MacOS – How to switch Dock configurations when an external display is connected

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I have a MacBook Pro that I use in two different 'modes', mobile and desktop.

Mobile is for when I'm using just the MBP with the integrated trackpad, keyboard, and display.
Desktop is for when I'm using it with external displays and an external keyboard and mouse, usually in clamshell mode.

A couple of facts have led me to look for a way to configure a different Dock to appear in each mode:

The resolution of the external displays is higher than that of the internal display, so I have more room for extra apps/folders/spacers in the Dock.
I generally use a different set of main apps in each mode.

So, is there a way to configure two different Docks in OS X and switch between them either automatically based on the presence of an external display or manually?

Best Answer

DockSpaces is nice and convenient, but annoyingly unscriptable. So, I wrote two little shell scripts, one to change to my desktop Dock and one to change to my mobile Dock.

The desktop script is triggered on arrival in my Home context in ControlPlane, and the mobile script is triggered by departure from it.
The desktop context is defined based on the presence of my external displays: enter image description here

Here's how the scripts work:

I save a copy of both Docks in my Documents folder (the Dock configuration is stored in ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist).

When I switch from one to the other, I replace the appropriate file in my Documents folder with the current file in my Preferences so that changes I've made to the Dock are saved. Then I copy the alternate Dock from my Documents to my Preferences. Finally, the Dock process is restarted so that the changes take effect.

The Scripts:

To Desktop:

#!/bin/bash

cp ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist ~/Documents/Docks/mobile.plist
cp ~/Documents/Docks/desktop.plist ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist
killall Dock

To Mobile:

#!/bin/bash

cp ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist ~/Documents/Docks/desktop.plist
cp ~/Documents/Docks/mobile.plist ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist
killall Dock

Related Solutions

MacOS – With multiple displays: how best to keep the Dock to one side, and on the same display as the menu bar

As far as I can find, putting the Dock on the left side of the right monitor or the right side of the left monitor can't be done.

But let's look at other possible solutions to your problem. Point #1 notes that you don't want the dock on the right because it would interfere with disk icons on the desktop. And when you first drag the Dock to the right side, it does indeed cover the disk icons on the right side. But if you select "clean up" on the Desktop once the Dock is positioned on the right, it will move those icons over to make room for the Dock. This is a temporary solution, however, because newly mounted drives will still be buried by the dock. If you select "clean up by name", however, then newly mounted drives will fit into the grid created and not be covered by the Dock.

Not the solution you were looking for, I know, but it might be a workaround.

MacOS – create two different Docks that I can switch back and forth between

You could use an Automator service or one of the global-keybaord-trigger apps to run a script that switches between two different Dock preference plist files and then relaunches the Dock.

#!/bin/sh
#you'd have a dock-work.plist and dock-home.plist file 

cd ~/Library/Preferences/

if [ -e dock-is-work.state ] ; then 
    rm dock-is-work.state
    touch dock-is-home.state

    #save changes to existing Dock setup
    cp com.apple.dock.plist com.apple.dock-work.plist

    #copy home setup to main preference location
    cp com.apple.dock-home.plist com.apple.dock.plist
else
    rm dock-is-home.state
    touch dock-is-work.state

    #save changes to existing Dock setup
    cp com.apple.dock.plist com.apple.dock-home.plist

    #copy work setup to main preference location
    cp com.apple.dock-work.plist com.apple.dock.plist
fi

osascript -e "tell application \"Dock\" to quit"

_{(I haven't done bash if-then-else in awhile, so this might not execute as is.)}

Best Answer

Related Solutions

MacOS – With multiple displays: how best to keep the Dock to one side, and on the same display as the menu bar

MacOS – create two different Docks that I can switch back and forth between

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