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VFN

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 5, 2012
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Is there a limit to the files stored in the Documents dock folder. I saved a file starting with the letter "u" in documents but the dock folder only has files up to those starting with an "s".

Thanks.
 
Try scrolling on the list that pops up when you click on the folder. The folder only has a limit of what your hard drive can hold. It is a shortcut to your ~/Documents/ folder.
 
Thanks. I understand the Documents Dock folder has more items that one can see initially, that you have to scroll to see its entirety. I want to know if there's a limit to the amount of items it can hold. For instance, I saved a file yesterday starting with the letter "u". If I open the dock Documents folder in Finder the file is sitting at the top (the files are sorted by date) but it's missing from the dock folder itself which is sorted alphabetically. (The files listed end with those starting with the letter "s".) However, if I change the dock Documents folder options to sort by type the file is listed. Wouldn't that suggest the dock Documents folder is only able to hold a certain amount of files? That files listed only run up to those starting with the letter "s" when the folder is sorted alphabetically would suggest that as well, no?

Thanks.
 
Thanks. I understand the Documents Dock folder has more items that one can see initially, that you have to scroll to see its entirety. I want to know if there's a limit to the amount of items it can hold. For instance, I saved a file yesterday starting with the letter "u". If I open the dock Documents folder in Finder the file is sitting at the top (the files are sorted by date) but it's missing from the dock folder itself which is sorted alphabetically. (The files listed end with those starting with the letter "s".) However, if I change the dock Documents folder options to sort by type the file is listed. Wouldn't that suggest the dock Documents folder is only able to hold a certain amount of files? That files listed only run up to those starting with the letter "s" when the folder is sorted alphabetically would suggest that as well, no?

Thanks.
What you're calling "the dock documents folder" is not a folder at all; it's an alias to the Documents folder in your user folder. Basically, it just points to a real folder that is kept elsewhere. So, since it's not an actual folder, it doesn't have any content and it doesn't hold any files--it's just a doorway to the actual folder. What you see when you click on the alias in the dock is a list of everything contained in the actual Documents folder.

Now, in order to help sort out this problem, what options are you using for the dock alias?
 
I've had my Documents folder on the dock for a long time. If there's a limit to the number of files that can be in it, it's most definitely NOT a small number.
 
in order to help sort out this problem, what options are you using for the dock alias?

Sort by: Name
Display as: Folder
View Content as: List

Seems to be some kind of error: The folder has numbered files then those alphabetically (ending with the letter "s" as I described before) but the first four files at the top of the list are "Darlington", "The Paris...", "Winter..." and Winter..."; they aren't alphabetically sorted.

Thanks.
 
Sort by: Name
Display as: Folder
View Content as: List

Seems to be some kind of error: The folder has numbered files then those alphabetically (ending with the letter "s" as I described before) but the first four files at the top of the list are "Darlington", "The Paris...", "Winter..." and Winter..."; they aren't alphabetically sorted.

Thanks.

Those file names may actually have a space preceding the first letter: " Darlington", " The Paris...", " Winter..."
 
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Sort by: Name
Display as: Folder
View Content as: List

Seems to be some kind of error: The folder has numbered files then those alphabetically (ending with the letter "s" as I described before) but the first four files at the top of the list are "Darlington", "The Paris...", "Winter..." and Winter..."; they aren't alphabetically sorted.

Thanks.
Post a screenshot of the Dock folder in its list form. That is, click on it in the Dock to make it expand. Take a screenshot of that, and post it.

There should be arrows that allow scrolling when an expanded Dock folder is too big to display on the screen. If those aren't appearing, we'll need to see it. If the arrows are appearing and you didn't recognize them as cues for scrolling, then we'll be able to point them out to you.

Basically, we need to see exactly what you're seeing, so we can advise based on what you're seeing. Descriptions alone aren't enough. We need to see it.

Personally, I've never seen what you're describing, and I've had some pretty lengthy lists in folders I've kept in the Dock, on quite a few versions of OS X.
 
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Sort by: Name
Display as: Folder
View Content as: List

Seems to be some kind of error: The folder has numbered files then those alphabetically (ending with the letter "s" as I described before) but the first four files at the top of the list are "Darlington", "The Paris...", "Winter..." and Winter..."; they aren't alphabetically sorted.

Thanks.
I agree with @chown33--I think a screen shot will help; the options you've given are such that you should be seeing a scrollable list of contents.
 
There should be arrows that allow scrolling when an expanded Dock folder is too big to display on the screen. If those aren't appearing, we'll need to see it. If the arrows are appearing and you didn't recognize them as cues for scrolling, then we'll be able to point them out to you.

Personally, I've never seen what you're describing, and I've had some pretty lengthy lists in folders I've kept in the Dock, on quite a few versions of OS X.

I don't have a problem scrolling up and down through the files in the folder which stops with the letter "s". To put things explicitly, when I open the folder there are about 27 files I see from the letter "r" to "s" going top to bottom. I can then scroll all the way to the top of the list which, from a quick estimate, consists of around 400 files. The problem isn't seeing all files from A through S; it's not seeing files T through Z, which I can see in the Finder folder. This is why I asked if there's a limit to files held in the Documents dock folder.

Those file names may actually have a space preceding the first letter: " Darlington", " The Paris...", " Winter..."

Yes they do. Thanks for pointing that out.

Update: Working with the Documents folder in Finder I took about 20 files and put them in a new folder. The Documents Dock folder list now ends with files beginning with "t". Whether it's a glitch or not (I've heard some say there's no limit to files in a Dock folder) my Documents dock folder clearly has a limit--at least when sorted by name.
 
Last edited:
Yes, you've answered your own question. There is a limit to the viewable items in the Dock alias. I can't remember off-hand what the exact number is, but it seems like you've hit it. That's the purpose of the view in finder button at the end of the list, so you can see all of the files in the alias. It's meant to be quick access to your favorite folders, not an actual folder on the dock. I think that's why there aren't any pre-installed on the Dock in the newer versions of OS X.
 
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Yes, you've answered your own question. There is a limit to the viewable items in the Dock alias. I can't remember off-hand what the exact number is, but it seems like you've hit it. That's the purpose of the view in finder button at the end of the list, so you can see all of the files in the alias. It's meant to be quick access to your favorite folders, not an actual folder on the dock. I think that's why there aren't any pre-installed on the Dock in the newer versions of OS X.

Thanks.
 
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