TextEdit app opening behavior

Rob Ehle wrote:

I'm sure there's a logic to this

There is - it's called iOS. Apple is redesigning all its apps to be iOS-style. For document-based apps like TextEdit, the initial user experience is a system file open panel. Personally, I think it's awful. I'm working on a document-based iOS app right now and I'm not using Apple's architecture. The last thing I want for an onboarding experience is a file open dialog, which on iOS is not familiar to most people.

So, what you are seeing is the macOS equivalent. As Barney suggests, the best solution is to just keep a document open and never close it. The nice part about the modern document-based app experience is that you never really need to save a document. If you quit an app with an unsaved document, it will come right back when you re-launch the app. You don't have to save until you close the document.

Could Apple have designed a better architecture that made more sense, but still had the auto-save feature? Different question...

Rob Ehle wrote:

Can anyone tell me if there's a way to change the way TextEdit opens? Rather than open with a blank new document, it now opens to an open app folder window, and I must hit the "New Document" button every time. Aside from confusing me and making me think I'm still in the Finder, it adds an irritating extra step.

I'm sure there's a logic to this, but it isn't the way I work, and it adds an irritating extra step. I can't find a way to change this in the app preferences.

What is a "open app folder window"...?

Is this in full screen, or a on your Desktop?

Command N shortcut will open a new document window ...

Maybe a screen shot—Shift Command 4 would help exemplify the issue.

TextEdit User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

Open documents in TextEdit on Mac - Apple Support

https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/62110-textedits-hidden-talents/

Barney-15E wrote:

I just saw this, but haven’t tested.

Text Edit strange behavior - Apple Community

I tested it and can confirm it. Strange.

To clarify, this is strictly about giving TextEdit (or some other app) its own, dedicated iCloud folder. Even if the setting is disabled, the app can still save files in iCloud. It just can't use the app's dedicated folder. But if you turn the setting off, then you can't access any files saved in this app's dedicated iCloud folder. Crazy. It's just like it is designed-in complexity for no reason than to have additional complexity.

I didn't find a way in preferences, but you can close it with a new, untitled document open. It will not show the dialog, but I would imagine you would need to do something like Duplicate to start working on a new document to leave the dummy document open.

One could do the following in the Terminal to place an alias on the Desktop (or Dock) that gives direct access to the hidden TextEdit folder on iCloud Drive, once TextEdit's opening is altered by the System Preferences changes:

In the Terminal:

ln -s ~/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~TextEdit/Documents ~/Desktop/TextEdit_iCloud

This will reveal existing content on iCloud Drive in the TextEdit folder and allow two-way drag and drop from the Mac.

I just saw this, but haven’t tested.

Text Edit strange behavior - Apple Community

I would prefer an easier approach - just get rid of the iCloud Drive folder entirely. Make iCloud just Desktop and Documents and be done with it.