Dashboard widget issues

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Dashboard widget issues

Recently, I've been having problems with two of the widgets on my dashboard.

My Word of the Day widget has completely lost its background color and displays as transparent no matter what settings I choose. I am also having some trouble selecting it to drag it around and change its location.

I am also using K-notes, and it just recently has begun to randomly delete information I had entered on my notes, which then seems to be impossible to retrieve. It doesn't wipe out every note at once, even notes that I made in close succession to each other, but just seems to pick and choose at random.

I have already tried to remove and re-add these widgets to my dashboard but am having the same issues. I have also been using these particular widgets for a very long time without any problems until now. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Sep 3, 2011 2:29 PM

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Answer 1

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Sep 3, 2011 7:45 PM in response to khelekore

Sounds like their preference file(s) may have got screwed up. They are .plist files most likely in your ~/Library/Preferences directory (home dir preferences). I'm not familiar with those widgets so I don't know what their plist names are.

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Answer 2

khelekore Author

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Sep 3, 2011 8:25 PM in response to X423424X

I would guess they're these two:

widget-com.codedriven.widget.WordOfTheDay.plist

widget-com.rakoth.lichlord.widget.k-notes.plist

Both show as last being modified today, maybe because I tried to delete the widgets and re-add them to the dashboard. What would you suggest doing with the plist files?

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Answer 3

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Sep 3, 2011 9:40 PM in response to khelekore

I suggest you temporarily remove them and try the widgets again and see if yo can correctly recreate your desired preferences.

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Answer 4

khelekore Author

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Sep 4, 2011 12:05 PM in response to X423424X

I removed the widgets from my dashboard, deleted the plist files, and re-added the widgets again. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have had any result. Is there something else I can try?

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Answer 5

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Sep 4, 2011 12:20 PM in response to khelekore

Sorry, I don't know what else to suggest. For me generally widgets have always be problematic recording their preferences. I try to avoid using any of them.

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Answer 6

khelekore Author

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Sep 4, 2011 12:28 PM in response to X423424X

Okay, thanks for trying to help. Maybe someone else will be able to jump in with some ideas.

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Answer 7

geejii

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Dec 20, 2011 12:52 AM in response to khelekore

Curiously, I just have had the exact same problem with k-notes, which like for you had been working fine for years : out of 6 notes, I lost the contents of all but 2. I am running on 10.5.8 on a G4.

What I did to correct the problem :

- reboot

- do ++NOT++ open dashboard

- open folder "<your_home>/Library/Preferences"

- locate "widget-com.rakoth.lichlord.widget.k-notes.plist"

- use Time Machine to get some anterior correct version (you can check that the notes within are correct using Pref Setter, ++NOT++ k-notes)

- replace the version in "<your_home>/Library/Preferences" with the Time Machine restored version

- open dashboard : the k-notes should reappear (in their anterior version)

This does not guarantee in any way that the problem will not reappear.

Made me glad I did activate Time Machine, which unfortunately sometimes slows my G4 way too much...

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Answer 8

Jan 25, 2012 5:44 AM in response to khelekore

having a very similar issue with the k-notes widget. been using it succesfully and completely problem free for years, and suddenly today all of the k-notes notes i have open in dashboard are blank except for one. i can't find the widget itself in the normal Library>Widgets folder, nor can i find any preferences that begin with "widget" whatsoever.

i am running Lion 10.7.2 and the only thing that i can think of that has changed, has been that i updated to the latest version of iTunes today.

anyone have any ideas?

thanks,

-dan

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Answer 9

geejii

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Jan 25, 2012 7:00 AM in response to khelekore

To locate "widget-com.rakoth.lichlord.widget.k-notes.plist" using Spotlight, you need to add a search criteria with "System Files"+"Included", otherwise it is invisible.

The same problem I had in December, identical to yours, occured once more; I solved it the same way, using Time Machine as explained above.

But it becomes annoying, except that I have not found a good replacement for k-notes.

No idea about what triggers it, although I suspected in my case a too long note, without any proof.

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Answer 10

Jan 28, 2012 5:20 AM in response to geejii

thank you VERY much. with your sage advice, i was able to get my notes back.

much appreciated!

-dan

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Answer 11

krye

Level 1

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Mar 22, 2012 6:51 PM in response to khelekore

Same deal here. Ever snce I upgraded to Lion, my K-Notes randomly dissapear. I keep having to go into Time Machine to pull the .plist file back. Very annoying.

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