Why can I not browse into subfolders in a stack?

Question

Why can I not browse into subfolders in a stack?

I used to be able to browse subfolders from a stack. For example, if you look at this screenshot of someone elses doc stack - mine used to look like this:

Note the little arrow in the top left corner. If you browse into one of the subfolder, it opens in the stack view, and you can browse it's contents.

Suddenly, though, my stacks have lost this ability.

Behold the following image:

Note the *absence* of the little arrow at top right? And if I click on a subfolder - nothing happens. Nothing at all. If I click a file it will open in the default program, but if I click a folder ... nada. zip. not a blamed thing happens.

What have I done to bork this up? More imprtantly - how do I fix it?

It's killing my because I keep all my remote desktop sessions organized in subfolder attached to my dock as a stack so I can quickly launch them, but as things stand - it don't work no more 😟 because I can't get into my neatly organised subfolders from my dock! Woe is me...

Has anyone else seen this behaviour in their dock? More importantly - does anyone know what I can do to get the default behaviour back?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Dec 17, 2011 11:36 PM

Reply

Answer 1

PAHU

Level 6

16,705 points

Dec 18, 2011 12:23 AM in response to Community User

The Downloads folder might not be the best example. You only see this arrow when you do navigate down a folder. For example, if you selected the DL-WIN7 folder in the Downloads folder when in Grid view, then you would see the arrow in the top left. But from what you are saying, selecting any folder within this Grid view is not opening that folder, and that is why you don't have the "back" or "up" arrow.

As to how to fix, if you control-click on the icon and change the "View content as" setting and then use it with this different view, say "List", does this work for you? If it does, and you then change it back to "Grid" view, does this kick it in the pants and get you back what you preferred?

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Answer 2

Dec 18, 2011 4:23 AM in response to PAHU

That may be correct, but I'm pretty sure I recall having a little arrow icon in my top level stacks.

Yes, list view does work as advertised, but it has no effect on grid view or any other view. I can switch to list view and that will allow me to drill down into the content of subfolders ( and this is my current work around, but an ugly one in the eye of this beholder - and I mean this is a Mac, so it should be pretty, right? 🙂 ) but when I switch back to grid, there is no change in the observed behaviour. Clicking on a folder icon still fails to deliver.

I've tried saving the .db files in ~/Library/Application Support/Dock and then issuing "killall Dock" to restart the dock application and recreate the .db files, but that only had the effect of scrambling the carefully sorted order of my launchpad icons. It had no effect on the stack issue, so I restored the .db's and restarted the dock again.

I've searched for a .plist thaht might shed some light on the issue, but all I found was:

MacBook-Pro:~$ cat /System/Library/CoreServices/ManagedClient.app/Contents/Resources/emptyDock.plist

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

<dict>

<key>persistent-apps</key>

<array>

</array>

<key>persistent-others</key>

<array>

</array>

<key>version</key>

</dict>

</plist>

MacBook-Pro:~$ cat /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.Dock.plist

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

<dict>

<key>KeepAlive</key>

<dict>

<key>AfterInitialDemand</key>

<true/>

<key>SuccessfulExit</key>

</dict>

<key>Label</key>

<string>com.apple.Dock.agent</string>

<key>MachServices</key>

<dict>

<key>com.apple.dock.appstore</key>

<true/>

<key>com.apple.dock.downloads</key>

<true/>

<key>com.apple.dock.fullscreen</key>

<true/>

<key>com.apple.dock.server</key>

<dict>

<key>HideUntilCheckIn</key>

<true/>

</dict>

<key>Program</key>

<string>/System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app/Contents/MacOS/Dock</string>

<key>RunAtLoad</key>

<key>ThrottleInterval</key>

</dict>

</plist>

It doesn't seem to offer anything obvious by way of what could be wrong, or how to fix it.

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Answer 3

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Dec 18, 2011 4:59 AM in response to Community User

First, the arrow in the top left corner of a grid view takes you up a level. It would have no function at the top level, which is why you don't see it in your second screenshot. Your first screenshot shows the contents of the folder /Applications/Utilities, and clicking the arrow would take to a view of the top level, /Applications.

As for the problem of not being able to navigate into subfolders in a grid, have you logged out or rebooted since that started? Sometimes strange issues can be resolved that way.

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Answer 4

Dec 18, 2011 12:54 PM in response to Linc Davis

Yes, I have logged out, logged in, rebooted, applied all available updates, and googled extensively before posting on an internet forum about this issue.

I am a Unix systems administrator by profession, though, and I purchased a Mac because it is essentially a Unix OS. The mere suggestion that a reboot should be required to restore any applications functionality is somewhat offensive to my professional sesnibilities. I assume you come from a Microsoft Windows background, yourself, where such "fixes" are the norm.

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Answer 5

Dec 18, 2011 1:30 PM in response to Community User

I have narrowed the issue down to a problem with CopyPaste Pro. When that app is not running, the problem goes away. I have replaced it with the foss utility "Jumpcut" for now, and filed a bug report with the makers of CopyPaste Pro.

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Answer 6

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Dec 18, 2011 1:32 PM in response to Community User

Your assumption is wrong. My prepared responses on this site are formulated for users at a very low level of technical knowledge, which is what I'm usually dealing with.

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account, or is system-wide. Enable guest logins and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select “Help” from the menu bar, and enter “Set up a guest account” (without the quotes) in the search box.

While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Any application you run will behave as if you were running it for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

As Guest, launch the application(s) and test. Same problem(s)?

After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

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Answer 7

Dec 18, 2011 1:38 PM in response to Linc Davis

Hadn't thought of using guest logins for that purpose. Nice one.

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Answer 8

Dec 18, 2011 2:01 PM in response to Community User

The result is interesting. I don't have any interoperability issue running as Guest. I'm going to try to clean up and reinstall CopyPaste Pro ans see if that has any effect.

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Answer 9

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Dec 18, 2011 2:14 PM in response to Community User

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software -- potentially for the worse. The following procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed. Don’t be alarmed by the complexity of these instructions -- they’re easy to carry out and won’t change anything on your Mac.

These steps are to be taken while booted in “normal” mode, not in safe mode. If you’re now running in safe mode, reboot as usual before continuing.

Below are four lines of text in monospaced type, which are UNIX shell commands. They’re harmless, but they must be entered exactly as given in order to work. If you have doubts about the safety of running these commands, search this site for other discussions in which they’ve been used without any report of ill effects.

Some of the commands will line-wrap in your browser, but each one is really just a single long line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then either copy or drag it. The headings “Step 1” and so on are not part of the commands.

Note: If you have more than one user account, Step 2 must be taken as an administrator. Ordinarily that would be the user created automatically when you booted the system for the first time. The other steps should be taken as the user who has the problem, if different. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this paragraph doesn’t apply.

To begin, launch the Terminal application; e.g., by entering the first few letters of its name in a Spotlight search. A text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.

Step 1

Copy or drag -- do not type -- the line below into the Terminal window, then press return:

kextstat -kl | awk ' !/com\.apple/ { print $6 $7 } '

Post the lines of output (if any) that appear below what you just entered (the text, please, not a screenshot.)

Step 2

Repeat with this line:

sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk ' !/0x|apple|com\.vix|edu\.|org\./ { print $3 } '

This time, you'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up. You don't need to post the warning.

Step 3

launchctl list | sed 1d | awk ' !/0x|apple|edu\.|org\./ { print $3 } '

Step 4

ls -1A {,/}Library/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Sta}* 2> /dev/null

Important: If you synchronize with a MobileMe account, your me.com email address may appear in the output of the above command. If so, change it to something like “user@me.com” before posting.

Remember, steps 1-4 are all drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste, whichever you prefer -- no typing, except your password.

You can then quit Terminal.

Reply

Answer 10

Dec 18, 2011 3:02 PM in response to Linc Davis

Step 1

com.Logitech.ControlCenter.HID

com.Logitech.Unifying.HIDDriver

com.markspace.driver.Android.RNDIS(1.2)

com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower(1.5.1)

org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv(4.1.6)

org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB(4.1.6)

org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetFlt(4.1.6)

org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetAdp(4.1.6)

com.intego.kext.VirusBarrierKPI(10.6.15)

com.intego.kext.VirusBarrier.AppBarrierKPI(10.6.15)

com.parallels.kext.prl_usb_connect(7.0

com.intego.iokit.BehavioralKext(1)

com.intego.iokit.VBX6NKE(8)

com.parallels.kext.prl_hypervisor(7.0

com.parallels.kext.prl_hid_hook(7.0

com.parallels.kext.prl_netbridge(7.0

com.parallels.kext.prl_vnic(7.0

com.intego.iokit.VirusBarrierX6Service(10.6.15)

Step 2

com.parallels.vm.prl_naptd

com.intego.VirusBarrier.antivandal.hks

com.intego.VirusBarrier.antivandal.ntw

com.intego.VirusBarrier.scanner.memory

com.intego.VirusBarrier.bm_injector_64

com.intego.VirusBarrier.bm_injector_32

com.intego.VirusBarrier.bm_controller

com.intego.VirusBarrierX6.realtime.daemon

com.openssh.sshd

com.sibelius.sari

com.parallels.desktop.launchdaemon

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

com.machangout.glims.loader

com.intego.VirusBarrierX6.scanner.daemon

com.intego.VirusBarrierX6.daemon

com.intego.task.manager.daemon

com.intego.netupdate.daemon

com.intego.commonservices.icalserver

com.intego.commonservices.daemon

com.crashplan.engine

com.bombich.ccc.scheduledtask.616786FB-7B7A-4220-8B07-C0816151FE4D

com.bombich.ccc

com.barebones.textwrangler

Step 3

com.culturedcode.thingshelper

de.synium.ChronoriesAgent

net.culater.SIMBL.Agent

com.wacom.pentablet

com.parallels.vm.prl_pcproxy

com.parallels.DesktopControlAgent

com.parallels.desktop.client.launch

com.Logitech.Control

com.intego.VirusBarrierX6.statusitem

com.intego.VirusBarrierX6.alert

com.intego.task.manager.notifier

com.intego.netupdate.agent

com.intego.commonservices.statusitem

ws.agile.1PasswordAgent

com.netputing.airprintactivator

com.google.keystone.user.agent

com.google.GoogleContactSyncAgent

Step 4

This command didn't work in zsh, which is my shell of choice. Here's the output from bash:

/Library/Components:

/Library/Extensions:

VBoxDrv.kext

VBoxNetAdp.kext

VBoxNetFlt.kext

VBoxUSB.kext

/Library/Frameworks:

.DS_Store

AEProfiling.framework

AERegistration.framework

Adobe AIR.framework

AudioMixEngine.framework

BackRow.framework

EDWOCommon.framework

EDWOInternet.framework

EWSMac.framework

GlimsAdditions.framework

IntegoiCalFramework.framework

MOLE.framework

MacFUSE.framework

Mono.framework

NetUpdateShared.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PluginManager.framework

SDL.framework

SDL_image.framework

SDL_mixer.framework

SDL_net.framework

TSLicense.framework

WacomMultiTouch.framework

iLifeFaceRecognition.framework

iLifeKit.framework

iLifePageLayout.framework

iLifeSQLAccess.framework

iLifeSlideshow.framework

iPhotoAccess.framework

/Library/Input Methods:

/Library/InputManagers:

Inquisitor

/Library/Intego:

IMailSenderTool

IntegoStatusItem.bundle

IntegoiCalServer

MIME.plist

TaskManager

integod

netupdated.bundle

virusbarrier.bundle

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

Disabled Plug-Ins

Flash Player.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.webplugin

GlimsAdditions.webplugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin

SharePointWebKitPlugin.webplugin

Silverlight.plugin

WacomNetscape.plugin

flashplayer.xpt

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt

/Library/LaunchAgents:

com.Logitech.Control Center.Daemon.plist

com.intego.VirusBarrierX6.alert.plist

com.intego.VirusBarrierX6.statusitem.plist

com.intego.commonservices.statusitem.plist

com.intego.netupdate.agent.plist

com.intego.task.manager.notifier.plist

com.machangout.glims.agent.plist

com.parallels.DesktopControlAgent.plist

com.parallels.desktop.launch.plist

com.parallels.vm.prl_pcproxy.plist

com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist

com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist

com.wacom.pentablet.plist

net.culater.SIMBL.Agent.plist

/Library/LaunchDaemons:

com.apple.remotepairtool.plist

com.barebones.textwrangler.plist

com.bombich.ccc.plist

com.bombich.ccc.scheduledtask.616786FB-7B7A-4220-8B07-C0816151FE4D.plist

com.crashplan.engine.plist

com.intego.VirusBarrierX6.daemon.plist

com.intego.VirusBarrierX6.scanner.daemon.plist

com.intego.commonservices.daemon.plist

com.intego.commonservices.icalserver.plist

com.intego.netupdate.daemon.plist

com.intego.task.manager.daemon.plist

com.machangout.glims.loader.plist

com.mckay.sysstat-sar.plist

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

com.parallels.desktop.launchdaemon.plist

com.sibelius.sari.plist

com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist

uk.org.thekelleys.dnsmasq.plist

/Library/PreferencePanes:

Flip4Mac WMV.prefPane

Launchpad-Control.prefPane

Logitech Control Center.prefPane

MacFUSE.prefPane

NetUpdate.prefPane

PenTablet.prefPane

Perian.prefPane

TeXDistPrefPane.prefPane

Tuxera NTFS.prefPane

Xmarks.prefPane

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

NetUpdateAgent.app

com.barebones.textwrangler

com.bombich.ccc

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

com.sibelius.sari

/Library/QuickLook:

.DS_Store

BetterZipQL.qlgenerator

Finale.qlgenerator

Folder.qlgenerator

GBQLGenerator.qlgenerator

QLColorCode.qlgenerator

QuicklookTM.tmplugin

Suspicious Package.qlgenerator

TMQuicklook.tmplugin

flv.qlgenerator

iWork.qlgenerator

/Library/QuickTime:

AC3MovieImport.component

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component

Flip4Mac WMV Advanced.component

Flip4Mac WMV Export.component

Flip4Mac WMV Import.component

Perian.component

/Library/ScriptingAdditions:

Glims.osax

SIMBL.osax

/Library/Services:

CurioService.service

TextExpander Service.service

VirusBarrier X6 Service.service

/Library/StartupItems:

ChmodBPF

HWNetMgr

HWPortDetect

Rhinoback Quick Backup-AutoUpdate

VirtualBox

Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle

Library/Frameworks:

EWSMac.framework

Library/Indexes:

Library/Input Methods:

.localized

Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

FolxNetscapePlugIn.plugin

GlimsAddition.notplugin

RealPlayer Plugin.plugin

WebEx.plugin

Library/LaunchAgents:

com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync.ABExchangeSource.48DC1B3B-39D8-417D-AB1F-3E62A7324C0C.plist

com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync.ABExchangeSource.550CC897-442D-4CA4-84A7-08AA3F2C75FF.plist

com.apple.SafariBookmarksSyncer.plist

com.google.GoogleContactSyncAgent.plist

com.google.keystone.agent.plist

com.netputing.airprintactivator.plist

org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist

ws.agile.1PasswordAgent.plist

Library/Mail/Bundles:

.DS_Store

DEVONMailConduit-SnowLeopard.mailbundle

MailActOn.mailbundle

MailTags.mailbundle

OmniMailMessageServiceEnabler.mailbundle

Library/Mail/Bundles (Disabled 1):

.DS_Store

DEVONMailConduit-SnowLeopard.mailbundle

MailTags.mailbundle

OmniMailMessageServiceEnabler.mailbundle

Library/Mail/Bundles (Disabled):

.DS_Store

Mail Perspectives.mailbundle

Library/PreferencePanes:

Library/Services:

.DS_Store

AppDelete.workflow

Import into NOOK for Mac.workflow

NoteBookHelper.service

OmniOutliner Professional.service

Open Terminal ....workflow

ToastIt.service

ecmerge-macosx-ext.service

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Answer 11

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Dec 18, 2011 3:16 PM in response to Community User

Back up all data if you haven’t already done so. Before proceeding, you must be sure you can restore your system to the state it’s in now. If you skip this step, no one but you will be responsible for the consequences. If you’re dissatisfied with the results of the procedure suggested below, restore from your backup.

You should either update or uninstall the following system modification(s), if an update is available from the developer:

N/A

and definitely remove at least the following:

† SIMBL

† VirusBarrier

† Glims

† MacFUSE

VirtualBox or Parallels (both should not be installed)

Logitech Control Center

Tuxera NTFS

It's essential that all of the latter be removed completely, and the only way to do that is to use the uninstallation tool provided, if any, or otherwise to follow the developer's instructions. In some cases it may be necessary to re-download or even reinstall the software in order to get rid of it. I can't be more specific, because I don't install such things myself. Trying to remove complex system modifications by hunting for files by name usually will not work and may make matters worse.

Never reinstall the modifications marked with a dagger (†) above, if any. If your problem is resolved after uninstalling all the above modifications and rebooting, but you still want to use some of those not marked with a dagger, you can experiment with putting them back, one at a time, testing carefully after each step. Keep in mind that system modifications may be incompatible with each other or with future Mac OS updates, so it may not be clear which one is at fault.

Never install any third-party software unless you're sure you know how to uninstall it; otherwise you may create problems that are very difficult to solve.

Uninstall SIMBL by deleting these items:

/Library/Application Support/SIMBL

/Library/LaunchAgents/net.culater.SIMBL.Agent.plist

/Library/ScriptingAdditions/SIMBL.osax

Make sure you never reinstall SIMBL, as it’s one of the worst articles of crapware on the Mac platform. It’s likely to come bundled with some other modfication that depends on it. If you want trouble-free computing, avoid software that makes miraculous changes to other software, especially built-in applications. The only real exception to that rule is Safari extensions, which are mostly safe, and are easy to get rid of when they don’t work. SIMBL and its dependents are not Safari extensions.

If making the suggested changes and rebooting doesn't resolve your issue, post again.

Reply

Answer 12

Dec 18, 2011 3:36 PM in response to Linc Davis

There are some nice little motherhood statements in there, but apart from your opinion of SIMBL not much explanation.

Intego Virus Barrier seems to be a relatively stable product in my experience. I would prefer not to run an anti-virus if that were possible, but I am compelled by workplace requirements to have one installed active and up to date. Do you have any better recommendation for this function?

Would you care to explain why VirtualBox and Parallels are incompatible? I have no issues with Parallels and VMWare Fusion. What's special about Virtual Box? Can you substantiate this with something other than a gut feeling and a vague notion that one might not need both virtualization platforms?

What do you propose as a replacement for MacFuse and Tuxera NTFS? Again - I need to be able to access NTFS volumes mounted via USB for work reasons.

Glims and SIMBL, okay. The rest I need and rely on day to day. Unless you can explain I'm disinclined to follow this advice.

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Answer 13

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Dec 18, 2011 6:04 PM in response to Community User

The answers to your questions can be found by searching this site. If you're unwilling to take the completely reversible troubleshooting steps I've suggested, I have nothing else to contribute and will unsubscribe from this thread now.

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Answer 14

Dec 18, 2011 6:19 PM in response to Linc Davis

Wow. Thanks Linc. That's such a helpful tip. Search the site to find your opinion.

Dude, you go right ahead and unsubscribe. And don't forget take that little attitude problem right along with you as you go. 😉

Cheers, buddy!

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