Setting+Preferences

Setting Up Preferences for Your Home Computer to Match D019
Every time you use an application, your computer remembers what you did last (i.e. the last font used, the last tool used, the positions of your floating panels, etc). When you quit an application, these "preferences" are recorded in "plist" files and saved to your hard drive. Those same "preferences" are loaded the next time you launch an application.

Parkland faculty have configured select Adobe applications with ideal preferences that meet our standards for teaching and learning (these preferences are different than the defaults installed by Adobe). By resetting these preferences to Parkland's "preferred" standards, each application will behave the same every time it is launched. This consistency helps beginning students learn these tools faster.

Here's how to reset select Adobe preferences:
 * 1) Quit the application (required!)
 * 2) Launch the SELF-SERVICE app (in the dock)
 * 3) Choose CONFIGURATIONS, then run the specific script you want (i.e. INSTALL)
 * 4) Re-launch the application



Notes for setting up your home computer to duplicate the experience in C184, D017, D019 are located here: gds.parkland.edu/staging/test/

Note: Installing fresh application preferences may be a required first step when doing in-class exercises in GDS classes.

Tip: When troubleshooting mis-behaving applications at home, resetting an app's preferences is a common quick fix. This article explains the steps for Photoshop, but also applies to most other Adobe apps.