Blank Tabs Palette

[AdobeAce]

Hi All,

Every once in a while in InDesign CS, when I open the Tabs palette it's totally blank -- no ruler, none of the various Tab buttons, no fill in boxes for "X" or "Leader" or "Align On," and no Magnet button.

I imagine the palette is getting corrupted somehow. My question is -- WHY?

I figured out how to fix the problem. I have a second copy of IDCS on my laptop. I copy the Indents and Tabs Plugin from that computer, replacing the corrupted plugin on my main computer.

I've never have had this happen with IDCS2 on either of my computers.

Just curious if anyone else has run into this problem.

Thanks!

Ace

[The Repro Kid]

This may or not help Ace.

I know I run into some really weird Illustrator interface problems every now and then, and believe it or not, repairing permisions on my Mac always clears up the problem.

I haven't had a weird interface problem in Illustrator yet, that repairing my permissions hasn't cleared up.

[AdobeAce]

Hi Repro,

I had already replaced the Tabs Plugin with a "fresh" uncorrupted one from my other computer. So I had the palette back good as new.

However, I did repair my Permissions last night and it had a big effect on performance with quite a speed burst. It even shut down faster!

Thanks!

Ace

:D

[GuyB]

Ace,
Repair permissions is a good practice, you should do it on a regular base as running the maintenance scripts. Can I suggest Onyx, a freeware that does most of the maintenance and cleaning that OSX needs to have ? If you are interested, I'll give you the URL.

As for your tab palette problem, it can be corrected (like other problems in the Adobe suite) by trashing your prefs. Hold Control-Option-Command-Shift when openig ID, you'll be asked to trash the prefs.

[AdobeAce]

Hi GuyB,

Thanks! I would appreciate that link -- now that I know I'm not doing everything I can to keep my Mac running at it's best.

In the good old days, before everything changed with OS 10, I used to keep a copy of my preferences backed up. So, if there was a problem, I could just trash my preferences without having to re-create them. Just curious, if you trash preferences with IDSC2, do you lose everything including Workspaces. There's nothing worse than having to take the time to set up all your palettes in the "right" places again.

Ace

PS: I back up my Workspaces for when I'm doing training to avoid having to set up my student's palettes to match mine. If the palettes don't match, it would be impossible for anyone to follow what is being projected from my laptop. When I first started training I used to set up all the palettes on all of the computers before I started training. What a hassle! :eek: Now I just install my workspaces onto each of the computers.

[GuyB]

Hi Ace,

Here's the link for Onyx :

http://www.titanium.free.fr/

It's almost the same as Cocktail but you can choose your langage and it is free. It is very easy to use, has a clean interface and the Help file is very complete and explicite about all the actions the app can perform.

The followings are maintenance routine everybody should do regularly, Onyx can do all these, and more :

- run the daily, weekly and monthly maintenance scripts. OSX does them automatically if you leave your computer open at night but if it's shut down, you have to do them manually;

- verify the preferences;

- repair permissions;

- delete cache files.

As for the workspace question, I don't know (I don't save workspaces) but I'm quite sure that they will be lost by trashing the prefs. But sometimes it's the only way to recover from a "temporary" bug like the one you had with the tab's palette.

[AdobeAce]

Thanks Guy!

Ace

[The Repro Kid]

Howdy GuyB and Ace,

You know, about trashing preference files, that's what got me into this repair permissions stuff, to begin with.

Whenever anything goes wrong that I used to blame on preference files, I now run disk repair to repair permissions. I'll shut down my machine first, start it up, repair permissions (I always run the repair permission two or three times in a row, I never just run it once), shut down the machine again and start back up. That always fixes any problem I would have blamed on an application's preference file. I don't think I've had to throw a single preference file since I've begun running Mac OsX.

I also like Onyx and need to download the new version, but my favorite is MacJanitor, also free. It does less than Onyx, it mainly just runs the maintanence scripts. It may do a few more things, but it's mostly a "less is more" type of thing, which I like.

...OSX does them automatically if you leave your computer open at night but if it's shut down, you have to do them manually;...

This is true, but only if your computer is awake, if your computer is asleep at the scheduled time, which is by default 4:00 am, they will not run.

So running MacJanitor or Onyx now and then will help a lot unless your machine is often awake at 4:00 am.

[AdobeAce]

Hi Repro,

Thanks!

__________________

"Last edited by The Repro Kid : Today at 02:59 AM. Reason: fix my sentences so as not like yoda to speak."

I think your post would have been fun if it was like Yoda to speak. It IS kinda like using The Force to fix your computer. :D

Ace

[GuyB]

I thought it was the fans in my computer that make that ssshhhh sound once in a while, now I know it's Vader !

[AdobeAce]

Hi GuyB,

But I thought Onyx was supposed get rid of the Dark Side.

Ace


:D

[The Repro Kid]

Well, I wish had saved my accidental Yoda sentence, it was a mistake but it really sounded funny when I read it back to myself. I can't remember what it was.

Next time not, will I correct my work so fast.