Developer
How to Show Hidden Files on Your Mac
Matt Cone November 11, 2021
You wouldn’t know it by using the Finder, but your Mac has thousands of hidden files that can’t be found or accessed using conventional methods, like opening a folder or searching with Spotlight. Most of these secret files are hidden from view to protect you. Apple doesn’t want new users poking around in, say, the /sbin directory, because there’s no real reason why they would need to access it. But power users may want to see all of the files on their Mac, for whatever reason.
How to Set Nano as the Default Editor for Git on Your Mac
Matt Cone August 15, 2021
If you’re a developer who uses git for version control on your Mac, you’ll want to set a default text editor for git. There are certain situations when git opens a text editor for you — for example, when you need to rebase or resolve merge conflicts. By default, git is set to use vim, but you can easily change git to use another text editor. Nano is a simple text editor and it makes a great choice for beginners or anyone who prefers a simpler text editor when working with git.
How to Tell What Shell Your Mac is Using
Matt Cone January 22, 2021
Every Mac comes with a Unix shell that provides a command line interface. Macs running macOS 10.15 and later use Zsh by default. Before that, Macs used the Bash shell by default. Of course, no matter what version of macOS you’re using, you can change the shell your Mac is using. What shell is your Mac using? There’s an easy way to tell — here’s how. Open the Terminal application on your Mac.
How to Enable Git Tab Autocomplete on Your Mac
Matt Cone January 21, 2021
The git version control system is a popular choice among developers when working with source code. Git is automatically installed on every Mac by default, but you might want to enable the git tab autocomplete feature to help you automatically complete commands and branch names. This feature is a must-have if you work with long branch names. For example, if you typed git checkout ma and then pressed the Tab key, git tab autocomplete would automatically fill in the rest of the branch name, like this: git checkout main.
How to Set Bash as the Default Shell on Mac
Matt Cone January 15, 2021
Every new Mac uses the Z shell (Zsh) by default, but you can quickly and easily switch the default shell back to Bash. There are several reasons you might want to do this. For example, you may need to be using the bash shell to execute bash scripts on a Mac. Tip: Not sure what shell your Mac is using? You can check using the instructions in How to Tell What Shell Your Mac is Using.
How to Make a Bash Script Executable on a Mac
Matt Cone January 9, 2021
Bash scripts are files containing code that tell your computer to do something. They’re a staple of the Linux world, and there are thousands of them freely available on the internet. With a bit of tweaking, you can use these scripts on your Mac, too. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make a bash script executable on a Mac. Here’s how to make a bash script executable on a Mac:
Setting Up an iOS Simulator on Your Mac
Matt Cone January 1, 2013
Web developers know it’s important to test their websites on every web browser and device possible. And with the growing popularity of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, it’s only natural that they’ll also want to test their websites on all of those devices. But short of stocking up on a bunch of Apple products, how can developers preview their websites in iOS? Actually, it’s easy. Anybody can do it by installing Apple’s iOS simulator on their Mac for free.
Using CPAN to Extend Perl on Mac OS X
Richard Myers June 6, 2012
So you read Getting Started with Perl on Mac OS X and you’re starting to write little Perl scripts to get things done. You learned a few things along the way, and even though you’ve surely hit some speed bumps, you’re still rearing to go. Today, let’s talk about extending your abilities by installing some modules from CPAN. What is CPAN? CPAN is the “Comprehensive Perl Archive Network” - a collection of over one hundred thousand Perl modules ready to be installed and used by you to extend your Perl chops.
Getting Started with Perl on Mac OS X
Richard Myers April 25, 2012
Perl is a widely used programming language developed by Larry Wall in the late 1980’s. Since being originally written as a scripting language to assist in system administration tasks, it has taken off as a popular language for doing everything from low-level systems programming to website scripting. If you have ever thought about getting into programming on your Mac, Perl is a great place to start! Preparing for Perl All you will need for this primer is a text editor, the terminal, and Perl (of course!
Reposition Windows for Multiple Monitors with AppleScript
Richard Myers December 19, 2011
If you frequently switch between different displays, you know organizing your windows when switching displays can be a real pain. I use my MacBook Pro frequently by itself, and I also have a 20" external display on my desk at home. Additionally, I have a weird affliction of window placement OCD. Admiring Stay, but not prepared to spend $15, I wrote the following AppleScript that will resize and organize my windows when I switch my display configuration.