Can't launch program

Hi,

Spam Sieve won’t launch from the dock for me. I have dropped the program icon into applications, clicked to place it in the dock, followed the instructions for setting up Apple Mail spam mailbox, closed that program and double clicked on the Spam Sieve icon in the dock. Nothing happens. I deleted everything, downloaded again and followed the same procedure with the same result.

Have I missed something?

Thanks

Does it start bouncing and then stop, or does it not respond at all? What happens if you double-click the SpamSieve icon in your Applications folder? Please open the Console program (in /Applications/Utilities) and let me know if it shows any error messages in the console.log window when you try to launch SpamSieve.

When I try to launch from the dock, the icon doesn’t move. From Applications, a double click causes a momentary flash of a second icon in the dock.

There is no error log relating to Spam Sieve in the Console. The log within the program appears to reflect my multiple launches from Applications to the dock.

Launched: SpamSieve 2.5
Date: 2007-01-31 22:47:28 -0800

Launched: SpamSieve 2.5
Date: 2007-01-31 23:37:33 -0800

Launched: SpamSieve 2.5
Date: 2007-01-31 23:45:23 -0800

Which version of Mac OS X do you have? Could you check and see if you have crash log file for SpamSieve:

/Users/<username>/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/SpamSieve.crash.log

?

I have version 10.4.8. There is no crash log for SpamSieve.

If there is no crash log, then there must be something in the console. Please try to launch SpamSieve again, and then e-mail me the console.log file. You can attach it to an e-mail by viewing it in the Console program and then dragging the icon in the title bar into the message window in your e-mail program.

Absolutely nothing shows in the console log from SpamSieve. I cleared some activity that I had today, then tried to launch the program several times. The log remained clear.

I know it sounds bizarre, but it appears that there’s no communication between the mouse double click and the launcher. There is communication for a right click or a single click. Both of those darken the icon and bring up the menu.

This is a new computer with very little on it, if that helps at all.

But I thought you said that the icon flashed in the Dock?

Well, I have no idea what’s happening if you don’t see anything in any of the logs. I’ve never heard of anything like this happening, with any application. Have you tried restarting your Mac? Or launching SpamSieve from the disk image? Could you try creating a fresh Mac OS X user account and see if you are able to launch it when logged in with that account?

From Applications, a double click causes a momentary flash of a second icon in the dock. It never flashes from the dock.

I did try a restart and logging in from a different account. Same result. Not sure what you mean by the disk image. I tried launching from the image I found in the MacOS folder of the Contents folder. Same result. But I’m emailing you a file that appeared when I tried this, because there appears to be an error message there.

Ah, I missed this bit about the second icon the first time. It sounds to me as if you have two copies of SpamSieve on your Mac. One of them is running, and it should appear in the Dock with a black triangle. The other is the one that you double-clicked from Applications. The log excerpt that you sent me said:

2007-02-02 23:33:08.905 SpamSieve[810] Quitting because another copy of this application is running.

Only one copy of SpamSieve can be running at a time (per Mac OS X user). So when you launch SpamSieve and another copy is already running, SpamSieve will quit and print the above message on the console.

What you should do is quit the copy of SpamSieve that’s running. Command-click on its Dock icon to find where it’s stored and then delete it and empty the trash. At this point you should have only one copy of SpamSieve, the one in Applications, and you should be able to double-click it.

I have tried all the permutations, including deleting all SpamSieve files and restarting, with the same result. However, I have discovered what may hint at the problem. When I search for SpamSieve in Spotlight, it shows this file:

‘comc-command.SpamSieve.plist’

When I click it, it launches OmniOutliner, part of the iMac package, rather than SpamSieve. The path leads to library/preferences.

When I go there and click on the .plist file, a popup says no default application has been set to open the file. When I try to associate SpamSieve with it, I’m not allowed to complete the action.

I put this file in the trash, but that didn’t change my situation.

Let’s start from the beginning. Restart your Mac. Is SpamSieve in your Dock?

  • If not, try double-clicking it in Applications and tell me what happens.
  • If it is in the Dock, try single-clicking it. (You should never need to double-click anything in the Dock, although doing so won’t hurt.)

Now, what is the name of the menu next to the Apple menu? Is there a black triangle beneath the SpamSieve icon in the Dock?

I don’t think that has anything to do with it. It is normal for SpamSieve’s preferences file (or any Mac OS X preferences file) to be associated with a program that edits property lists rather than with the application whose preferences it is.

It’s in the dock when I restart because I selected to open at login. There is a black triangle beneath the icon. But there is no menu shown except for the one from a right click. The options are the same from a single left click or a right click. A double click does nothing except darken the icon. That’s what confused me after reading the manual:

“Quit Apple Mail. Then double-click the SpamSieve application and choose Install Apple Mail Plug-in from the SpamSieve Menu.”

I see. The instructions didn’t say to do that, and it’s not necessary (Mail will launch SpamSieve automatically as needed), so it didn’t occur to me that you had it set to open at login.

Then it’s running, and you don’t need to launch it again.

When you click (single or double) on SpamSieve in the Dock, the menu bar at the top of the screen (next to the Apple) should change to show the SpamSieve menus: SpamSieve, File, Edit, Filter, Window, Help.

Also, unless you’ve turned it off, SpamSieve should have a Training Tip window that will come to the front when you click on the Dock icon.

Perhaps it would help you to watch this video showing how to setup SpamSieve with Apple Mail.

I’ve got it now. Sorry for all the trouble. You’ve been very patient. I’m still adapting to being a Mac user after a decade of Windows.