Mac Question - Add New Folders to the Desktop Backgrounds?

Question

Im on a Macbook Pro v 10.4.9 and I want to organize all my desktop background images better. Is there a way to create new folders in addition to the 'apple images', 'nature', 'plants',...etc...? Ive tried to simply create a new folder in the folder that all mac's desktop image folders are in but it didnt show up. And when i do 'choose folder' it only shows one at a time

Answer 1

If you are very careful and very brave, I will reveal the secret but don't blame me if you make a small mistake and Desktop Pictures stops working.

Be sure System Preferences is not open. Go to System / Library / PreferencePanes / DesktopPictures.prefPane. Hold the "control" key while you click once on it, then choose "Show Package Contents". Inside Contents, go to Resources and then you'll need to change the owner of it. With Resources highlighted, go to File > Get Info (from the main menu). The info window will open. Under "Ownership & Permissions", change the owner to your shortname. You will probably ned to click on the padlock image and type your administrator password. Inside Resources, change the ownership of "Collections.plist" to your shortname. Hold "option" key to click and drag "Collections.plist" to the desktop, thus making a backup copy. Change the owner of the original Collections.plist to your shortname. Open the original Collections.plist with TextEdit and type in some new code to get your special folder into the list. Here is how mine looks:

(
{
identifier = appleBackground;
path = "/Library/Desktop Pictures";
showScalingPopUp = NO;
},

{
identifier = nature;
path = "/Library/Desktop Pictures/Nature";
showScalingPopUp = NO;
},

{
identifier = mypictures;
path = "/Library/Desktop Pictures/My pictures";
showScalingPopUp = NO;
},

{
identifier = abstract;
path = "/Library/Desktop Pictures/Abstract";
showScalingPopUp = NO;
},

{
identifier = solidColors;
path = "/Library/Desktop Pictures/Solid Colors";
showScalingPopUp = NO;
},

{
identifier = usersPictures;
path = "~/Pictures";
showScalingPopUp = YES;
}
)

Spelling, spaces and case must match exactly in the path line. The identifier will be without any upper case letters and no spaces. Save. Now change the owner of both Collections.plist and Resources back to "system".

Go back to Resources and highlight "English.lproj". Change its owner to your shortname. Do the same for "Collections.strings". Hold "option" key to click and drag "Collections.strings" to the desktop, thus making a backup copy. Change the owner of the original Collections.strings to your shortname. Open the original Collections.strings with TextEdit and type in some new code to get your special folder into the list in a manner in keeping with the others in the list. Here is how mine looks:

/* Names of picture collections. These appear as the names of items in the Collection pop-up menu. */

appleBackground = "Apple Background Images";
solidColors = "Solid Colors";
usersPictures = "Pictures Folder";
nature = "Nature";
abstract = "Abstract";
mypictures = "My pictures";

Notice you reflect the identifier here and the exact folder name. Save. Now change the owner of both Collections.strings and English.lproj back to "system". Close all the windows. Open System Preferences and select "Desktop". If it doesn't open, you made a mistake so quit System Preferences and go over the steps again with a fine toothed comb. If you fail to get it going and give up, you can change the owner of the above folders and files to your shortname and replace the mucked up Collections.plist and Collections.strings with the copies from the desktop. Then change the owner of all back to "system".

Answer 2

Hi travis,

Actually Mac backgrounds are in two different locations. There's the main one in the Macintosh HD/Library/Desktop Pictures. This has the swirly blue graphics that we've all seen.

Then there's your home folder. When you click on the Choose Folder... side bar inside of your Desktop & Screen Saver section of your System Preferences, you go directly to your home folder. If you have different users and accounts they will go directly to their own home folder.

So it sort of makes sense to put a DesktopPictures folder inside of your Home folder and then you can have seperate folders for movie clips, cartoon characters, nature shots, girlie pictures, whatever, inside of there for quick and easy choosing.

Have fun with that, travis.

--Rick