Change Console preferences from command line?

[hary536]

Hi,
I want to automatically hide log list on console app instead of manually clicking on the icon in the tool bar of console or doing it through View Menu.
Is there a way to do it automatically? User can then show log list manually if he wants, but I want it to hide the log list by default.

I don't want to hide the Console app, but just the log list which we see on the left side of the console.

Thanks for your help in advance.

[DeltaMac]

Viewing logs is the Console's main purpose in life...
You can view a huge variety of system messages in the console, and the listing helps you decide which log files will be relevant to you, and you will sometimes get very good information when having a problem with your system, or apps that you use.
What problem will be solved by not showing the system messages in the Console?
Why not just remove the Console, or prevent its use?

[chabig]

If you close the log list once, it will remain closed the next time and every subsequent time you launch Console.

[macosnoob]

DeltaMac offers good arguments, questions to consider, and alternatives. Still, if only for the sake of exploring the OP's question, here's an answer.

(Under 10.6.8.) With Console not running, in Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.console LogOutlineViewVisible false

You would then need to lock com.apple.console.plist to make sure that Console always launches with the Log List hidden. But locking that plist may have unforeseen consequences. I couldn't say for certain.

[hary536]

Quote: Originally Posted by DeltaMac Viewing logs is the Console's main purpose in life... You can view a huge variety of system messages in the console, and the listing helps you decide which log files will be relevant to you, and you will sometimes get very good information when having a problem with your system, or apps that you use. What problem will be solved by not showing the system messages in the Console? Why not just remove the Console, or prevent its use?

I agree with you. However, my purpose was little different.
What I am doing is that I have a script that writes continuous info to a .txt log file.
I open that log file in console since console shows the real-time updates to that log file unlike any text editor. I was trying to make that log window as less cluttered as possible to the user, else one would see a long list of other logs in the side bar.

Now, I did figure out the defaults write method as one of the commenters suggested. Wish there was a way to only apply the settings to the window in which my log file was open instead of universally applying to all console windows.

If you have any other suggestion for such a real-time display of log file contents, let me know, I am open to any better solution. So far, I found this as the only better solution than running the script in terminal which can also display the same messages as the log file.

[hary536]

Quote: Originally Posted by macosnoob DeltaMac offers good arguments, questions to consider, and alternatives. Still, if only for the sake of exploring the OP's question, here's an answer. (Under 10.6.8.) With Console not running, in Terminal: defaults write com.apple.console LogOutlineViewVisible false You would then need to lock com.apple.console.plist to make sure that Console always launches with the Log List hidden. But locking that plist may have unforeseen consequences. I couldn't say for certain.

Thanks. I did manage to figure that out. I tried on my 10.8.2 machine. I didn't try to lock the plist file since for my purpose I don't need to lock it, since in my script I update the plist before launching console.
Though I didn't find a little weird behavior,that if a console is open and if you quit it and immediately change the plist and then relaunch console it doesn't always write the changes. So, I put a delay of 1 second between my steps which seems to work at all times.

[hary536]

Quote: Originally Posted by macosnoob DeltaMac offers good arguments, questions to consider, and alternatives. Still, if only for the sake of exploring the OP's question, here's an answer. (Under 10.6.8.) With Console not running, in Terminal: defaults write com.apple.console LogOutlineViewVisible false You would then need to lock com.apple.console.plist to make sure that Console always launches with the Log List hidden. But locking that plist may have unforeseen consequences. I couldn't say for certain.

Wish there was a way to only apply the settings to the window in which my log file was open instead of universally applying to all console windows.
(I posted in previous comment why I am doing this hiding step)

Thanks.