Can you create new stacks? Is there a stacks preference pane?

Stacks

As far as creating more stacks, dragging any folder with one item or more into the right side of your dock will make it a stack.

Not sure about the second part of your inquiry, but I would also like to know, I don't really want a hex editor as the front icon for my applications folder . (0xED)

I want to have folders in my dock that when clicked on take me straight to that location via Finder, as it did in 10.4.

 

Stacks is just a really nice name for folders on the docks. Drag a folder onto the dock and bamn....you have a stack. Its a neat feature, but it really isnt really groundbreaking. Its like a lot of apple updates....

You say "thats neat" You use it....you wonder why no one thought of it before.

 

Hi.

Leopard does not come with a preference pane for stacks, all though you can change the icon at the front by putting an image called "A" at the front of the stack. (Minus the quotes).

This only works if the stacks folder is organized alphabetically.

Hope this helps.

 

so am I right in the assumption that stacks always takes the icon of the first item in that particular folder?

 

For some definition of "first," yes. If you hold down the mouse button on the stack, you get a menu (or right click it). You can sort the stack a number of different ways.

If you sort by when it was added to the stack, you could open the stack, pull an item out, put it back in, and that will be the new "first" icon.

 

thanks for the answer...not on leopard yet (hopefully in a few weeks or so when I have saved up enough
can't wait though...

 

For those wanting a regular folder link in the dock

If you make an alias to a folder and put THAT in the dock, it won't turn into a stack.

 

Good tip. There are times when stacks are useful. But for any folder with lotsa stuff in it (Applications for instance) this behavior is definitely preferred. It'd also be nice if you could set all of your stacks to show as Grids. The fan thingy is cool, but doesn't do it for me.

 

Good news then

You can specify this yourself, just right click the stack and there are menu options for determining whether it's a grid a fan or auto, and one for sort order.

Also just a note to your preference comment, I am the opposite, I'm happy to have applications popup into a big ol' grid. I've never been a huge fan of quicksilver and this gives me all my less used apps in a very convenient interface...

So I guess some of us like it

 

that's a cool tip.
thank you. hope I won't forget it till I have leopard running on my macbook

 

how to display one fixed icon you choose for a stack

go to your folder in the finder and right click it, and choose "Get Info" (small window pops up)

then find your image and open it with Safari (right-click--> Open With--> Safari)

in safari right-click on the image and choose "Copy Image"

then in the little window that popped up when you did "Get Info," click once on the little picture of a folder at the very top by the folder name (not the one 3/4 of the way down that you see if you click "Preview:")

the little folder should be highlighted

go to Edit and click "Paste"

then in "options" if you right-click on the stack

you could choose "display as folder"

voila