Modding Mac OS X isn't about cutting up your Power Mac's case with a saws-all; it's about modifying Mac OS X's user interface and unlocking secrets and dispelling your fears of the Unix command line so you can take command of your Mac.
Modding Mac OS X starts out with the very basics of showing you how to configure your Mac and do simple things like change Finder views, use an image from iPhoto's library on your desktop, and how to find and use screen savers. From there, Modding Mac OS X shows you how to:
Find hidden features in your favorite applications
Dive inside application bundles to find hidden resources
Change application and system-wide keyboard shortcuts
Work with the Property List Editor to read and edit property list files
Wrap your head around the defaults command to tweak an application's settings
Hack on NIB files to change an application's interface
Control an application with AppleScript, even if it isn't scriptable
Each Modding example includes detailed step-by-step instructions that even a novice Mac user can follow, while also providing the necessary detail to satisfy the experienced hacker. The knowledge you gain from tweaking one application can be easily applied to the next.
So go on, empower your inner Mac geek. You know you want to.
Chapter 1 Transforming Your Mac
Desktops
Screensavers
Altering the Dock
Changing the Look of Finder Windows
Customizing Standard Icons
Custom Themes
Changing the Boot Panel
Final Thoughts
Chapter 2 Inside Application Bundles
Application Bundles
Understanding Bundle Structure
Building Bundles
Exploring the Resources Folder
Understanding Localizations
Plug-ins
Property Lists
Shrinking Applications
Final Thoughts
Chapter 3 Application Dumpster Diving
The Xcode Tools
Finding Goodies
Changing Sounds
Searching Through Alternate Locations
Finding and Changing Images
Peeking at (and Playing with) String Files
Final Thoughts
Chapter 4 Changing Icons
Mac OS X Icon Files
Viewing Icons
Creating Custom Icons
Changing Icons
Creating a Pseudo-Application
Final Thoughts
Chapter 5 Preferences Files
Preferences Files
Managing Property Lists
Real-World Preferences Files
Discovering Undocumented Preferences
Final Thoughts
Chapter 6 Discovering Domains and Support Files
Folders
Libraries and the Applications That Use Them
Preferences Domains
Recovering Preferences Settings by Domain
Final Thoughts
Chapter 7 Changing Interface Elements
Making Alterations
Getting Ready to Hack
Meeting Interface Builder
Changing Window Styles
Adding a Tool Tip
Adding an Item to the Contextual Menu
Adding a New Button
Adding a Custom Drawer
Adding Objects from Another NIB File
Changing Object Classes
Restoring the Terminal Application
Final Thoughts
Chapter 8 Altering Keyboard Shortcuts
Philosophy of Keyboard Shortcuts
Panther’s New Keyboard Shortcuts Preferences Pane
Erica Sadun holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She has written, co-written, and contributed to almost two dozen books about technology, particularly in the areas of programming, digital video, and digital photography. An unrepentant geek, Sadun has never met a gadget she didn't need. Her checkered past includes run-ins with NeXT, Newton, and a vast myriad of both successful and unsuccessful technologies. When not writing, she and her geek husband parent three adorable geeks-in-training, who regard their parents with restrained bemusement.
Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. Emily Quill was the production editor and proofreader for Modding Mac OS X. Derek Di Matteo was the copyeditor. Patti Capaldi and Emily Quill did the typesetting and page makeup. Philip Dangler and Claire Cloutier provided quality control. Mary Agner and James Quill provided production assistance. Julie Hawks wrote the index.
Emma Colby designed the cover of this book using Photoshop CS and InDesign CS. The cover image is from Photos.com. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with InDesign CS using Linotype Birka and Adobe Formata Condensed fonts.
Melanie Wang and David Futato designed the interior layout using InDesign CS, based on a series design by David Futato. This book was converted from Microsoft Word to InDesign CS by Julie Hawks. The text and heading fonts are Linotype Birka and Adobe Formata Condensed, and the code font is TheSans Mono Condensed from LucasFont. The illustrations and screenshots that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia Freehand MX and Adobe Photoshop 7.
