the left, select the FirstAid tab. Click: Repair Disk Permissions. When it's finished from the Menu Bar, Quit Disk Utility and restart your Mac. If you see a long list of "messages" in the permissions window, it's ok. That can be ignored. As long as you see, "Permissions Repair Complete" when it's finished... you're done. Quit Disk Utility and restart your Mac.

Try the Dictionary widget... if it still won't work ... You could trash the old one and reinstall from your Mac install disk.

I assume the Dictionary widget you are using, or trying to use, is the one that comes pre-installed?

If so...

To reinstall applications that came with your Mac:

Insert the Mac OS X Install Disc and double-click the package that installs bundled software or additional software. A package has an icon that looks like an opened box.

Follow the onscreen instructions. If you see a pane with a Customize button, click Customize and select the application you want to install. If you see a pane that lets you choose what to install, click the disclosure triangle beside Applications and select the application you want to install.

If you can’t find the application you’re looking for, you may need to reinstall Mac OS X. Your documents and user settings will remain.

Insert the Mac OS X Install Disc and double-click the Install Mac OS X icon. In the pane where you select the destination disk, select your current Mac OS X disk, and click Options. Select “Archive and Install” and “Preserve Users and Network Settings.”





🙂

When you say "doesn't work", what do you mean exactly?

What happens - or doesn't happen?

Does it show up in the Dashboard?

When you type letters in the little box and hit return - nothing?

charlie

have you tried launching your widgets, (f12 for me), clicking on the plus sign in the lower left corner, click manage widgets, check to see if dictionary is in the list there, and if it is checked or not.

ok, its checked. so when you click the plus sign and the row of widgets pull up, its not there? can you uncheck the box and recheck it>?

debbyj wrote:
It shows up on Dashboard, but when you type in a word, nothing happens. No drop down menu with a definition (if you're in the dictionary mode), no suggestions for other words to use (if you're trying to use the thesaurus). Nothing. It just sits there. I've tried all the suggestions prior to this email and nothing works. I think it's just dead.

Ok. Just to rule out the silly stuff first...

You are hitting the return key after you type in your phrase, right?

Try deleting these files also.

com.apple.dashboard.plist

com.apple.dashboard.client.plist

/Users/YourName/Library/Preferences.





🙂

Message was edited by: Carolyn Samit

so what was the fix..the return button>?