OSXFAQ Mac OS X UNIX Tip-of-the-Day  

Week 100 - Trouble-Shooting (28 February 2005)

by Adrian Mayo - Editor, OSXFAQ

Wednesday - Launching and File Association

The Finder, and the 'open' command, both use Launch Services to associate documents with applications. The Finder also uses this information to associate icons with documents.

The 'lsregister' command can be launched from the command-line, and gives scope for manual maintenance of the Launch Services database.

Problems involving incorrect icons or documents failing to open (with the proper application) can be solved using 'lsregister'

(all on one line)

lsregister: [OPTIONS] [-domain { system | local | user | network }]... [path]...
Search the paths for application bundles and add each found item to the Launch Services
 database.  For domain specifications, ask CF for the list of application locations in
 the given domain(s).


  -kill     Reset the global Launch Services database before doing anything else
  -lint     Print information about plist errors while registering bundles
  -convert  Register apps found in older LS database files
  -load     Load the LaunchServices service plugin if it's not already loaded.
  -lazy n   Sleep for n seconds before registering apps if the local cache
            is aleady populated.
  -r        Recursively register directory contents, do not recurse into
            packages or invisible directories.
  -R        Recursively register directory contents, including the contents
            of packages and invisible directories.
  -f        force-update registration info even if mod date is unchanged
  -v        Display progress information.
  -dump     Display full database contents after registration.
  -h        Display this help.

Issuing the command:

will repair the Launch Services database.

I've not investigated this command much, but it does have potential for querying, maintaining, and resetting the LS database.

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