Files in use, here's how to find what is using it...
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20040121001144687
Files in use, here's how to find what is using it...
Ever try to empty your trash, only to find that your request is refused because apparently some program is still using that file, so you get this nice message:
The operation cannot be completed because the item [whatever] is in use.
Sometimes this is a handy sanity check. Other times it's a downright nuisance, because you're just SURE that no program should legitimately be using that file. It happens to me frequently enough that I figure someone else could benefit from a little UNIX lore. The command-line UNIX program lsof rides to the rescue. This program lists all open files and file-like things. This is very handy, as nearly everything looks like a file in UNIX (and Mac OS X).
$ lsof | grep [whatever]
Where [whatever] is replaced with the filename you're looking for. With this, you can see which program is desperately holding onto your about-to-be-trashed file. Once you exit that program, your trash will empty.
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20040121001144687
