Install Font Suitcase on macOS

How to install legacy fonts on MacOS

Apple has slowly deprecated the support for legacy True Type Fonts suitcases. Apple has the following statement on the "How to install and remove fonts on your Mac" page:

This is what happens if you double click on a "legacy" font suitcase:

If I selected the "Choose Application..." The Font Book Application will not be selectable. It looks like that there's no way to install this font.

There is an easy work around.

How to Install Legacy Fonts

It's pretty simple to install the font. Simply open the font from the Font Book application. Here are the steps:

• Open up the Font Book Application. (Use LaunchPad to find the application.)
• Under the File menu select "Add Font..."
• Navigate to the folder that has the font that you want. Most likely it is on an external disk or the Desktop. You'll see that Font Suitcase is selectable.
• Select that font and click open.
• If the font is really old, you may get a Font Validation warning about the font. This could be because of various reasons. If the problem is minor you may be safe to use it. Note: I would be careful about using it in rendered applications such as Final Cut Pro.

Final Result

I was able to install the font in macOS Big Sur:

Editing EXIF Data

Graphic Converter allows users to add their own Meta Data to image files

Earlier this week, I was looking for a way to add additional metadata fields to an image. Usually, Metadata (or Exif) fields are used to store information about images. Camera manufacturers will store GPS, Date the Picture was taken, camera type, and more.

Some people like to store additional things such as the photographer's name and copyright information. That way if the photo appears in a paid photo collection - the author can make claims about the photo.

Looking for An Application

There is only one application, that I have installed on my computer, that can modify metadata or EXif data. That's Graphic Converter.

I checked Photoscape X, Affinity Photo, Pathfinder and Apple's Preview. All of them have the ability to view the Metadata and Exif data but they didn't offer any way to modify or add data.

Graphic Converter

Within Graphic Converter, the only way to modify the EXIF data is to use the image browser window. Here are the steps to modify any photo:

• Open up Graphc Converter
• Go to File > Browse..
• Find the directory that has the image that you want to change and click Select
• In the browser, select the image. (You should see the Exif data appear on the right)
• In the top menu, click on the Camera icon, then select "Edit Exif Data" then select "All Values"
• Now you can make any change to the file. Don't forget to click Apply

Just remember when you click the apply button it's final, there's no going back to the original value.

iCloud Status Icons

Handy guide to figure out what the iCloud icons mean

When using Apple's iCloud, you may see some additional icons in the Finder. Some of them make sense, but every once in a while I wonder what the icons mean.

Apple doesn't provide much help in figuring what the various icons mean. In particular, I was wondering about the arrow next to the file size. Why is it there?

I did some quick research and put together this handy guide. Feel free to download this for future reference.

Quick Reference Guide

Click to Download a Larger Version.

If there are any corrections or additions that you would like to see, feel free to leave a comment below, or simply email me via the Feeback form.

iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive is worth the cost

Over the past few months I have been using Apple???s iCloud Drive as part of my everyday backup. The family subscribed to the 2TB plan.

Here???s my review of the good/bad of using the iCloud as personal storage

Eight Things I Learned

1. Very useful when you have limited space. My iMac has only 500GB on an internal SSD drive. Having the iCloud makes it easy to backup files that I don???t use frequently. I can get access to them any time.
2. Not Searchable. The advantage of storing files on a personal Thumb drive is that I can put them in and search within documents. With the iCloud, I have to download the files to search inside documents.
3. Available Between Computers. I used to use DropBox to quickly move files between computers. Now I just move them using iCloud. Many of my favorite applications have their own iCloud folders where I can store files.
4. Instant Free Storage. When I move files from the Desktop to a folder on the iCloud I get the space back.
5. Files Always Available. I store all my fonts in a folder on iCloud Drive. Anytime I need a particular font I can grab it and instantly use it. I can then remove it from the system. Did you know: Fewer fonts installed helps the computer performance.
6. Remove Download. MacOS automatically manages how long to keep downloaded files from the iCloud based on the last usage. However, I and right-click on any folder and select ???Remove Download??? to free up space.
7. Downloaded Folders. Folders that are downloaded are temporary stored in xxxxx
8. Cost. The 2TB plan costs $9.99 a month. On Amazon, you can buy a standard 2 TB drive for $60. While it sounds cheaper, in the long run, to buy local storage it may not be. Apple???s storage is well protected to make sure it???s always available. If you ever lost a hard drive or a flash drive, you know the value of cloud storage.

At the End of the day...

I have thought of buying a new external drive for storage, but having used the iCloud drive for a couple of months convinced me that Apple iCloud is a better option. It's easy to manage the drive space and even easier to get files that I want.

It's nice to know that the files are protected and I don't have to worry about the hard drive crashing.

Path Finder 10

December update brings more backend features than front end changes

On December 8, 2020 Cocoatech shipped Path Finder 10. The last major update to Path Finder was October 2019.

New Features

This is the list of the major changes from CocoaTech:

• Airdrop Integration! For devices discoverable by ???Everyone???
• Share to AirDrop, Messages, Mail, Notes, etc.
• Fully redesigned for macOS Big Sur with Native support for Apple Silicon.
• Improved Dark Mode.
• File Browsing on and file operations on USB connected iOS devices.
• Improved Drop Stack
• Improved Batch Renamer
• Brand new Big Sur style icon
• Lots of miscellaneous fixes, tweaks and improvements all over the app.

Notes on the Update

Airdrop - Airdrop feature is neat. It's nice to be able to drag and drop files between computers. You can't just drag and drop an object on the "AirDrop" icon. You have to click on the icon, and then drag your object to the device you want to move it to.

Fast AirDrop - You can quickly share an object by right-clicking and selecting the Share option.

Updated Icon - I did notice the new icon, I actually like the old icon. But I understand that particular icon style is where most developers will be using.

Browse Your iPhone or iPad - The iOS device connection is great. You get a lot more information than from iMazing. Very useful when you want to do a manual backup of your device. I particularly like that I can get the folder size, so I can find which areas are taking up the most space.

No More Cover Flow - The Cover Flow Module is gone. This wasn't a module that I used anyway, so I am not disappointed.

Dual Browser Tool - There is a new tool in the toolbar called Dual Browser. This allows you to quickly enable the Dual Browser feature - where you see two folders in one window. This is very cool!

No Other Surprises - I did a side-by-side comparison of Path Finder 9 against Path Finder 10 and don't see any other significant feature changes related to the update. The text seems to be a lot easier to read in Path Finder 10 than in 9. (I see that Kimberly Adams is now on the Marketing team.)

At The End of The Day

Path Finder is a great tool to have when you're doing Disk management. It will save you a lot of time - from finding large files to moving things around.

I like Path Finder and the update to version 10 is a very nice upgrade. Check out some of the cool features that I highlighted in Path Finder 9.

BBEdit Canonize Command

Create your own URL Link Library

The Canonize command in BBEdit allows you to do a search and replace based on a user-configured file. Basically, each line is a search/replace statement. This is useful when you want to run the same search/replace job as a weekly task.

Hyperlink Database

If you do a lot of blogging, you may have some external links to certain sites. Usually, you make reference to them at least once in the post.

Using the BBEdit Canonize command, you can have BBEdit automatically put in the hyperlinks. Saving you time in putting in hyperlinks yourself.

You can build different Canonize files for different projects.

Sample URL file:

bbedit	<a href="https://www.barebones.com/">BBEdit</a>
Apple Computer	<a href="https://www.apple.com/">Apple Computer</a>
Google	<a href="https://www.google.com/">Google</a>
FireFox	<a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/">FireFox</a>
Apple ios Store	<a href="https://www.apple.com/app-store/">App Store</a>

Save the file in a commonplace - the BBEdit iCloud folder is a very good option.

Using the Canonize Command

The Canonize Command is located in the Text Menu. (There's no keyboard shortcut.)

Select the transformation file that you wish to use.

Limitations

One of the downfalls of the command is that it does a global search and replace. I am still looking for a way to only replace the first match, not all matches.

I see that there's a way to do it in SED, Perl, and PHP. I just haven't figured it using an external data file.

TRRS Cable and iMac

My experience trying to record cassette tapes to my iPhone

This week I was playing around with various cables with my iMac. I was trying to figure out how I can import audio from my Sony cassette player to my iMac using Audacity.

It turns out that using a TRRS cable does not import the audio to the computer.

Things I Learned

I used a "Headset Buddy Line-Level Audio Adapter with Built-in Attenuation." I connected one end to the iMac and the other end was connected to a standard audio cable from the cassette audio out.

I tested this cable on my old iPhone and it worked. I was able to record audio from the cassette player.

When I disconnected it from the iPhone and plug it into the iMac it didn't work. No audio was being recorded from the cassette player. I was testing using Audacity.

I tested another device: Ultimate Lavalier Microphone - Lapel Mic Clip-on Omnidirectional Condenser.

The Microphone worked with no problem.

Not Giving Up

I'll test some other cables to see if I can get them working on my iMac. It very well could be that the "Headset Buddy Line-Level Audio Adapter with Built in Attenuation" doesn't work for my iMac.

Top 3 Macintosh Posts of 2020

A look back at some of the popular post of 2020

This is the annual top 3 Macintosh Blog post of the year. There were 51 Macintosh Blog post this year, all of them posted on Fridays.

This year I am only going to highlight the top 3 posts. The criteria are based on the usefulness of the information and how I apply the information for my Macintosh experience.

Top 3 Blog Posts

Unlock your Mac using the Apple Watch - (April 3) This was a cool trick to quickly get back to my work after stepping away from the computer. Unfortunately, the IT department didn't like that and disable it for my work computer. However, the trick is still useful for my home computer.

Inkscape Spray Tool - (August 8) I really liked that you could spray any image in a the clipboard. It can create a cool effect.

Missing Disk in Sidebar using Big Sur - There is a bug in macOS 11 that prevents some SD Disks were not showing in the sidebar or in Final Cut Pro. I provide a couple of alternative solutions until Apple comes out with a fix.

Art Text 4

Great tool to make Art out of simple text.

Art Text by Belight Software is a great application to transform text into art. You can make some eye-catching brochures and ads in litterly no time.

You can use 100+ text style presets, or be creative and design your own with lots of Fill and Effects.

There is an online store where you can purchase lots of great designs to make your text really stand out.

New in Art Text 4

Spray Fill - You can now add special effects like coffee beans, nuts, stones, glitter, and much more to your text.

Better 3D Reflection Masks

Text Design Store - The cool designs that you see in Letters is now available right in Art Text 4

Make your Facebook post stand out by using the Facebook 3D Photo effects

Shading Materials - There is 150 2D shading material that you can add to make your design stand out.

Sample Images

A touch up version of the Bokeh design

Using the Stone Spray fill

BBEdit Randomize Order

New Sort Feature makes it easy to setup a scrum standup lineup.

Bare Bone's BBEdit is a great text editor tool. Many people use it for programing developement.

I tend to use it for anything text related. When I am writing up some long text for email, Slack, or whatever, I am usually using BBEdit.

New Feature!

One of the new features in BBEdit 13.5 is the Randomize Order functionality.

This feature randomly sorts the selected text. The end result is selected text gets replace by a random sorted collection.

Release Note Description

Why makes this useful to me?

I manage a team scrum weekly standup. This allows me to sort the speaking order randomly. Prior to this feature, I would go to Random.org and use that sorting functionality. I was concern about the confidentiality of the data. I am not sorting a list of company passwords, but the list of names could be used for someone to cold call into the company. I am not being paranoid, just being cautious.

I can also use the random sort feature in a Text Factory run. In the following example, I apply the random sort and then add a line number.

BBEdit's feature makes it easy to randomly sort my list of names in an application that I already use all the time.