Dashboard developer mode problem

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Level 2

273 points

Dashboard developer mode problem

I've used Dashboard developer mode (enabled with a defaults Terminal command "defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode YES", or with customization provided by such apps as TinkerTool) since I upgraded to Tiger to allow me to activate Dashboard, grab a single widget with the mouse, and, while the widget's icon is still in the drag state, deactivate the rest of the dashboard widgets to leave active only the one I grabbed. Using this method in Mountain Lion, the widget disappears when I follow the procedure, and the only way to get it back is to bounce Dashboard (turn it off and back on again) using a method such as executing these two Terminal commands, killing the Dock after executing each:

defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES

defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean NO

Is there anything that causes the disappearance of the widget that I can change or remove? Toggling Dashboard every time I want to make a single widget available for use is very inconvenient.

OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Sep 13, 2012 6:35 AM

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Answer 1

Malignance

Level 5

4,511 points

Sep 13, 2012 7:35 AM in response to llee

I think your missing a step. After you execute the terminal command 'defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode YES' you need to log out of your profile and log back in. I guess this serves to reset the dashboard. If you already tryed to move a widget onto your desktop from the dashboard simply log out and log back in and it should appear on your desktop.

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Answer 2

llee Author

Level 2

273 points

Sep 13, 2012 7:43 AM in response to Malignance

Thanks, but I'm not having a problem activating developer mode, I did log out and back in after taking the action to activate it. My problem is limited to making a single widget active while using Dashboard developer mode in Mountain Lion.

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Answer 3

Malignance

Level 5

4,511 points

Sep 13, 2012 8:19 AM in response to llee

That's my fault. I misunderstood your problem. The only time I've experianced an issue with disappearing widgets was when I first activated developer mode and I didn't know I had to log out and log back in. Doing so brought the widgets back to my desktop. I did however test my iMac running 10.8 ML just now by using developer mode to put 4 different widgets on my desktop and all of them were active at the same time. Mind you I'm not doing anything but looking at them. I leave all the developing to the real pros. I did however note when I first use developer mode to put a widget on my desktop I was unable to move it to any other desktop, ML allows multiple desktops, that being said when I use developer mode on a different desktop the widget always shows up on desktop #1 thus appearing to disapear from the desktop I'm working on.

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Answer 4

llee Author

Level 2

273 points

Sep 13, 2012 8:39 AM in response to Malignance

I should probably have mentioned that I turned off separate desktop for widgets, but that may be self evident. Anyway, I don't seem to be able to find the desktop widget on any desktop when it disappears until I bounce Dashboard. Then it shows up on whatever desktop I'm using when I do the bouncing. Actually, I have an AppleScript that helps me with the bouncing, but I would still rather not have to run it. In the form I'm including, it just switches it on or off depending on it's current status, so I have to run it twice. It can be modified, of course, so that it turns Dashboard off then back on again in one execution. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I observed this issue on other Mountain Lion systems, but I need to double check. Thanks.

set _status to do shell script "defaults read com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled"

if _status = "0" then

do shell script "defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES"

tell application "Dock"

quit

end tell

else

do shell script "defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean NO"

tell application "Dock"

quit

end tell

end if

Message was edited by: llee (forgot to add script when first posted)

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Answer 5

Nov 15, 2012 11:05 AM in response to llee

There are now (ML 10.8) two different Dashboards with different behavior.

And each Widget itself behave different (in developer mode) depending on to what kind of Dashboard it has been added to.

1st Any Widget that has been added to the "Space-Dashboard" must not been dragged in developer-mode. Neither at "Classic-Dashboard"-Mode nor in "Space-Dashboard"-mode. If you do so - it vanishes.

The only chance to reactivate it is to quit the dock either by (your) script, by terminal or using the Activity-Monitor-App. Otherwise you have to close it is to switch to "Space-Dashboard"-mode and to klick on Minus ➖ and you will see the (x) close-buttons from all the hidden invisible Widgets.

2nd Any Widget that should be usable in developer-mode should been added in the "Classic-Dashboard"-Mode. So first deselect "Show Dashboard as Space" in Mission Control settings. Then add the Widget in "Classic-Dashboard"-Mode. This time you can drag and drop the widget in developermode as well as in Snow Leopard without any Dock relaunch.

I think its a bug and not a feature.

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Answer 6

llee Author

Level 2

273 points

Nov 16, 2012 2:02 PM in response to Stefan Nittscher

Thanks for taking time to reply with this explanation. Maybe I'm misunderstanding part of it, but it still disappears when I perform the activate Dashboard,drag and hold,deactivate Dashboard, then release procedure even If I add the widget in "Classic-Dashboard". Turning off "Space-Dashboard" is all that's required to achieve "Classic-Dashboard", right?

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