Using thee icon in the iMac dock
Graham
Hello
I have been using Moneydance for just over a year now and must say I absolutely love it! I had used Quick Books for years and I then I changed to a iMac and did not wish to use the Quick Books online line.
I am sending this little note to let you know of a little problem I am having and hoped you could let me know the simple solution. I was moving open apps around on my screen and had grabbed Moneydance to move it out of the way and had happened to just grab the Moneydance symbol which then ended up creating a short cut on my desk top. The next day when I opened my Moneydance from the dock there was nothing in my accounts. I had to try and figure out what had happened and thought about the trash bin. When I removed the short cut from the trash and opened it all my accounts were there, phew!
What I would like to do is remove the desktop short cut and just open the Moneydance from the dock. Do I need to open Moneydance and then import from the desktop icon file?
I am sending this note partially because I found it strange that I could move all the information from Moneydance to a different location (desktop icon) by grabbing the symbol of Moneydance.
Looking forward to your reply. Thanks so much for the wonderful product. Sincerely Graham Ham
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1 Posted by jeff_l on Feb 04, 2019 @ 02:51 PM
Hi Graham,
Your question is more about, how do I use the MAC operating system, than it is to do with MoneyDance!
Find the icon that opens the program to your satisfaction. Once open, It will show in the Dock with a small dot under the icon of the active open version of MoneyDance. Right click this icon & Under Options, select KEEP IN DOCK.
All the other MoneyDance icons without a dot under them are surplus to requirement, including the one on your desktop. I would suggest you send those to the Trash Can.
Jeff – Fellow User
2 Posted by jeff_l on Feb 04, 2019 @ 03:09 PM
I probably should add that before emptying the Trash, you should check that everything is working to your satisfaction. You should also double check that the Moneydance.app is still in your Applications Folder
Jeff
3 Posted by Graham Ham on Feb 04, 2019 @ 11:28 PM
HI Jeff
I do not think I have explained my concerns clearly enough.
I f you were to open Moneydance on your computer and not have it fill the complete screen click on the Moneydance symbol in the Moneydance header. Move the symbol to your desktop and now close Moneydance. Once you have closed Moneydance reopen it from the dock not the icon on the desktop. Now that the app is open do you have any information in Moneydance? When I did this all my information was gone. If I open the Moneydance on from the desktop icon my info is there.
My question was I do not wish to have the Moneydance icon on my desktop and wish to use the icon in the dock but need to get my info back from the desktop icon.
Do I open Moneydance in the dock and then import from the desktop icon. I was disappointed in your reply that this is a Mac operation system question and not a Moneydance help question!
Thanks Graham
4 Posted by jeff_l on Feb 05, 2019 @ 07:16 AM
Hi Graham,
Icons be they in the Dock or on the desktop are just short cuts to the program.
No Data is stored within the icon.
The program Moneydance.app by default lives in your Applications Folder. The data is held in a completely different place :-
/Users/admin/Library/Containers/com.infinitekind.MoneydanceOSX/Data/Documents
It's possible that somehow you put your Data Set on the desktop. It may have the icon for the program (as it is associated with it) but it would be called Personal Finances.moneydance (by default) & not Moneydance.
Jeff
5 Posted by Graham Ham on Feb 05, 2019 @ 11:06 AM
Hi Jeff
Would you just try the process I have described.
Sent from my iPad
6 Posted by boreham on Feb 05, 2019 @ 01:05 PM
Jeff, I just did what Graham described and it does move the actual data file to the desktop (not create shortcut). When you then open the app icon in the dock it can't find the data file so shows empty. It also creates a new empty data file in the default location (see PS below)
Graham, Jeff is right that these are not Moneydance specific issues, but macOS issues. in 20 years of Macs I have never accidentally done what you did, dragging the mini icon in the window to the desktop but see it is easily done by mistake!
First you need to move the data file back to its correct location. Actually it can be anywhere but the default location is: User/Library/Containers/com.infinitekind.MoneydanceOSX/Data/Documents/
Second, navigate in Finder to the data file in the above folder, and drag the data file to the right hand side fo the dock. (anywhere to right of the vertical line in the dock). This does not move the data file, but just creates a shortcut in the dock.
This icon will open your datafile in Moneydance.
EDIT PS when I just went through the above, Moneydance had already created a new (empty) data file in the correct location. When I moved the data file back to the correct location I was warned that a newer file already existed there and did I want to overwrite. I did of course as I was replacing the new empty data file with my correct data file.
7 Posted by Graham Ham on Feb 05, 2019 @ 02:56 PM
Thank you for understanding my problem, as you can imagine it is frustrating! I tried to follow your instructions but am not sure of the steps. How do I move the data file too : User/Library/Containers/com.infinitekind.MoneydanceOSX/Data/Documents/? Which data file am I moving? I suspect it is the data file with my Moneydance accounts which is now an icon short cut on my desktop? I do understand the moving to the right side of the line in dock.
Looking forward to your help. Thanks Graham
8 Posted by boreham on Feb 05, 2019 @ 04:03 PM
The file you are moving is the one on the desktop. It is not a short cut to any other file, it is your actual data file. At least when I did what you described (ie dragging the small icon at the top of the window to the desktop) that is what happened. You can tell if it is a shortcut because shortcuts on the Desktop have a little arrow bottom left corner of the icon. You can also confirm that it is your data file by right clicking on it, then selecting "Get Info'. This should confirm under "Kind" that it is a "Moneydance Account Book". If it is a shortcut then against "Kind" it will say "Alias".
So assuming that it is your data file, you need to move it back to the default location in the user library. Do this by opening the default location folder with Finder. Then drag the data file icon on the desktop into the folder. This is where you may see and be told that there is a newer file already there, and which you need to replace.
Having done this you can drag the data file to the Dock to create a short cut in the Dock.
All much easier to do than write down! Good luck.
(Since you have been in danger of losing precious data, it is a good time to ask if you have a proper backup strategy and you know how to restore from it?
9 Posted by boreham on Feb 05, 2019 @ 04:21 PM
I just realised that you may not be able to see your user library because by default it is hidden. There are several ways of making it visible which you can find with Google, but a simpler way of opening the Default folder location should be to open the Moneydance app from the app icon in the Dock, which will still show no data, then click on "Help" in the menu at the top, then "Show Documents Folder" which will open and you can drag the data file from the Desktop into it.
10 Posted by Graham Ham on Feb 05, 2019 @ 09:22 PM
I am wondering what will happen when I remove the desktop icon now that I have my info back were it should be?
Sent from my iPhone
11 Posted by boreham on Feb 05, 2019 @ 10:40 PM
You should have moved (not copied) the data file from the Desktop to its correct location, so there won't be an icon on the Desktop.
12 Posted by boreham on Feb 05, 2019 @ 11:34 PM
Your post #10 implies that you have now moved (or copied?) the data file back to it correct location.
And have you also created a shortcut in the Dock to the data file in the correct location?
If you have done both these steps, and can open your datafile from the Dock shortcut, then click Help -> Show Documents folder. It should show your data file in the correct location. If it does then all is well, and if you have another copy of the data file on your Desktop you can delete it.
13 Posted by Graham Ham on Feb 06, 2019 @ 12:59 AM
Dear Sir
I am sending this last e mail to thank you so much for your help and patience! Everything is back to the way it should be.
Regarding back up and retrieving data. I use TimeMachine and I also use Moneydance on my iPad.
I really do love your App and in a year never had a glitch until this little episode but with your help on getting things back to normal I feel that the help portion of the App is just as good. The real reason I persisted with this, was that I did not think the program should do what it did!
Thanks once again! Graham
14 Posted by boreham on Feb 06, 2019 @ 07:13 AM
Glad you are sorted!
I should have said that I am a fellow user, not Moneydance support staff. Posts by Moneydance staff are clearly identified a being from staff.
15 Posted by jeff_l on Feb 08, 2019 @ 11:05 AM
Hi Graham & boreham,
Didn’t mean to revisit Graham’s problem, but just discovered something vaguely interesting!
The problem Graham had seems to be a new “feature” in Mojave. If you click on the Middle top icon in High Sierra and drag it off the program it just creates a harmless desktop icon, but if you do it in Mojave it actually moves the Data Set from its original location & puts it on the desktop, this is rather a dangerous feature in my opinion.
This is certainly one to look out for in the future. However, looking through all my installed applications, I can’t find another application that puts such an item in the header.
So apologise Graham, this problem is as much a MD issue as it is an OS issue.
Jeff – Fellow (MAC) User
16 Posted by tonyt on Feb 08, 2019 @ 12:59 PM
What is the middle top icon? What does it look like so I can avoid it! On Mojave! Screen shot possible?
Thanks.....
17 Posted by jeff_l on Feb 08, 2019 @ 03:14 PM
Hi Tony,
Screen Grab attached, icon immediately below the word Extensions.
If you have the program windowed, & you then grab the top of the window to say reposition it. That works fine unless you just happen to have your mouse cursor on this icon, nowhere else, just the icon. It’s possible to drag it off the program & put you data set on the desktop, removing it from where it belongs.
This icon isn’t there on the Windows version just the Mac! I suppose in my defence I should have asked Graham for this screen grab & also what OS….
Jeff
18 Posted by jeff_l on Feb 08, 2019 @ 03:18 PM
Hi Tony,
Screen Grab attached, icon immediately below the word Extensions.
If you have the program windowed, & you then grab the top of the window to say reposition it. That works fine unled you just happen to have your mouse cursor on this icon, nowhere else, just the icon. It’s possible to drag it off the program & put you data set on the desktop, removing it from where it should reside.
This icon isn't there on the Windows version just the Mac! I suppose in my defence I should have asked Graham for this screen grab & also what OS….
Jeff
19 Posted by boreham on Feb 08, 2019 @ 03:26 PM
Jeff, Interesting. I didn't know it was new in Mojave.
It isn't a Moneydance thing....it applies to all the file types I have tried, docx, pdf, xlsx, jpg, etc
As you say, and as Graham found.... a bit dangerous!,
System closed this discussion on May 10, 2019 @ 03:30 PM.