Renaming applications

paul · December 12, 2002 4:33PM

I have a few applications that have a REALLY long name in the menu bar... taking up unnecessary room...

Previously in OS 9 if i wanted to rename the application, i could just change it from the finder and everything would change accordingly... now in OS X if i do that, sometimes the application will not even open anymore...

WTF...

how do i go about shortening the name of my "AOL Instant Messenger (SM)" application to just "AIM"?

(that menu space is getting valuable

)

ericj551 · December 12, 2002 4:38PM

I just tested that, renaming AIM in the finder worked just fine for me, I can't see why that would be a problem...

paul · December 12, 2002 4:42PM

Nope, when in the application, it still says "AOL Instant Messenger (SM)" <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />

hobbes · December 12, 2002 5:05PM

[quote]Originally posted by Paul:

<strong>Nope, when in the application, it still says "AOL Instant Messenger (SM)" <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

Yeah, it's more complicated under OS X. You have open the app's package (control-click the app, choose "Show Package Contents") and... and... er, I believe there's a plist in there that dictates the app's name. Or does one change the name of the actual app within the packafe itself? Not on OS X right now, and you know, it's slipped my mind. Sorry.

It's enough trouble, actually, that I don't rename apps anymore.

ghost_user_name · December 12, 2002 5:50PM

Hobbes is right. This is the file to change:

Contents/Resources/English.lproj/InfoPlist.strings

Change the CFBundleName variable's string. For example, I changed that line in AIM's file to read:

CFBundleName = "AIMX";

[ 12-12-2002: Message edited by: Brad ]</p>

paul · December 12, 2002 7:56PM

ah it works (I opened the file with the Property List Editor... was that right?)

paul · December 12, 2002 7:57PM

Oh right...

thanks for the help

Renaming applications

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