what is a .plist file?

Hello,

I have some files on my computer in my user/safari folder : bookmarks.plist, history.plist. I would like to know if anyone out there knows what these files are and how i can view them. I've tried stuffit, but to no avail.

I'd be very grateful for any info supplied.

Tone

.plist files are the Mac version of preference files. Similar to .ini files on Windows. They contain the perferences for a particular program. For example the bookmarks.plist would contain your bookmarks.

Most of them are kept in Library/Preferences.

You can open them with TextEdit or if you've installed the developer tools you can use the plist editor.

many thanks. simple when u know how.

Can they be deleted?

schmitstix said:

Can they be deleted?

Click to expand...

Yes, they'll regenerate at next boot or use of the application. That being said, it will require setting things up again as your customizations are gone . It's useful when having odd program or OS issues actually (such as a network interface that won't connect etc)

Dysfunction said:

Yes, they'll regenerate at next boot or use of the application. That being said, it will require setting things up again as your customizations are gone . It's useful when having odd program or OS issues actually (such as a network interface that won't connect etc)

Click to expand...

Thanks Dysfunction!!

There appears to be very little in the way of ticked, or filled boxes, in most of my plists. Can I just tick boxes that I think will, for example, re activate audio on my Mac?

Generally you need to tick the appropriate boxes from within the preference area of a program. Is that what you mean or are you referring to actually editing the ,plist file?

I suggest starting another thread and describing the audio problem you are having. That's probably the best way to troubleshoot it.

I doubt that a plist file is to blame for inactive audio. Can you be more specific about your issue?