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From: Richard Maine on 14 Feb 2010 21:09
105 <cortical(a)internode.on.net> wrote:

> On 12/02/10 11:16 PM, Tom Stiller wrote:

> > The Disk Utility "Repair Permissions" option only applies to system and
> > application files that have been installed with the Apple Installer and
> > which have left the appropriate data files in /Library/Receipts.
> >
>
> ok, just tested that on another box duplicating a document file and
> resetting the permissions, repair mad no change
>
> I was understanding tat repair permissions did all files on a volume
> provided the volume had an OS. So files in Documents are not
> invisible/ignored by repair permissions.

There is a *HUGE* amount of misunderstanding (not just in you - it is
widespread) about repair permissions.

I'll not get into the arguments (they happen a lot) about how wise it is
to run repair permissions in various situations. I'll just stick to the
facts about what repair permissions does... and what it does not do.

What it does not do is some magical deduction of what permissions on
random files are supposed to be. It has no way of knowing that. All
repair permissions does is compare the permissions of files with a list
of what permissions those files are supposed to have (and then it
optionally changes the file permissions to match those specified in the
list). If a file isn't one of the particular ones in the list that it
looks at, repair permissions won't even look at the file.

That applies to the files in your documents folder. It isn't that those
files are invisible or anything of the sort. It is just that they are
quite unlikely to be listed in any of the lists that repair permissions
looks at. The lists, as Tom says, basically cover "system and
application files that have been installed with Apple installer and
which have left the appropriate data files in /Library Receipts."

--
Richard Maine | Good judgment comes from experience;
email: last name at domain . net | experience comes from bad judgment.
domain: summertriangle | -- Mark Twain
From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Kir=E1ly?= on 15 Feb 2010 01:13
105 <cortical(a)internode.on.net> wrote:
> just tried that with DiskWarrior - will not repair permissions on a
> partition without an OS on that permissions

That's right. Repair permissions only repairs system files. If no OS
is installed, there are no system files - so, nothing to repair.

> Have TTDeluxe which of course does not have the capability; could you
> confirm TTP does?

It doesn't.

What sort of file/folder permissions are you trying to "repair"?

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.
From: 105 on 15 Feb 2010 01:40
On 15/02/10 12:39 PM, Richard Maine wrote:
> 105<cortical(a)internode.on.net> wrote:
>
>> On 12/02/10 11:16 PM, Tom Stiller wrote:
>
>>> The Disk Utility "Repair Permissions" option only applies to system and
>>> application files that have been installed with the Apple Installer and
>>> which have left the appropriate data files in /Library/Receipts.
>>>
>>
>> ok, just tested that on another box duplicating a document file and
>> resetting the permissions, repair mad no change
>>
>> I was understanding tat repair permissions did all files on a volume
>> provided the volume had an OS. So files in Documents are not
>> invisible/ignored by repair permissions.
>
> There is a *HUGE* amount of misunderstanding (not just in you - it is
> widespread) about repair permissions.
>
> I'll not get into the arguments (they happen a lot) about how wise it is
> to run repair permissions in various situations. I'll just stick to the
> facts about what repair permissions does... and what it does not do.
>
> What it does not do is some magical deduction of what permissions on
> random files are supposed to be. It has no way of knowing that. All
> repair permissions does is compare the permissions of files with a list
> of what permissions those files are supposed to have (and then it
> optionally changes the file permissions to match those specified in the
> list). If a file isn't one of the particular ones in the list that it
> looks at, repair permissions won't even look at the file.
>
> That applies to the files in your documents folder. It isn't that those
> files are invisible or anything of the sort. It is just that they are
> quite unlikely to be listed in any of the lists that repair permissions
> looks at. The lists, as Tom says, basically cover "system and
> application files that have been installed with Apple installer and
> which have left the appropriate data files in /Library Receipts."
>


Which is admittedly a new perspective to me, as well I'm sure to others.

I suppose I have assumed that 'all' files under documents would reflect
the account, and a permissions repair as a means of a blanket reset of
all those pesky transfers that result in ' you don't have...'); where
dropping a bunch of files into a new folder then copying the folder and
contents, 'resets all the copied contents...' .

thanks to all for responding


From: 105 on 15 Feb 2010 01:43
On 15/02/10 4:43 PM, Kir�ly wrote:
> 105<cortical(a)internode.on.net> wrote:
>> just tried that with DiskWarrior - will not repair permissions on a
>> partition without an OS on that permissions
>
> That's right. Repair permissions only repairs system files. If no OS
> is installed, there are no system files - so, nothing to repair.
>
>> Have TTDeluxe which of course does not have the capability; could you
>> confirm TTP does?
>
> It doesn't.
>
> What sort of file/folder permissions are you trying to "repair"?
>



All my 3 macs (all xX.6.2) have multiple user accounts.
one problem has been not being able to transfer files into the drop box
on some accounts; trivial enough to try to ignore it for a while, but
eventually it gets to the point of wanting to sort it out.

After using BatChmod and wading through the 14 or so accounts across the
3 macs, checking and correcting permissions for each Public and Drop Box
directory, transfers now seem to be working correctly.

What I was looking for was an approach (terminal�) to dealing with the
user accounts under my data partition, in a single process. rather than
having to check individual directories (after ferreting around,
tabulating the various main directories to establish the 'correct'
values� ). Recognising that it is not as simple as selecting the user
home directory , and applying to enclosed folders.


thanks
From: Richard Maine on 15 Feb 2010 02:19
105 <cortical(a)internode.on.net> wrote:

> I suppose I have assumed that 'all' files under documents would reflect
> the account, and a permissions repair as a means of a blanket reset of
> all those pesky transfers that result in ' you don't have...'); where
> dropping a bunch of files into a new folder then copying the folder and
> contents, 'resets all the copied contents...' .

I would sure be greatly annoyed if "repair permissions" destroyed any
custom permissions that I had created for my documents. It has no way of
knowing whether I did it on purpose or not.

In any case, regardless of any posisble debates about how people might
or might not like it to act, no, it doesn't work that way.

--
Richard Maine | Good judgment comes from experience;
email: last name at domain . net | experience comes from bad judgment.
domain: summertriangle | -- Mark Twain
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