Applications creating directories in "Documents" folder

RHG · 10-20-2003, 12:42 PM

I was trying to clean up and organize my directories and noticed Folders entitled "Palm", "eBooks" and "Microsoft User Data" in my Documents folder.

eBooks gets created every time I run Adobe Reader 6. I do not have any eBooks and I want to keep my directory neat. (Because I have my Documents folder in the dock and browse it as a menu.) Anyone know how I prevent Adobe from creating this directory?

The other two folders presumably contain things I need to interact with my PDA and run MS-Office, neither of which I do particularly often. Anyway, they don't belong in Documents, they belong in Library. Anyone know how to point these programs to different locations?

RG

DeltaMac · 10-20-2003, 01:25 PM

Lots of other apps assume that you use your user/Documents folder for data storage, so they create a storage folder that, by default, is in your Documents folder. There may be a setting in the individual apps that allow redirecting the user files that usually go there. Sometimes you can move these user folders to someplace else in your user folder (debatable whether you can generalize that all user files belong in the Library, which is where your user settings and registration type file are stored, among other items). Then create an alias for that user files folder and move that alias to the documents folder. You may find that some apps will create a new one in Documents folder, regardless of what you do.
The eBooks is like an extension or plugin, for Adobe Reader, you can do a search for this, and simply move it out of its existing location (trashing it would be OK, if eBooks are not in use.) then that folder may not return, you also get the benefit of faster launching of Reader.

darkpaw · 10-20-2003, 02:07 PM

Do you use Entourage? Your emails are all stored in the Identities folder inside the Microsoft User Data folder. This is where all the recovered documents (when Word and Excel crash) go, along with any saved attachments. It makes sense to leave it in the Documents folder.

darndog · 10-20-2003, 03:36 PM

I would just make these folders invisible, see this page.

Here is the relevant text:

Alternately, if you have the Developer Tools installed, you can set the directory's invisibility bit:
/Developer/Tools/SetFile -a V /dirname

If it is a non-root level directory to be made invisible, the command would be along these lines:
/Developer/Tools/SetFile -a V /Volumes/drivename/dirname
This will set the visibility bit of the named file/directory on the non-boot drive, thus making it invisible to the Finder.

dD

DeltaMac · 10-20-2003, 03:43 PM

Will an invisible folder, required for occasional use by an app, still be accepted as a correct location, while invisible?

darndog · 10-20-2003, 03:58 PM

Quote:


	Originally posted by DeltaMac Will an invisible folder, required for occasional use by an app, still be accepted as a correct location, while invisible?

Can't think why not, but I'm gonna put my money where my mouth is and find out, that MS folder has always bugged me too, will post back shortly & let you know...

dD

darndog · 10-20-2003, 04:17 PM

OK, made the Microsoft User Data folder invisible, restarted the Finder, checked it had gone (it had), ran Word & Entourage, made & saved some doc's & messages, no problems as far as I can tell (don't use either app on regular basis). I don't think the visibility flag affects anything other than the Finder, perhaps someone else could confirm/correct me?

dD

RHG · 10-20-2003, 05:01 PM

Thanks for the info guys. My feeling is that the Documents folder is for stuff I created and which I might want to look at or edit on a regular basis, and that Library is for things created by programs which I don't know about, e.g. Mail.app keeps my mailbox in Library. These I can look out for debugging purposes etc. I imagine a statement to that effect is in Apple's User Interface Guidelines, and that Palm and Microsoft blithely ignored it.

Each time I ran Adobe Reader 6, it would create anew the eBooks folder in Documents.
Be renaming /Applications/Adobe Reader 6.0/Contents/Plugins/eBooks.acroplugin, I was able to make it stop.

By the away, Adobe Reader 6 takes a looong time to start up. If I get rid of things in that Plugins directory that I don't need, will it speed up? I like it because of the text copy and search features, which Preview will apparently be getting under Panther, which I don't think I can install for other reasons.

RHG · 10-20-2003, 05:04 PM

Never mind, renaming the eBooks plugin did not prevent this directory from being created.

jdhorner · 10-20-2003, 05:13 PM

something that you CAN try is to un-check the plugins that you don't need from the Get Info window for Acrobat Reader 6. It increases startup time immensely.

robJ · 10-20-2003, 05:48 PM

Quote:


	Originally posted by jdhorner something that you CAN try is to un-check the plugins that you don't need from the Get Info window for Acrobat Reader 6. It increases startup time immensely.

Thanks for the tip! Is there a description of these plugins anywhere? I don't know what I do and don't need but I'd like to disable as many as possible.

-- Rob

jdhorner · 10-20-2003, 05:50 PM

if you disable one that it needs to function for basic files, it will tell you when you start it up. if that happens, just Get Info again, and then you can re-check the one that it said it needed. i have not been able to find a list of what each does. however, most of them you can sort of figure out if they "look important". the cool thing is, you're not deleting them... just disabling them. they can always be re-enabled.

robJ · 10-20-2003, 06:14 PM

Thanks jdhorner. I've disabled most of the plugins and it shortened the launch time considerably!

-- Rob

Leo_de_Wit · 10-21-2003, 09:45 AM

Quote:


	Originally posted by RHG Never mind, renaming the eBooks plugin did not prevent this directory from being created.

Alternatively, you could remove the eBooks directory,
then create a file in your Documents directory with the same name:

Code:

touch ~/Documents/eBooks

from a Terminal window.

I'm at least interested in how Adobe Reader will react...

Leo

stetner · 10-21-2003, 10:07 AM

Quote:


	Originally posted by jdhorner un-check the plugins that you don't need from the Get Info window

That is hint-worthy

for the main page (if it isn't there already)!

I have never seen such a silly place to put options though, I searched through all of the preferences for stuff like that and did not find it (course I never read the manual.

) I might just switch back to using it as my PDF viewer now...

pink · 10-21-2003, 10:37 AM

Quote:


	That is hint-worthy for the main page (if it isn't there already)!

it is...

cheers, pink

rusto · 10-21-2003, 10:56 AM

Did the touch eBooks thang and Acrobat Reader didn't bat an eyelash.

stetner · 10-21-2003, 11:23 AM

Quote:


	Originally posted by pink it is... cheers, pink

Ahhh, July, I was on vacation in Canada then.... so I have a fair excuse for missing it I guess!

Irene · 10-21-2003, 05:10 PM

Not being as tech savvy (yet) as many of you, I simply left Documents for the computer's use and save my own docs to a folder I created called "Irene's Documents."

10-20-2003, 12:42 PM	#1
RHG Triple-A Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 104	Applications creating directories in "Documents" folder I was trying to clean up and organize my directories and noticed Folders entitled "Palm", "eBooks" and "Microsoft User Data" in my Documents folder. eBooks gets created every time I run Adobe Reader 6. I do not have any eBooks and I want to keep my directory neat. (Because I have my Documents folder in the dock and browse it as a menu.) Anyone know how I prevent Adobe from creating this directory? The other two folders presumably contain things I need to interact with my PDA and run MS-Office, neither of which I do particularly often. Anyway, they don't belong in Documents, they belong in Library. Anyone know how to point these programs to different locations? RG

10-20-2003, 02:07 PM	#3
darkpaw All Star Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: England Posts: 513	Do you use Entourage? Your emails are all stored in the Identities folder inside the Microsoft User Data folder. This is where all the recovered documents (when Word and Excel crash) go, along with any saved attachments. It makes sense to leave it in the Documents folder. __________________ http://www.keeponfighting.net - Fighting for animal rights http://www.darkpaw.co.uk http://www.needstuff.co.uk - Recycle your unwanted clutter for FREE! (UK only)

10-20-2003, 05:04 PM	#9
RHG Triple-A Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 104	never mind Never mind, renaming the eBooks plugin did not prevent this directory from being created.

10-20-2003, 05:13 PM	#10
jdhorner Major Leaguer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Montréal, QC, Canada Posts: 331	something that you CAN try is to un-check the plugins that you don't need from the Get Info window for Acrobat Reader 6. It increases startup time immensely. __________________ sometimes i wish i could pipe my customers to /dev/null

10-20-2003, 05:50 PM	#12
jdhorner Major Leaguer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Montréal, QC, Canada Posts: 331	if you disable one that it needs to function for basic files, it will tell you when you start it up. if that happens, just Get Info again, and then you can re-check the one that it said it needed. i have not been able to find a list of what each does. however, most of them you can sort of figure out if they "look important". the cool thing is, you're not deleting them... just disabling them. they can always be re-enabled. __________________ sometimes i wish i could pipe my customers to /dev/null

10-20-2003, 01:25 PM	#2
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 8,531	Lots of other apps assume that you use your user/Documents folder for data storage, so they create a storage folder that, by default, is in your Documents folder. There may be a setting in the individual apps that allow redirecting the user files that usually go there. Sometimes you can move these user folders to someplace else in your user folder (debatable whether you can generalize that all user files belong in the Library, which is where your user settings and registration type file are stored, among other items). Then create an alias for that user files folder and move that alias to the documents folder. You may find that some apps will create a new one in Documents folder, regardless of what you do. The eBooks is like an extension or plugin, for Adobe Reader, you can do a search for this, and simply move it out of its existing location (trashing it would be OK, if eBooks are not in use.) then that folder may not return, you also get the benefit of faster launching of Reader.

10-20-2003, 03:36 PM	#4
darndog Major Leaguer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: UK Posts: 306	I would just make these folders invisible, see this page. Here is the relevant text: Alternately, if you have the Developer Tools installed, you can set the directory's invisibility bit: /Developer/Tools/SetFile -a V /dirname If it is a non-root level directory to be made invisible, the command would be along these lines: /Developer/Tools/SetFile -a V /Volumes/drivename/dirname This will set the visibility bit of the named file/directory on the non-boot drive, thus making it invisible to the Finder. dD

10-20-2003, 03:43 PM	#5
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 8,531	Will an invisible folder, required for occasional use by an app, still be accepted as a correct location, while invisible?

10-20-2003, 04:17 PM	#7
darndog Major Leaguer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: UK Posts: 306	OK, made the Microsoft User Data folder invisible, restarted the Finder, checked it had gone (it had), ran Word & Entourage, made & saved some doc's & messages, no problems as far as I can tell (don't use either app on regular basis). I don't think the visibility flag affects anything other than the Finder, perhaps someone else could confirm/correct me? dD

10-20-2003, 05:01 PM	#8
RHG Triple-A Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 104	Thanks for the info guys. My feeling is that the Documents folder is for stuff I created and which I might want to look at or edit on a regular basis, and that Library is for things created by programs which I don't know about, e.g. Mail.app keeps my mailbox in Library. These I can look out for debugging purposes etc. I imagine a statement to that effect is in Apple's User Interface Guidelines, and that Palm and Microsoft blithely ignored it. Each time I ran Adobe Reader 6, it would create anew the eBooks folder in Documents. Be renaming /Applications/Adobe Reader 6.0/Contents/Plugins/eBooks.acroplugin, I was able to make it stop. By the away, Adobe Reader 6 takes a looong time to start up. If I get rid of things in that Plugins directory that I don't need, will it speed up? I like it because of the text copy and search features, which Preview will apparently be getting under Panther, which I don't think I can install for other reasons.

10-20-2003, 06:14 PM	#13
robJ Major Leaguer Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 429	Much better! Thanks jdhorner. I've disabled most of the plugins and it shortened the launch time considerably! -- Rob

10-21-2003, 10:56 AM	#17
rusto MVP Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,489	Did the touch eBooks thang and Acrobat Reader didn't bat an eyelash. __________________ :: 3.4GHz Core i7 iMac 4GB RAM :: Black MacBook SR :: 10.7.2 :: iPhone 4 / iOS 5 ::

10-21-2003, 05:10 PM	#19
Irene MVP Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Tucson, Arizona Posts: 1,168	Not being as tech savvy (yet) as many of you, I simply left Documents for the computer's use and save my own docs to a folder I created called "Irene's Documents."