How do you stop the Import dialog from popping up automatically?

In Aperture's Preferences/Import select No Application in the box beside "When a camera is connected, open".

As you say if you do want to connect to a camera or card reader, you can do manually.

Are you tethered, and thus never download from a memory card?

Ernie

This preference should apply equally to the Import window opening, and I understood you already had Aperture open. You should still change the preference as outlined above.

Ernie

You might try launching Image Capture, selecting any devices that show up there one by one, and setting the desired action for each device at the bottom left of the Image Capture window. Does that help?

Hmm… I can see how this would be annoying. Here's what happens with my Aperture installation (3.0.2):

• Aperture launching is correctly controlled by Image Capture and Aperture settings. The right devices are launched or ignored.

• When Aperture is already running (as in your case), those settings are ignored. When I insert a camera card, the import panel drops down, uninvited, to show the card. It does not select the card, and hence does not start downloading thumbnails, so just hitting Esc takes me back to my workflow. (It may just be luck that I have a printer/scanner thing which is listed first, perhaps because the list is alpha-sorted.)

Subjectively I don't find this too annoying but can easily see how it could be for someone else. I'm just real glad they dropped that disgusting, huge, slow-drawing Import window-with-arrows that was present in the previous version — it was like something out of a Microsoft nightmare!

Interestingly, the first card I popped in for testing was filled with music en route to my car's hard drive. Aperture ignores this card at all times, even though it's still FAT-32 formatted like a camera card. Putting in an empty camera card which still has the DCIM etc directory structure does make Aperture respond.

Sorry I can't be more help.

This problem has been annoying the **** out of me in A2 for ages so I'm disappointed to read that it still happens in A3.

The worst problem was that the Import dialogue would open when I connected my iPod Touch which was pointless as all the photos on that were synch'd from Aperture in the first place.

I don't understand why Apple continue to include this feature - they obviously don't consider it a bug. This sort of behaviour is what I expect to see in Windows, not OS X, and certainly not in a pro app.

It seems to me that the whole issue of what happens when devices are connected needs to be improved. On problem is that devices can only be treated by device class, not discrete devices. For example, as stated above, you can use Image Capture prefs to choose what action occurs when a camera is connected, but that applies to any and all cameras; you can't specify different actions for different cameras. This can result in apps fighting each other to take control of a device.

For example, I have iTunes set to open when I connect my iPhone and have (or rather I did) have Image Capture prefs set to open Canon's EOS Utility when a camera is connected (for my EOS 400) but since this applies to all cameras, EOS Utility opens when I connect my iPhone and so does iTunes meaning that both try to take control of the iPhone and neither succeed with the iPhone sat there beeping at me. If Aperture is running, it too tries to join in and grab the iPhone.

I've had to set Image Capture prefs to do nothing when a camera is connected and start EOS Utility manually when I connect my 400D.

I have been annoyed when this happens while using Final Cut Pro, and I plug my AVCHD camcorder into USB -- Aperture opens, as does its Import dialogue, but the camera is not chosen. Similarly, when I use my Epson scanner via Firewire connection, and the Epson Scan app, Aperture opens but usually not until I am finished scanning.

However, I just tested again and this does not happen when merely plugging in an external disk drive -- is that the triggering event you cite?

Btw, it is my experience that the com.apple.Aperture.plist does not control too much, and is not the location of Preset info, etc. Those are kept at Home/Library/Application Support/Aperture, while the com.apple.Aperture.plist is located at Home/Library/Preferences.

Ernie

Not agreeing, really. I have not attempted to use the No Application Setting because I am willing to live with the frequency that I experience. I was only reporting that there were times I could be annoyed. But I would expect the use of No Application to avoid the behavior, and thus am still not understanding why you have not gotten relief that way.

Furthermore, I am only seeing this behavior when I connect a device that captures images. ie a camera or scanner. I have the impression that you are seeing this when connecting other devices -- have I misunderstood?

Ernie

gguida wrote:
[...]I find very annoying that the Import Window pops up on top of my work every time a new volume is connected to my Mac. Is there a way to stop it from doing so? [...] As I have a fairly complex set-up, devices that look to Aperture like cameras keep popping in and out and every time my work is interrupted by the import window. Any ideas? [...]

Aperture 2 and 3 have done this. 3 is worse, in my opinion! I have tried to configure Image Capture and the Aperture preferences to eliminate/control/minimize this problem. Every time I connect a flashdrive, card reader, or iPod the import window opens. I typically have my scanner connected and active all the time. The import window opens with the scanner highlighted EVERY time even though it CANNOT import ANYTHING from the scanner. Talk about inefficiency and great cause for annoyance!! It's not enough that the thing opens even though prefs in TWO applications say, NO, NO, NO!
Importing also changes the sort setting in my album or project. Why? And, how about Aperture remembering from where I did my last import? My images are uploaded to a specific area/folder EVERY TIME. They are imported from there TO Aperture EVERY TIME. Why should my scanner be highlighted as the import source if I never import from there? I'm stumped!!
I, for one, don't need all this automatic help.
How about the software that conforms to the preferences set by the user?


Jerry