Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Help: Uncheckable folder properties

Vaakuna

Vaakuna

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 30, 2015
33
1
Nordic
Components: MBP, 2015, El Capitan

Problem: Why can I on no folders check or uncheck to hide suffixes for files embedded within that folder?

Failed resolutions: I endeavored tweaking permissions and also seeing if folder-uncheckability applies to many different folder-types (size, naming-punctuation, content-type) and it has.
 
Gregg2 said:
Are you trying to do this within Show View Options, or just by a right click?
Click to expand...

Hi, Gregg.

I do this either by (1) ticking the folder and selecting Show Information or (2) selecting a given folder and hot-keying CMD+i/CMD+ALT+i (which prompts the same panel-window for folder properties and options).

My goal is actually to >Hide extensions< for a number of files and folders that are too numerous to do manually, so I just wanted to try to accomplish such via automation. I am not skilled enough with Automator to use it on my own for this purpose however and was getting frustrated after a couple hours of trying to figure it out on my own.
 
Ok, I'm pretty sure that (in the Get Info dialog box) is not the place where you control file suffixes, but I'll have to check it out on my Mac. The thing is, the only time I visit this site on my Mac is on the weekend. I'm surprised that no one else has responded. In the meantime do Command-J which opens Show View Options, and muck around in there...
 
Gregg2 said:
Ok, I'm pretty sure that (in the Get Info dialog box) is not the place where you control file suffixes, but I'll have to check it out on my Mac. The thing is, the only time I visit this site on my Mac is on the weekend. I'm surprised that no one else has responded. In the meantime do Command-J which opens Show View Options, and muck around in there...
Click to expand...
Thanks, Gregg. I tried CMD-J and it was a neat way to prompt the Show view options box but did not have much in the way of controlling suffixes.

I find it strange that on no folders (i.e., at the folder-level) can I ever Hide or Show suffixes - it is universally greyed out on my system (Is it like this for everyone on MBP?); I can only do this at the file-level - batch or singular, no problem, but only at file-level. So, naturally when I need hide suffixes on GBs of files peppered throughout a select number of folders, I run into this problem and feel like I don't have full ownership or control of my own data.
 
I know I can have suffixes shown or hidden on my older OS. Thing is, maybe I do that manually. I hope this will catch my attention this weekend so I can look, because I'm curious, and might then be able to help you more.
 
Hey, thanks, Gregg. Have a look then when you have some time and see if you can uncover a solution.

I am also open to an Automator script to essentially bulk hide file-suffixes but I still find Automator to be somewhat off-putting and cannot figure out how to write a script on my own to that end.

Cheers
 
Finder > Preferences : Advanced
tick the box by Show all filename extensions
That is global.

Within a folder if you want some showing but not all, highlight the ones you want to change all at once. Hold down the Option key and Get Info (Command-I or from the File menu). If you choose the File menu, you will notice that Get Info changes to Show Inspector when the Option key is pressed. Now tick the box to hide extensions. Of course, you have to use the global method to get them all to show extensions first.

Does all this still work? I'm still using OS 10.6.8
 
Last edited:
This is what's working for me in 10.11.2 --

In Finder Preferences >>Advanced, the global choice "Show all filename extensions" unticked.

Folder "info" pane "hide extension" is greyed out.
Double click folder to open file(s) window. Either press+hold command and then select each individual file or press command + A to select all... Next, press command/option/I to open "info" pane. Tick "hide extension" for the X number of files.
 
rshrugged said:
This is what's working for me in 10.11.2 --

In Finder Preferences >>Advanced, the global choice "Show all filename extensions" unticked.

Folder "info" pane "hide extension" is greyed out.
Double click folder to open file(s) window. Either press+hold command and then select each individual file or press command + A to select all... Next, press command/option/I to open "info" pane. Tick "hide extension" for the X number of files.
Click to expand...
Hi, rshrugged.

So, this works for me as well as it's hiding extensions on a file-level.

I want to do the very same but on a folder-level, as the data, I would like to hide extensions across, spans GBs and countless folders; file-level data control is unnecessarily laborious - we can at will group data into groups (folders) but must do so surrendering some control of the data?

In my own solution-hunting, I quickly discovered that on >no< folder can I ever tick Hide extensions for what that folder contains (regardless if files constitute all one type (.pages, .JPG etc.) or many).

When you view the Information panel for any given folder, can you tick and untick the Hide extension box or does it lock you out, so to speak?
[doublepost=1452519799][/doublepost]
Gregg2 said:
Finder > Preferences : Advanced
tick the box by Show all filename extensions
That is global.

Within a folder if you want some showing but not all, highlight the ones you want to change all at once. Hold down the Option key and Get Info (Command-I or from the File menu). If you choose the File menu, you will notice that Get Info changes to Show Inspector when the Option key is pressed. Now tick the box to hide extensions. Of course, you have to use the global method to get them all to show extensions first.

Does all this still work? I'm still using OS 10.6.8
Click to expand...
Hi, Gregg. Sorry for the delay; I was in Estonia over the weekend and hadn't my laptop with me.

It was hard to follow some of this because my computer doesn't have English names, so after some minutes found the path you speak of and it still has the option greyed out. I am running 10.11.2, so maybe they disabled this feature? I liked your thinking on this though and appreciate the creativity.
 
Last edited:
@Vaakuna

My post's main intent was to provide verification to your question --
Vaakuna said:
(Is it like this for everyone on MBP?)
Click to expand...

The "hide extension" option, for folders, is seemingly greyed out for all folders. To satisfy my curiousity, I disabled SIP to see if it changed control and/or options at folder "info"; it didn't. I also did some Net searches and found zero evidence that OS X code provides that type of folder/files fine tuning. This article at Macworld describes how some organize their folders/files, including the use of third party software to do so. I briefly looked at the software and I'm not sure that any of it will be worthwhile for you.

I'm a new OS X user so your OP gave me a learning opportunity. For management and security purposes, I favor the "show all extension" approach.
 
@rshrugged

Thanks for the help and that's cool it got you looking at something in a different way for even a moment. Your code enquiry settled for me whether it was possible or not, so much appreciated.

I do think it is silly I cannot do this in a native way on a Mac. I have heard the argument that it is safer to have all extensions shown but I do not subscribe to which because in cases where, e.g., an application is misnamed kernelkiller.pdf.app and you have extensions universally hidden, if you then see a pdf extension on your system you know something is amiss with that file and quick investigation will show it is in fact an application. If I am overlooking something let me know, but that is my thinking on the matter. Call me vain but I like the aesthetics of having no extensions when I open a folder. We have such long words in Finnish that I do not need any extra letters at the ends of a file that is cut off any way by the limited size of the window in which it is opened.
 
Vaakuna said:
Thanks for the help and that's cool it got you looking at something in a different way for even a moment. Your code enquiry settled for me whether it was possible or not, so much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Don't give up yet. I'm new to OS X. I could've overlooked something.
Vaakuna said:
I have heard the argument that it is safer to have all extensions shown but I do not subscribe to which because in cases where, e.g., an application is misnamed kernelkiller.pdf.app and you have extensions universally hidden, if you then see a pdf extension on your system you know something is amiss with that file and quick investigation will show it is in fact an application.
Click to expand...
Something to keep in mind -- My understanding about the Finder Preference "Show all filename extensions" is the following. Not ticking (or unticking) that box does not equal 'hide all extensions'. If it's not ticked, the extension preference is controlled (in the UI) by the file "Get Info" pane preference, which initially could be hide or not, depending upon the underlying code.

If there isn't a way to accomplish what you're trying to do, it's not that unwieldy to do the batch file method. In the meantime, you could send a suggestion to Apple.

Every now and then I catch myself fighting this 'new to me' OS rather than accepting its differences. I just laugh it off and then return to enjoying what I have. If I find any new info, I'll be sure to post here.
 
Last edited:
Vaakuna said:
@rshrugged

Do you know how to create a workflow in Automator to this end? Is this what you mean by the "batch file method"?

I tried to teach myself analogically by following this quasi-related article at Macworld but to no avail.

http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac-software/automator-workflows-actions-3605494/
Click to expand...
I used the terms "batch file method" to match your terminology in post #5.
I haven't tried Automator yet. I used the search terms "Automator Tutorial" in DuckDuckGo and there were a bunch of hits, including vids.

I didn't see anything relating to hiding extensions as an Automator/Workflow option, in the course of my brief look. It was only a brief look. Keep working at it. Maybe you'll become an Automator guru.

I did come across this App -- File Renamer for Mac -- which is also available at the Mac App Store. It looks that it'll do what you want, but it'll cost you $20.00. There's other less expensive options there but you'll have to research their capabilities, if you have any interest. At the APP Store I entered "file renamer" for search terms.

VID FOR FILE RENAMER FOR MAC
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back