Making changes to .plist files

Hi,

I am trying to open a .plist file, make a change to the file, and re-save it in 10.5. I have a couple of issues:

1) I can't find the file in finder or spotlight, although I can find it and open it from terminal.

2) when I open it from terminal, the file opens automatically in OmniOutliner. I can't figure out how to open the .plist file in any other application, or how to save it back to a useable format after making changes.

I am logged in as administrator and have a password set for the admin account. I'd appreciate any help.

Mark

SkySaw said:

1) I can't find the file in finder or spotlight, although I can find it and open it from terminal.

Click to expand...

It's probably in a hidden folder. What folder is the plist in?

SkySaw said:

2) when I open it from terminal, the file opens automatically in OmniOutliner. I can't figure out how to open the .plist file in any other application, or how to save it back to a useable format after making changes.

Click to expand...

You may want to look into using Property List Editor. It comes with the Xcode development tools. This means that you'll have to install the Xcode dev tools (large install) but it's free and in my experience, Property List Editor works just fine.

What plist file are you trying to edit? You may be able to use the defaults command to get the job done for you. Take a look here.

Rather than installing Xcode just to get the Property List Editor, allow me to recommend Pref Setter. It's a free download and works well.
Pref Setter 2.0 software download - Mac OS X - VersionTracker

I thought .plist files opened in TextEdit. At least, that's what I use - successfully - in Tiger.

hughvane said:

I thought .plist files opened in TextEdit. At least, that's what I use - successfully - in Tiger.

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Some plists are in plain text and can be edited with TextEdit. Some, though, are in binary form and can't be.

Rather than installing Xcode just to get the Property List Editor, allow me to recommend Pref Setter. It's a free download and works well.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. Lot's easier than installing Xcode.

Regards.