"Open with" multiple options

MartinS · Jan 16, 2007

Hi.

If I right-click on an RTF icon and select "open with" I get two options of Word, three of Montage, three of OmniOutliner, two of Safari, one of TextEdit and two of WriteRoom. Any idea why this is and how to rectify it?

Many thanks.

RNDdave · Jan 16, 2007

Code:
Answer

The Launch Services database has become confused and needs to be reset. This is rather like rebuilding the desktop in Mac OS 9 and before, but it needs to be done much more rarely and is a bit more complicated.

Code:

cd /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/ ./lsregister -kill -domain local -domain system -domain user

You can pass it the -r flag to get a running commentary, but that's superfluous. What it's going to do is destroy the current database and then search the three pre-defined domains for programs to register and add them to the database. Logout and back in and the menu should work as expected.

from MacGeekery

Hope that helps

Dave

MartinS · Jan 16, 2007

That's the thing all right. But, um, I don't know how to implement the code. Do I do this through terminal...?

Evermore · Jan 16, 2007

yeah the same thing happens to me but how do i use the code?

RNDdave · Jan 16, 2007

Firstly I should point out that I am not a switcher yet - still awaiting my first purchase.

MacGeekery & Google deserve the credit for that answer.

To use the answer you need your Terminal. In Linux you could just copy from the browser straight to the terminal - I see no reason why that would not work in OS X.

Dave

PS: If you don't mind shelling out; Cocktail is an app that can do things like rebuild the Launch Services Database amongst other things - it's maybe a bit friendlier than the Terminal.

MartinS · Jan 17, 2007

Anyone else use Cocktail? Looks interesting, but has mixed comments on versiontracker.com.

MartinS · Jan 17, 2007

I downloaded Cocktail and ran "rebuild launch services". My Office files certainly seem to open a lot more quickly, although it did ask me if I really wanted to open the apps the first time after re-launch. (Oh, and I still have multiple "open with" entries.)

Cocktail looks interesting, but it's all a bit vague about what it's going to do, and I'm reluctant to run things when I don't know what they are.

MacHeadCase · Jan 17, 2007

You could download MainMenu. This little freebie is absolutely divine.

It has the Rebuild scripts, you can manually run the maintenance tasks with it view invisible files if you need to. What can I say? It's fantastic!

"Open with" multiple options

MartinS

RNDdave

MartinS

Evermore

RNDdave

MartinS

MartinS

MacHeadCase

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