DragThing Help | History | 4.0 to 4.6.1
4.0
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DragThing has been rewritten as a Carbon application which runs on both Mac OS X and 8.6 or later.
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Completely rewritten Aqua-ready user interface with new Preferences and Options windows.
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Hierarchical contents menus for folders and disks.
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Many new dock appearance options, including greater font and style control.
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Docks can now centre-align to the edges of the screen and grow in both directions.
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New sorting options for the Process Dock, including most recently used.
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Support for tool tips to show the name of the item under the cursor.
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A new feature to repair all missing dock items in one go automatically.
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Support for true 128x128 icons, even on Mac OS 9.
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Multiple levels of undo for many actions.
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You can now edit the text colour for docks directly.
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Live resizing of docks from the Dock Options window.
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Added an option to not follow aliases when you add them to a dock.
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Added an option to add URL documents as aliases to the original.
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Added an option to display the Trash at the end of the Process Dock.
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Added an option to find missing items automatically.
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Added an option to treat dock items as real buttons.
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Lots more!
4.0.1
Changes on Mac OS X:
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Added support for scroll wheels to switch between dock layers.
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DragThing docks are no longer repositioned by the Dock.
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Items on UFS/NFS disks are opened correctly.
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Certain Mac OS X applications don't act as folders.
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Tool tips no longer appear in other applications.
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Fixed problem with files moving instead of copying when dragged to folders in docks.
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Fixed problem with the open automatically at startup option.
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Fixed future problem with floating windows.
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Dock names appear correctly in the Mac OS X Dock window menu.
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Various cosmetic bugs relating to Aqua fixed.
Changes on Mac OS 9 and earlier:
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Option clicking an item in the process dock hides all other applications again.
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Repeating hot keys no longer type into the current application.
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DragThing doesn't crash if the Contextual Menu Extension is missing.
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Fixed some problems with Keychain dialogs.
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Worked round a problem with floating window appearance on CarbonLib 1.3.
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Certain operations are faster with CarbonLib 1.3.
General changes:
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DragThing is a lot better at locating missing dock items.
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Displays an anchor point indicator when dragging dock windows.
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Can option-click items to drag docks set to button mode.
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Can drag URL clippings to the Trash in DragThing.
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Scripts in the Startup Items folder work correctly again.
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Window minimise buttons work on docks again.
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Tool tips don't appear for minimised windows.
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Fixed a problem that caused the process dock to move at startup with tabs showing.
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Fixed problem with first click on a recently maximised dock being lost.
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Smarter tool tip placement.
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Fixed a number of problems with the help files.
4.0.2
Changes on Mac OS X:
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Fixed crash at startup when trying to use the backup preferences file.
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Fixed crash at startup when "Open DragThing Automatically" was enabled.
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Fixed crash when clicking the "Open DragThing Automatically" checkbox.
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Fixed problem with the login items being cleared at startup.
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Fixed problem opening Finder URL shortcuts.
Changes on Mac OS 9 and earlier:
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Fixed problem with the anchor window getting stuck on CarbonLib 1.1.1.
General changes:
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Command-Shift-Delete doesn't delete items in DragThing.
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Fixed problem with items opening when dragging them to a dock set to single-click mode.
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Can add control panels to application lists again.
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Command-Option-clicking items in a dock set to button mode works again.
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Support function keys for undo/cut/copy/paste.
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Display checkmark next to active preferences files in the Settings menu.
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Help key opens DragThing Help.
4.1
General changes:
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Docks can have custom background pictures and textures.
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Support for Unicode and long file names for dock items.
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Added an option to use icons in layer tabs and minimised docks instead of names.
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Added an option to speed up DragThing's startup time.
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Added an option to quit DragThing at startup if there is another copy already running (useful for Classic).
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Added an option to only search local disks for missing items.
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Added important commands back to folder contextual menus.
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You can paste custom icons onto dock items from the "Item Options" window.
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You can set the same hot key for multiple items again.
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Hot keys for hiding applications now work when the process dock is hidden.
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Fixed icon problems with AppleWorks, OmniWeb and others.
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Various performance enhancements and bug fixes.
Changes on Mac OS X:
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Hiding and showing applications works on Mac OS 10.1.
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"Get Info" no longer crashes the Finder and works on Mac OS 10.1.
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Ejecting disks by dragging them to the Trash in DragThing docks works on Mac OS 10.1.
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Process Dock indicates if applications are hidden.
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Added an option to hide the window shadow of a dock.
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The smaller Aqua tabs are used in docks at small font sizes.
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Fixed problem with menu items being disabled with a dock frontmost.
Changes on Mac OS 9 and earlier:
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File Sharing can be excluded from the Process Dock.
4.2
Changes on Mac OS X:
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All dock drawing is now done using Quartz on Mac OS 10.1:
Support for translucent dock windows.
Antialiased icon drawing at all sizes.
Finder X style translucent selection of icons.
Finder X style dragging of icons.
Support for the Finder Desktop and Dock fonts.
Translucent tool tips to show item names.
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Added an option to display the Trash on the Finder Desktop.
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Added an option to bring all the windows of an application to the front when you switch to it.
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Added a hot key to bring all windows of the current application to the front.
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Added support for "Super Get Info" by Bare Bones Software.
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Recent document lists for applications work again.
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Checking file types during drags works and now supports file extensions.
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File extensions hidden in the Finder in Mac OS 10.1 are also hidden in DragThing.
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You can show a contextual menu for the selected dock item by pressing the escape key
(useful with keyboard navigation of menus on Mac OS 10.1).
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Fixed a problem selecting a new application for the "Find..." command.
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Fixed a problem with the option to open DragThing automatically at startup.
Changes on both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X:
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The "Hide other applications when switching" option works much better now.
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Added option to locate dock items by full path, or alias, or both.
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Added option to follow aliases in folder contextual menus.
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Folder contextual menus now indicate if items are aliases.
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Added a hot key to quit all running applications.
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DragThing Settings folder has moved into the user's Preferences folder.
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Smarter tool tip logic.
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Fixed a problem with docks losing menu focus when they were set to always float.
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Fixed a problem with applications added to docks under Mac OS X not accepting drags.
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Various other minor fixes and enhancements.
4.2.1
This version works round a problem in CarbonLib 1.5 that was causing long pauses when switching between applications.
4.3
New features:
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You can now use unmodified keys as hot keys on Mac OS X, including function keys.
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Added a new kind of dock which shows all mounted disks and servers.
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DragThing is now a multi-lingual bundled application.
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Added an option to only hide other applications when switching using DragThing.
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Added an option to disable Command-N.
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Scripts selected from folder menus are now run by default.
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Tool tips work more like those in Mac OS.
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Added a "Select new original..." button to the Item Options window.
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Dragging is now possible with "Dock items are buttons" switched on.
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Icon spacing is no longer automatically adjusted when changing layer styles.
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Window positions are remembered between sessions.
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Option windows should appear on the correct monitor for their dock.
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Windows with overall translucency set become opaque when the mouse is over them.
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DragThing will unhide itself during command-tabbing if necessary.
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You can click and hold the Desktop Trash icon for the contextual menu.
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Desktop Trash floats when being repositioned.
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Applications are now brought to the front before being quit.
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Double-clicking the Finder in a regular dock will open a new Finder window.
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"Get Info" menu item changed to "Show Info" on Mac OS X.
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Added scriptable options to turn off zoom rects and text embossing.
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Refined option-clicking behaviour when dock items are buttons.
Bugs fixed:
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Fixed an occasional crash with the Desktop Trash contextual menu.
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Fixed problem where you couldn't click on the icon of LimeWire.
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Fixed problem with blank notes showing in the dock name bar.
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Floating windows are hidden while running fullscreen applications on Mac OS X.
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Unix files are hidden correctly in folder menus.
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Items starting with a "-" are shown correctly in folder menus.
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"Duplicate Dock" script works correctly with Desktop Trash showing.
4.5
New features:
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You can now turn docks into sliding drawers that work like popup windows.
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Folder contextual menus can go more than five levels deep on Jaguar.
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Added support for Mac OS X applications with "????" creator codes.
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Added support for custom sounds on Mac OS X and a "DragThing Sounds" folder.
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Added support for very long URLs on Mac OS X.
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Added a "Revert" command for the preferences file in case of accidents.
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Added new hot keys to control individual docks.
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Added an option to highlight Classic applications in docks.
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Added an option to sort the Disk Dock into the same order as the Desktop.
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Added an option to allow clicks and drags on transparent areas of docks.
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Added Jaguar-style value indicators to all the sliders in the options windows.
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Added new icon badges to show running apps and missing items.
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Added a hot key to toggle hiding applications when switching.
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Added a hot key to toggle showing background-only applications in the Process Dock.
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Added support for running AppleScripts created on Mac OS X.
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Added "path to me" support when running AppleScripts.
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Path to original item is now visible in Item Options window.
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Appearance tabs automatically resize to fit the length of docks.
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Type selection in docks now supports Japanese and other languages.
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Improved searching for missing applications on Mac OS X.
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Show bundle identifier for applications instead of type/creator if available.
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Opening a running app from any dock will bring all its windows to the front.
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Improved performance of Desktop Trash with network disks.
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Labels work again on Mac OS X.
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Many other minor improvements.
Bugs fixed:
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Fixed a crash at login on Jaguar.
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Fixed a crash with "Select new original..." button.
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Fixed a crash when dragging vertical tabs.
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Fixed a number of tab drawing glitches.
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Fixed a redraw problem when resizing docks on Jaguar.
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Fixed a -43 error with the Disk Dock.
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Fixed a problem with windows not hiding in fullscreen apps on Jaguar.
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Fixed an update problem with custom icons.
4.5.1
Fixed a bug updating the preferences from older versions of DragThing.
4.5.2
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Added Dutch language support.
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Fixed a problem with drawers getting moved when changing monitor resolution.
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Fixed various window positioning bugs with the Disk Dock and Process Dock.
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Fixed the "dancing drawer" bug.
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Fixed a problem adding custom icons to folders and disks.
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Fixed an AppleScript error when setting the drawer window positions.
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Fixed a problem with the Scripts and Settings menus when using long file names.
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Fixed the label contextual menu for URL items.
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Fixed various problems with DragThing's Desktop Trash on Mac OS X.
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Dragging a CD-R to the Trash will offer to burn it instead of just ejecting.
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Better error messages when trying to eject a disk that is in use.
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Hot spots only trigger once when the mouse first enters them.
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Adding a new layer to a dock shows the tabs if they are not already showing.
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The number of times each dock item has been opened can be accessed via AppleScript.
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Added an AppleScript option to not switch layers when a drawer is maximised.
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Fixed problems with "DragThing Help" under Jaguar and made it easier to navigate.
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Added an animation when deleting dock items.
4.6
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All features of DragThing are now fully unlocked for a one week trial period after you first run this new version. You can now try everything - including dock translucency, floating docks, hot keys, the disk dock, and the Desktop Trash - before you buy.
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The dock item contextual menus have been greatly improved:
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Folder and disk menus are much faster, especially for network disks.
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You can quit applications and eject disks from the menus of any dock.
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Added a "Force Quit" command for running applications (hold down option key).
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Added a "Windows" submenu for running applications (requires 10.2.3 or later and "access for assistive devices" enabled in Universal Access).
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Added a "Path" submenu showing the location of an item.
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Added a "Copy URL" command for URL items.
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Added "Get Info" and "Show Original" commands for folders and disks.
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Added an option to not show the contents for folder and disk menus.
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Added an option to not draw icons in menus for extra speed.
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Added an option to show folder contents in a submenu.
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Added an option to use a smaller font for contextual menus.
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Menus are positioned correctly on Mac OS X.
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Added an option to automatically check for updated versions of DragThing.
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Added paint tools that let you draw colours, styles, and textures directly onto docks, including painting individual spaces in different colours.
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Added a hot key to switch between the two frontmost applications.
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Added an option to reduce the size of the preferences file at the expense of slower startup times.
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Added an option to stop Command-H from hiding DragThing.
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Added an option to hide docks when you click the close box rather than deleting them.
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Added an option to control whether drawers switch between layers automatically.
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Added an option to display Macintosh or Unix style paths on Mac OS X.
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Added support for using CocoaTech's "Path Finder" instead of the Finder (requires Path Finder 2.1.1 or later).
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Added support for long filenames throughout DragThing.
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Added "Eject", "Minimise All", "Export All Docks", and "Empty Trash" commands to the menubar.
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You can now highlight running applications in docks without showing the Process Dock.
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You can now highlight mounted disks in docks other than the Disk Dock.
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You can now force an application to open anything by holding down command and option while dragging onto the application's icon.
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You can now drag URLs with names to and from Safari.
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You can now drag long URLs into DragThing without truncating them.
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You can now edit long URLs on Mac OS 9 too.
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Internet location files are now used when importing or exporting URL items.
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Tab/Shift-Tab now selects the alphabetically next/previous item in the current dock.
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Command-Down Arrow now opens items, Command-~/Command-Shift-~ cycles between docks.
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Command-E now ejects disks, Command-, brings up the Preferences window.
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You can now specify applications which are not to be hidden by DragThing.
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You can now add items within application packages to lists by option-clicking "Add...".
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You can now drag applications directly into the lists again on Mac OS X.
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Dragging from Cocoa applications to the Desktop Trash now works correctly.
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Clicking on a floating dock now doesn't bring DragThing to the front on Mac OS X.
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Floating docks now stay visible when DragThing is hidden on Mac OS X.
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DragThing will unhide itself if necessary when showing docks.
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DragThing now sorts items by name in exactly the same way as the Finder.
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Improved searching for missing items, especially application packages.
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Improved drawing speed for docks using translucency.
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NFS disks now show correctly in the Disk Dock.
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Invisible disks are not shown in the Disk Dock.
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Dragging an item from the Process or Disk Dock to the Trash no longer makes an alias.
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Added a warning about possible performance problems when using sounds on PowerBooks.
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Fixed a problem running AppleScripts created by Script Editor 2.0.
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Fixed a problem dragging the Disk Dock Trash to other docks.
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Fixed a problem using a scroll wheel to switch between layers.
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Fixed a problem cycling between docks when some of them were hidden.
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Fixed a problem dragging messages from Eudora to the Desktop Trash.
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Fixed a crash when using a hot key to run an AppleScript while another script was still running.
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Fixed a problem where you couldn't delete all items from a list.
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Fixed various problems with hiding and showing applications on Mac OS X.
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Rewrote all file and text handling code for increased performance.
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Unicode support is now always enabled.
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Quartz support is now always enabled on Mac OS X.
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DragThing no longer runs on Mac OS 8.6 or Mac OS 10.0.
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Minimum system requirements are now Mac OS 10.1.5 or later or Mac OS 9 with CarbonLib 1.6.
4.6.1
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You can now use your own custom icons for the Desktop Trash on Mac OS X.
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Selecting a window from an application's contextual menu now only brings that window to the front.
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The "Appearance Sounds" option is enabled again on Mac OS X for use with third-party sound utilities.
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DragThing will now automatically rename and use the backup preferences if no other file can be found.
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You can now stop a script that is running by typing command-.
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DragThing now responds to AppleEvents while running scripts.
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Various improvements to the "Software Update" mechanism.
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Fixed a rare crash when closing any save file dialog in DragThing.
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Fixed a -43 error when trying to use the backup preferences file.
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Fixed a crash in AppleScript when referring to a dock item which didn't exist.
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Fixed a problem with the Finder being hidden when opening folders from DragThing.
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Fixed a problem with DragThing becoming the frontmost application after a screensaver was active.
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Fixed a problem finding modified copies of "Path Finder".
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Fixed a problem opening "Snapz Pro X" if it was already running.
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Fixed a problem where bundled applications were not highlighted as running on Mac OS 9.
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Fixed a problem where the layer name kept reverting to "Untitled Layer".
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Fixed a problem where punctuation characters were ignored when renaming items.
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