Services

Jacques · 07-08-2002, 11:12 AM

How can I remove some of the Mac OS X 'services' that I never touch? I'd like to trim it down a bit..

Jacques · 07-12-2002, 05:43 PM

I haven't found any clues to this one, are the SERVICES in the menu even alterable by the user? Anyone with any experience on this?

dsk · 07-12-2002, 08:26 PM

I hesitated to answer you the first time because I'm just not sure if I'm right.

BUT...

I think the "Services" menu items are there based on what applications you have in the /Applications folder, to some extent. Certain applications have services associated with them that, if the app is in the /Applications folder, appear in the Services menu. So, to answer your question, you might be able to get rid of certain Services by moving certain apps from the /Applications folder to a new one.

But like I said, I'm not sure about this one.

David

mervTormel · 07-12-2002, 08:37 PM

dsk is correct. the /applications and ~/applications dirs (perhaps others) are scanned for apps offering services.

in fact, even aliases/symlinks are scanned:

$ ll /Applications/xapps
lrwxrwxr-x ... /Applications/xapps -> /Volumes/chunder/xapps/

even the apps in the target of the above symlink are scanned...

so, if you move some apps out of the scan dirs into, say, /path2/noscanApps dir, their services are not found/offered.

AKcrab · 07-12-2002, 11:46 PM

If that's the way they work (and I'm not doubting it) then apps with services should have "on/off" preferences.

hayne · 07-13-2002, 12:38 AM

I haven't tried this myself, but I believe you can turn off a service by editing the Info.plist file which appears under the "Contents" sub-folder of the application bundle. (cd to the application directory in the Terminal and do 'ls -l' and you'll see what I mean.)

The services offered by an appilication are listed under the item "NSServices", so if you (carefully) edit this file, you should be able to turn off any services you don't want to appear in the Services menu. But be sure to keep a copy of the original Info.plist file in case you want/need to go back to the way it was! And I think you'll have to log out and log in again in order to get the Services menu to refresh itself.

If you try this and are successful, please post a "hint" about your experiences to the main macoshints.com page (as opposed to just this forum) so others will benefit.

mervTormel · 07-13-2002, 01:13 AM

hayne's words are true.

but, you don't have to delete the entry in an app's info.plist file. simply open info.plist and rename the key.

i renamed TextEdit's info.plist entry from "NSServices" to "NSServices.disabled" and logged out. upon login, no textedit service was listed.

i couldn't find a way to 'rescan' for the service entries. relaunch finder and kill systemuiserver dint do it.

but if it is that simple to toggle, then there'll prolly be a UI whatzit to toggle it, someday. must find the service scanner, tho.

AKcrab · 07-13-2002, 04:46 PM

Excellent info!
I have some seriously worthless services floating around. I'm not sure I want to delete the app, so editing the plist sounds slick. I don't know anything about xml (which I believe is the format of the plist). Is there a "comment" symbol like '#' that will simply disable a line in the code?
Now I just have to figure out which silly apps have addes silly services.

mervTormel · 07-13-2002, 05:03 PM

if you have the dev tools install, a simple:

Code:

$ open /Applications/TextEdit.app/Contents/Info.plist

will launch the PropertyListEditor.app and you can find the 'NSServises' property and rename it. save. log out. log in. pfffbbbt. done.

the part we need to solve now is the log out.

then, we can move on to an applescript to run an inline shell replace of the 'NSServices' property, then launch the facility to rescan the services. then put a shiny, candy-like button on it, and you all can hobble your rig to oblivion. the practicality not-withstanding.

hisbonenus · 06-03-2003, 02:43 AM

For dummies (like me)... or if you're just scared of command lines...

1. Control-click on the app icon whose service you want to remove (i.e. TextEdit) to bring up the contexual menu (if you have a 2-button mouse, Heaven forbid you can probably right-click)
2. Select "Show Package Contents"
3. Open the Contents folder (regular double-click) in the window that pops up
4. Open the file "Info.plist"
(If you have Dev Tools installed (do it, they're free!)...), double-clicking will open it in Property List Editor.*
5. Click on the little arrow next to "Root"
A list will pull down.
6. Scroll down (if necessary) to the words "NSServices". It will also have a little arrow next to it.
7. Double-click on the words "NSServices" and change the wording. I reccommend using MervTormel's suggestion and renaming it to "NSServices.disabled".
8. Save the edited file and close it
9. (Not strictly necessary, but highly reccommended) Make a new text document listing all of the programs you modify in this way, in case you change your mind later
10. Log out and log in again
They're gone!

Of course to bring back your Services (like if you were just experimenting to see if it works) follow steps 1 - 5, and then rename the "NSServices.disabled" text (or whatever you called it) to "NSServices" again.

All set!

---

*If you don't have and for some odd reason don't WANT to have the Developer Tools, you can open "info.plist" in TextEdit. You may need to drag the document icon onto the TextEdit icon in the dock. Do a Find (Command-F or Edit > Find > Find Panel) for "NSServices" and replace those words with "NSServices.disabled".

BEFORE: <key>NSServices</key>
AFTER: <key>NSServices.disabled</key>

Follow steps 8 - 10.

Don Benot · 06-19-2003, 07:50 AM

Is it possible to edit contextual menu items in the same or similiar way? I would like to remove some of the options under "Open With".

Don Benot · 06-19-2003, 10:40 AM

I apologize. This was my first stop on a search. I figured since services and contextual menu items are similar, maybe the fix would be similar and thus my question would fit. Since it's regarded as off-topic, I'll take my question elsewhere.

Jacques · 06-19-2003, 10:50 AM

I'm hunting on other forums, not many references to removing system implemented contextual menu choices..

drhfk · 09-03-2003, 05:26 PM

Some applications (e.g., Safari) handle the Services correctly and display all options. Others (e.g., Word, Finder) don't display any options. When I click on the Services entry, nothing happens. Any idea what the problem might be?

petey · 09-04-2003, 06:23 AM

if you want to edit Service Menu items in a nice GUI, try the excellent freeware Service Manager.

http://www.blacktree.com/apps/index....ith/index.html

Jacques · 09-04-2003, 09:55 AM

Thanks for posting, looks good.

I noticed the same guys have a LAME encoder plugin for iTunes 4 as well..

Jacques

Jacques · 01-20-2006, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petey


	if you want to edit Service Menu items in a nice GUI, try the excellent freeware Service Manager. http://www.blacktree.com/apps/index....ith/index.html

Now try this one..

http://www.petermaurer.de/nasi.php?s...ervicescrubber

Jacques

07-08-2002, 11:12 AM	#1
Jacques All Star Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York, NY Posts: 972	Services How can I remove some of the Mac OS X 'services' that I never touch? I'd like to trim it down a bit..

07-13-2002, 12:38 AM	#6
hayne Site Admin Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Montreal Posts: 32,473	can turn off a service by editing Info.plist I haven't tried this myself, but I believe you can turn off a service by editing the Info.plist file which appears under the "Contents" sub-folder of the application bundle. (cd to the application directory in the Terminal and do 'ls -l' and you'll see what I mean.) The services offered by an appilication are listed under the item "NSServices", so if you (carefully) edit this file, you should be able to turn off any services you don't want to appear in the Services menu. But be sure to keep a copy of the original Info.plist file in case you want/need to go back to the way it was! And I think you'll have to log out and log in again in order to get the Services menu to refresh itself. If you try this and are successful, please post a "hint" about your experiences to the main macoshints.com page (as opposed to just this forum) so others will benefit.

07-13-2002, 05:03 PM	#9
mervTormel League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 5,536	if you have the dev tools install, a simple: Code: $ open /Applications/TextEdit.app/Contents/Info.plist will launch the PropertyListEditor.app and you can find the 'NSServises' property and rename it. save. log out. log in. pfffbbbt. done. the part we need to solve now is the log out. then, we can move on to an applescript to run an inline shell replace of the 'NSServices' property, then launch the facility to rescan the services. then put a shiny, candy-like button on it, and you all can hobble your rig to oblivion. the practicality not-withstanding.

09-03-2003, 05:26 PM	#14
drhfk Triple-A Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 70	Disappearing Services Some applications (e.g., Safari) handle the Services correctly and display all options. Others (e.g., Word, Finder) don't display any options. When I click on the Services entry, nothing happens. Any idea what the problem might be?

09-04-2003, 06:23 AM	#15
petey All Star Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: peteyville Posts: 794	I Like GUI's if you want to edit Service Menu items in a nice GUI, try the excellent freeware Service Manager. http://www.blacktree.com/apps/index....ith/index.html

07-12-2002, 05:43 PM	#2
Jacques All Star Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York, NY Posts: 972	I haven't found any clues to this one, are the SERVICES in the menu even alterable by the user? Anyone with any experience on this?

07-12-2002, 08:26 PM	#3
dsk Triple-A Player Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 223	I hesitated to answer you the first time because I'm just not sure if I'm right. BUT... I think the "Services" menu items are there based on what applications you have in the /Applications folder, to some extent. Certain applications have services associated with them that, if the app is in the /Applications folder, appear in the Services menu. So, to answer your question, you might be able to get rid of certain Services by moving certain apps from the /Applications folder to a new one. But like I said, I'm not sure about this one. David

07-12-2002, 08:37 PM	#4
mervTormel League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 5,536	dsk is correct. the /applications and ~/applications dirs (perhaps others) are scanned for apps offering services. in fact, even aliases/symlinks are scanned: $ ll /Applications/xapps lrwxrwxr-x ... /Applications/xapps -> /Volumes/chunder/xapps/ even the apps in the target of the above symlink are scanned... so, if you move some apps out of the scan dirs into, say, /path2/noscanApps dir, their services are not found/offered.

07-12-2002, 11:46 PM	#5
AKcrab MVP Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Wasilla, AK Posts: 1,043	If that's the way they work (and I'm not doubting it) then apps with services should have "on/off" preferences.

07-13-2002, 01:13 AM	#7
mervTormel League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 5,536	hayne's words are true. but, you don't have to delete the entry in an app's info.plist file. simply open info.plist and rename the key. i renamed TextEdit's info.plist entry from "NSServices" to "NSServices.disabled" and logged out. upon login, no textedit service was listed. i couldn't find a way to 'rescan' for the service entries. relaunch finder and kill systemuiserver dint do it. but if it is that simple to toggle, then there'll prolly be a UI whatzit to toggle it, someday. must find the service scanner, tho.

07-13-2002, 04:46 PM	#8
AKcrab MVP Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Wasilla, AK Posts: 1,043	Excellent info! I have some seriously worthless services floating around. I'm not sure I want to delete the app, so editing the plist sounds slick. I don't know anything about xml (which I believe is the format of the plist). Is there a "comment" symbol like '#' that will simply disable a line in the code? Now I just have to figure out which silly apps have addes silly services.

06-03-2003, 02:43 AM	#10
hisbonenus Prospect Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 35	For dummies (like me)... or if you're just scared of command lines... 1. Control-click on the app icon whose service you want to remove (i.e. TextEdit) to bring up the contexual menu (if you have a 2-button mouse, Heaven forbid you can probably right-click) 2. Select "Show Package Contents" 3. Open the Contents folder (regular double-click) in the window that pops up 4. Open the file "Info.plist" (If you have Dev Tools installed (do it, they're free!)...), double-clicking will open it in Property List Editor.* 5. Click on the little arrow next to "Root" A list will pull down. 6. Scroll down (if necessary) to the words "NSServices". It will also have a little arrow next to it. 7. Double-click on the words "NSServices" and change the wording. I reccommend using MervTormel's suggestion and renaming it to "NSServices.disabled". 8. Save the edited file and close it 9. (Not strictly necessary, but highly reccommended) Make a new text document listing all of the programs you modify in this way, in case you change your mind later 10. Log out and log in again They're gone! Of course to bring back your Services (like if you were just experimenting to see if it works) follow steps 1 - 5, and then rename the "NSServices.disabled" text (or whatever you called it) to "NSServices" again. All set! --- *If you don't have and for some odd reason don't WANT to have the Developer Tools, you can open "info.plist" in TextEdit. You may need to drag the document icon onto the TextEdit icon in the dock. Do a Find (Command-F or Edit > Find > Find Panel) for "NSServices" and replace those words with "NSServices.disabled". BEFORE: <key>NSServices</key> AFTER: <key>NSServices.disabled</key> Follow steps 8 - 10.

06-19-2003, 07:50 AM	#11
Don Benot Triple-A Player Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Kettering, Ohio Posts: 59	Is it possible to edit contextual menu items in the same or similiar way? I would like to remove some of the options under "Open With".

06-19-2003, 10:40 AM	#12
Don Benot Triple-A Player Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Kettering, Ohio Posts: 59	I apologize. This was my first stop on a search. I figured since services and contextual menu items are similar, maybe the fix would be similar and thus my question would fit. Since it's regarded as off-topic, I'll take my question elsewhere.

06-19-2003, 10:50 AM	#13
Jacques All Star Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York, NY Posts: 972	I'm hunting on other forums, not many references to removing system implemented contextual menu choices..

09-04-2003, 09:55 AM	#16
Jacques All Star Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York, NY Posts: 972	Thanks for posting, looks good. I noticed the same guys have a LAME encoder plugin for iTunes 4 as well.. Jacques __________________ see / hear Joy is not the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God. -Robert Schuller ..believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable.. -1Peter 1:8