Modding Mac OS X

Finding Goodies

Any number of worthy and curious files can be found within an application bundle’s innards. A healthy nosiness will help you discover some of them. Snooping through resource folders is a skill that can be honed and developed. Start with this basic approach.

1. Navigate to the Applications folder. Pick any application that intrigues you; in this case, use the Mail application.

2. Control-click (right-click) the application you have selected and choose Show Package Contents from the pop-up, as shown in Figure 3-3.

3. To quickly view what’s inside the Contents folder, hit the C key and then use the keyboard shortcut ⌘-3 to switch the Finder to Column View.

   TOOLS YOU NEED

   For working through the examples in this section, you’ll need the following applications:

   • Mail (/Applications)

   And, optionally:

   • QuickTime Player (/Applications)

   • iTunes (/Applications)

   • Preview (/Applications)

4. Select the Resources folder, located within the Contents folder.

   

   Figure 3-3. Show Package Contents exposes application contents.

5. When surfing through an application bundle, it’s best to organize your folders by file type. This groups together similar kinds of items, and allows you to see all the audio files or all the icon files at once. Choose View → Show View Options (⌘-J). Select Keep Arranged By → Kind, as shown in Figure 3-4.

   Figure 3-4. Arrange your resources by kind for easy browsing.

6. As you look through the files ...