DesktopSweeper
freeware for Mac OS X
by Philippe Martin
version 1.1
What is DesktopSweeper?
DesktopSweeper is a freeware APE Module (the equivalent of Unsanity's haxies) that allows you to hide (and show again) the Finder's Desktop icons by pressing a hotkey in any application. I wrote it because CodeTek dropped that feature from VirtualDesktop 3.0 after they got me addicted to it in previous versions. I use to have lots of icons on my Desktop, but I don't want to see them until I need it. My Desktop looks much better when they're hidden.
DesktopSweeper doesn't work by covering the Desktop so your desktop background is not affected at all, even if you use an application that displays animated or screensaver'ed backgrounds. Also, if you log out or quit the Finder while icons are hidden, the next time you'll log-in (or launch the Finder) the icons will be displayed where you expect them.
Requirements
DestkopSweeper can be installed in Mac OS X 10.2.x (Jaguar) or 10.3.x (Panther), but Panther is recommended.
Download
DesktopSweeper1.1 (640 KB)
Installing DesktopSweeper
Run the installer, follow its instructions, then log-out and back in. That's it.
Note that the installer will also install the latest version of Unsanity's Application Enhancer (the 1.4.2) if it's not already present. Get more info about it from:
http://unsanity.com/haxies/ape/
Using DesktopSweeper
DesktopSweeper is very easy to use: just press Cmd-Return to hide Desktop icons, and press it again to show them back (this is the default HotKey, but it can be changed from DesktopSweeper's preferences pane).
You can also set DesktopSweeper to do it automatically for you, displaying Desktop icons when the Finder is frontmost, and hiding them when it's not.
And finally you can set it to also hide the Finder (like if you pressed Cmd-H) at the same time it hides Desktop icons, to hide Finder windows too.
In Panther, there are two different ways to hide the icons, with slightly different behaviors:
- Not hiding new icons: When Desktop icons are hidden, any item dropped or created onto the Destkop is visible and can be manipulated (moved, opened, etc). As a side effect you can also make hidden icons visible by selecting them (if you know where they are or by accident).
- Hiding new icons: When Desktop icons are hidden, any item dropped or created onto the desktop is immediately hidden too, until you press the hotkey to make the icons visible. Note that when using this method you can create a folder on the desktop from the save dialog of any application, but you cannot do it by pressing Cmd-Shift-N in the Finder (until icons are visible again).
You can choose which of these methods to use from DesktopSweeper's preferences.
In Jaguar, only the first method is available. Also, when Desktop icons are hidden, dropping or creating a new item onto the Desktop will make every other icons visible.
Preferences
To access DesktopSweeper's preferences, launch System Preferences, click on APE Manager and click on DesktopSweeper.
HotKey
The preferences pane allows you to change the HotKey. To do so, click on the "Change..." button, then press your replacement HotKey. Finally click on "Accept" to validate the new HotKey and restart the Finder (which is necessary to enable the new HotKey). Make sure to choose a HotKey not already used by another application, as DesktopSweeper would take precedence over that application.
Automatic Mode
In automatic mode, DesktopSweeper will display Desktop icons automatically when the Finder is the frontmost application, and hide them when it isn't. Use the sliders to define the delay after which DesktopSweeper will toggle icons visibility if you didn't change the frontmost application in the meantime.
Hiding also the Finder
When this box is checked, DesktopSweeper will send a hide command to the Finder each time it hides Desktop icons. Use that option if you want Finder's windows to be hidden too.
Hiding new items
In Panther this checkbox allows to choose if new items will be hidden or not. For more information see Using DesktopSweeper above.
Known issues and questions:
- Does it modify the Finder permanently?
No, it doesn't modify the Finder in any way. When the Finder launches, DesktopSweeper just adds a couple of functions to what the Finder loads into memory. Nothing is ever written to disk (except DesktopSweeper's prefs file, at ~/Library/Preferences/com.flip.DesktopSweeper).
- I read that Unsanity's Application Enhancer causes instabilities or affects performances. Why does DesktopSweeper require it?
The only application that can hide desktop icons is the Finder itself, but unfortunately it's a feature it doesn't provide. Therefore, DesktopSweeper must load itself into the Finder in order to add the necessary functions from the inside. There are several methods to do that, but I've chosen Unsanity's framework because I believe it was much safer that way. Application Enhancer has been tested and used for years (including by myself) and I know that when it's used reasonably (that is if you don't keep loading every APE module out there in every application you use) it won't cause any problem. If you want to learn more on how Application Enhancer works, see:
http://www.unsanity.org/archives/000342.php
- Sometimes, when I click on the Desktop while icons are hidden, the name of an item on the Desktop appears out of nowhere in edition mode. What's going on?
DesktopSweeper hides the icons but it doesn't affect the invisible layer that allows you to edit file or folder names and drop items on the Desktop. So it's possible to enter accidentally in "name edition" mode (like when you click on a file name). In this case just press the Return key to exit the edition mode without changing the name.
Credits
I would like especially to thank the following people:
Slava Karpenko and Rosyna Keller from Unsanity (http://unsanity.com), the former for his invaluable infos about low level API's in Mac OS X, and the latter for answering my numerous questions about Carbon. And thanks to Unsanity as a whole for Application Enhancer and for their haxies.
Matthew Klahn from CodeTek (http://codetek.com) for his infos about Finder's internals. Also DesktopSweeper was inspired by a similar feature present in versions 2.x of CodeTek's indispensable VIrtualDesktop.
Thanks also to the following people for beta testing it: Corentin Cras-Méneur, Slava Karpenko, Rosyna Keller, Matthew Klahn, Dave Nanian, Mike Piakek-Jimenez, Marcus Vorwaller.
Feedback
Please Feel free to email me with comments and/or bug reports.
Versions history
1.1 - 24/08/2004
- Improved support of multiple monitors.
- Added the automatic mode, in which icons are displayed when the Finder is frontmost and hidden when it's not.
- Added an option to also hide the Finder along with Desktop icons (just like by using cmd-H).
- Icons are now displayed/hidden all at once instead of one by one (thanks to Slava!).
- Reworked the prefs window, replacing help texts with contextual tooltips.
- Now comes with (and installs if necessary) APE 1.4.2 (more info at: http://unsanity.com/haxies/ape).
1.0 - 6/03/2004
1.0b1 - 20/02/2004
Legal Stuff
DesktopSweeper is free software: you can redistribute as you want as long as you don't make any profit of it, and as long the original readme file is joined.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY. If you use it, you do it at your own risks.
Copyright
© 2004 Philippe Martin
Icon and parts of the code © 2002-2004 Unsanity LCC
