Mac OS X | System / Utilities | Tweaks / Enhancements | Pref Setter

Pref Setter - 2.0

view & edit preference files

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All Time:	(5.0)
This Version:	(5.0)
Current Version:	2.0
Release Date:	2008-07-28
License:	Freeware
Downloads (this version):	5,033
Downloads (all versions):	25,902

Information Related to Version:

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Product Description:

Pref Setter is an application used to edit plist (Property LIST) files, geared towards viewing / editing Mac OS X's preference files. Very useful for setting those "hidden" preference settings that aren't available directly in an application. While the emphasis is on editing preferences, Pref Setter is a general plist editor.

Pref Setter makes accessing your preferences easy with the "Open Domain Quickly" window, listing your preference files and those in the /Library/Preferences domain.

Preferences are also easily searchable, with the Find panel that will search all your preference files for a term, or search individual plist files for a term with the search bar in the document windows.

Pref Setter also has comprehensive copy & paste / drag & drop support. You can paste / drag an XML string (in property list format) onto a document window to create or change a value. And now, you can paste / drag a "defaults write" string into Pref Setter and have it take care of writing that for you. No need to take a trip to the terminal!

What's new in this version:

New Features:

Pref Setter now uses the authorization frameworks to enable editing of system level plist files.
New tool bar item and menu items in the contextual menus for the “Open Domain Quickly�? window and Find panel which will allow you to launch or quit the application a property list belongs to.
Data items are now editable, in a separate hex editor window.
If a value is too long to be shown entirely while editing, a separate window will now open to allow easier editing.
You can now use regular expressions when searching.
Added the Sparkle framework, for automatic updates.

Changed Features:

Changed display of dates to show a formatted date string rather than the raw date.
If you copy/drag an item from a non-writable file, the “defaults write…�? string generated will now have sudo written before it.
Can now display dictionaries and arrays in a preference document in bold.
“Open Domain Quickly�? window now shows icons.
Font for the items in the “Open Domain Quickly�? window is now separately set from the document font.
You can now change a class to a Data type (though you can’t change a Data type to another class).
Updated Preference pane.
Updated Find panel.
Updated Get Info window.
Updated Help documentation.
Pref Setter now requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

Bug Fixes:

Leopard compatibility fixes.
Fixed a bug where pasting or dragging a “defaults write…�? string with a boolean type would always default to true.
Fixed a bug where pasting or dragging a “defaults write…�? string of either the -array-add or -dict-add type would replace the entire array or dictionary with the new value rather than adding the new value.
Fixed a bug that could lead to a crash when changing the class to a Boolean, Integer, Float, or Date class.
“Open Domain Quickly�? window no longer allows you to delete the preferences of a running application, which could lead to that application crashing.

Operating System Requirements:

This product is designed to run on the following operating systems:

Mac OS X 10.5 Intel
Mac OS X 10.5 PPC
Mac OS X 10.4 Intel
Mac OS X 10.4 PPC
Mac OS X 10.3.9

Additional Requirements:

Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later

Feedback Summary:

This Version:
Overall Rating:	(5.0)	Features:	(4.0)	Support:	(4.0)
Ease of Use:	(4.0)	Quality / Stability:	(5.0)	Price:	(5.0)

Key to Types of Feedback:

Reviews Reviews Troubleshooting Usage Tips Developer Notes Commentary Featured Reviews

Excellent ! - Version: 2.0, 7/28/2008 03:23PM PST

callmeanyway

Excellent & usefull application.
Many thanks to the developper.

Great Program - a must have for every Power User - Version: 1.2.1, 2/4/2007 10:19AM PST

(1 of 1 users found this comment useful)

Rod1976

This is a great app not only does it let you edit your .plist files but you don’t have to use the terminal to find the hidden ones nor spend time navigating the finder for all the various folders containing .plist files. This app does all the tedious work for you. And the ability to delete preferences right from the list menu makes it even more useful. Now I can get rid of all those orphan pref’s I have taking up space, not to mention the hidden ones that some shareware apps long since deleted have left behind on my Mac.

I can’t say enough about this app, oh yeah its free!...

Great and Gracious Developer! - Version: 1.1.2, 6/19/2006 11:31PM PST

(3 of 4 users found this comment useful)

EndlessFx

This application is very helpful - being fairly easy to use - and the developer has been generous enough to allow others to use it free of charge. I paid $15 for Defaulter and it has been of absolutely no use to me. I am yet a novice with preferences and plists, and I thought Defaulter would be my guiding light until I had time to sink my teeth into preferences and plists. I could not have been more wrong. There is practically no Defaulter documentation, and the person selling Defaulter ignored me totally when I asked for help. This application, which is free, is very good. I believe Pref Setter has more documentation. It isn't possible to have less. Above all, I thank the Pref Setter developer for being so amiable with this worthwhile application. I also have PListEdit Pro, which is a fine application I am sure, and I will make use of it thoroughly one day, but Pref Setter sure helps now and will stay in my arsenal along with Preferential Treatment! Thanks!