Is there one place to go to set default look, organization, etc. for ALL folders on my machine?

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Level 1

21 points

Is there one place to go to set default look, organization, etc. for ALL folders on my machine?

Every time I load photos, or switch to a folder I haven't used in a while, everything in the folder is jumbled -- because Snow Leopard doesn't organize all folders alphabetically.

Yes, there are a couple I'd like organized differently, but couldn't I determine one setup for all -- including new ones -- then just go in and reset the few I'd like to be different?

Clicking Use As Defaults doesn't seem to influence anything.

Thanks up front if you can help me with this niggle.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6), Two years

Posted on May 15, 2011 6:18 PM

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Answer 1

babowa

Level 9

78,103 points

May 15, 2011 6:52 PM in response to cafox513

because Snow Leopard doesn't organize all folders alphabetically.

What folder view are you talking about? Here is a screenshot of one of mine:

I have the folder set to column view (works the same in list view) and set to sort by "None" - the OS is arranging them alphabetically by default.

Let me know if I'm not understanding your issue correctly.

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Answer 2

Badunit

Level 7

25,802 points

May 15, 2011 7:15 PM in response to babowa

I'm guessing this is a question about icon view.

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Answer 3

cafox513 Author

Level 1

21 points

May 15, 2011 8:55 PM in response to Badunit

Icon view, yes.

Normally, when I add a photo to a folder, it is tossed in, to land half on top of something else . . . unless I pull up the little Show View Options menu. I have hundreds of folders on here, so it's really a production trying to change each one individually. I need some power here. <g>

If I could set up existing, and new, folders to (1) open in icon view, (2) organized by name, (3) with a larger-than-default representation of what's in there, that would be a boon.

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Answer 4

Network 23

Level 6

12,333 points

May 15, 2011 9:30 PM in response to cafox513

I haven't tried it with icon view because I didn't want to mess up my Finder, but the way I was able to set my Finder view prefs is to:

1. Close all Finder windows

2. Open just one Finder window

3. Set all view options you want to change

4. Close that Finder window

New windows take on your prefs. Too bad that this is not reliable and hardly bulletproof, because the second you end up in a one-window state, it can get changed again. So I always leave at least two windows open now. I never close the last two anymore. Why two? I often need source and destination windows for drag/drop.

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Answer 5

cafox513 Author

Level 1

21 points

May 16, 2011 4:22 PM in response to Network 23

Tried having only one window open while I reset, and clicked Default. I hope this will do it. But I will try to remember your caveat to always have two Finder windows open at any one time.

I usually do, to drag and drop, but even the 17" screen gets a little crowded when I try to drag an email over to another folder.

Thanks very much for your help and interest!

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