Two pipe icons and "Invalid" next to arrow - reinstall doesn't fix

Hi @UeharaYou , this appears to be a bug inherited from the original Hidden Bar app that is no longer maintained. I installed that one from the App Store first, then when it started having trouble, as I documented here, I uninstalled it and installed your forked version v2.0.5(19). It immediately had the same issue.

> A clear and concise description of what the bug is.

The pipe changed, doubled, and now there is an "Invalid" message next to the arrow icon and the app no longer works.
Uninstalling / reinstalling doesn't fix it.

[The app breaks when...]

I initially drug the pipe icon to the left of menu bar icons for organization, causing it to disappear.
After uninstalling and doing a system clean, I now have TWO pipes, one grayed out and one white as well as an "Invalid" message next to the arrow icon.

Steps to Reproduce

Drag the pipe icon to the left of menu bar icons. It randomly disappears?
Not sure what else at this point because apparently you can only do this once and then it's game over to try and reproduce because to get back to a state where the change is reset, you seemingly have to format and reinstall macOS. I'm not ready to do that at this point.

Expected behavior

I expected to be able to move the pipe wherever I need to as I organize my menu bar icons. Even if that isn't possible, I at least expected to be able to uninstall the app and reset the defaults of macOS without punitive consequences.
After uninstalling the app for the fourth time by dragging to the trash and then using two different utility apps (Hazel and Onyx) to remove related install files and rebuild some system settings / defaults, I have the pipe back AND duplicated, but the app still doesn't function and now the arrow icon says "Invalid" next to it in the Menu bar.

Environments:

Hardware: MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2021; A2485; M1 Pro CPU
OS: macOS 14.5
App Version: v2.0.5(19)

Additional materials Current appearance

Loom video demonstration 1

Demonstration 1: Initial pipe has disappeared and quitting/reopening as well as uninstall/reinstall doesn't fix

Loom video demonstration 2

Demonstration 2: after uninstalling and using utility apps to clean related files and rebuild some system databases, I have TWO pipes now and an "Invalid" message next to the arrow. Still no functionality.

Hi there. Thanks for reaching out.

This is an expected behavior. All you have to do is to drag the greyed-out pipe to the left of the opaque pipe, and both of them at the left of the chevron. By doing this then clicking the "invalid" message, the problem should be fixed.

Hi @UeharaYou, thanks for your reply. I was able to follow your instructions and fix the issue with all the icons disappearing and the "Invalid" message. So thank you for that!

However, I think I am now experiencing the original underlying issue I had which is that after positioning the pipes in their appropriate positions, they both disappear and become invisible. This did not happen when I originally downloaded Hidden Bar (in the original author's version) but it changed yesterday and has not yet been fixed since I downloaded your forked code. Here's a demonstration. ( https://www.loom.com/share/df63f8142d354e3abcae7931c8c9356e )

Any ideas on how to make the pipes visible? This is especially painful with the grayed-out pipe because it serves the purpose of literally hiding other icons so, if that pipe isn't even visible, it's impossible to see whether there are invisible icons present or not.

Thanks,

Dan

Sent via Superhuman ( @.*** )

On Fri, Jul 19, 2024 at 10:56 PM, UeharaYou < @.*** > wrote:

Hi there. Thanks for reaching out.

This is an expected behavior. All you have to do is to drag the greyed-out pipe to the left of the opaque pipe, and both of them at the left of the chevron. By doing this then clicking the "invalid" message, the problem should be fixed.

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub ( https://github.com/UeharaYou/HiddenBar/issues/10#issuecomment-2240879401 ) , or unsubscribe ( https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ADGZONECNMVOCTXBZRMEICTZNHGUNAVCNFSM6AAAAABLE3B7ZKVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDENBQHA3TSNBQGE ). You are receiving this because you authored the thread. Message ID: <UeharaYou/HiddenBar/issues/10/2240879401 @ github. com>

I'm not 100% sure that this will be the answer of your question, but hiding those pipes is a designed behavior, as they should not appear in normal mode.

To see all icons: Option+Click the chevron ">"; to edit hidden properties of icons, use edit mode.

==== Detailed Answer ==== Hidden Bar divides the top menu bar into different sectors: hidden | folded | shown. All sectors are solely controlled by the chevron ">". By just clicking the chevron, you can toggle the visibility of the "folded" section; Option+clicking for "hidden" section. (Every new menu icons are in different sector by default)

The sole purpose of those pipes are just indicators of different sectors, to let you easily see where those sectors are, and arrange your app menu icons into their corresponding sectors in edit mode. When exiting edit mode, sectors are committed, icons inside each sectors are given their "properties". Since pipes are implemented as icons, but no "properties" can apply to them, they should simply just disappear. Also, since they carries mechanical implementations of Hidden Bar, it is designed that they stay invisible in case of unexpected adjustments, eventually crashing Hidden Bar (like showing the "invalid" tag)

@UeharaYou,

Again, thank you so much for your quick response! This definitely answers my question and explains everything. To be honest, I feel like I never saw any explanation of these important details before you explained them here, even though I read the Readme at Github and looked at the diagram on the Settings screen when installing Hidden Bar. These important details include:

The fact that pipes are supposed to disappear under normal usage
The fact that there is not only a Cmd + Click function but also different, additional functions / menus accessed when using Option + Click and Ctrl + Click.
The fact that there is an Edit Mode. That the Edit Mode facilitates configuration by making the pipes visible again so you can see how to move things between sectors.

When I go back to look at the ReadMe on Github, it basically only talks about the Cmd + Click dragging to move icons and that's it. It references the help button on the Settings screen but given the presence of bulleted instructions provided on the Readme screen, one would normally infer that the help docs provide additional, scenario-specific details about troubleshooting, not a remainder of important facts omitted from the Readme.

I would argue that the details you explained in your response are actually normal usage details that a first-time user needs to know before they use the app. Burying them behind a small help button creates confusion because, 1) The Help button is not prominently displayed in the interface and 2) the two bullet points of instructions already presented in the Readme and on the Settings screen diagram consistently present the same limited details and are therefore reinforcing the implication that they present all the relevant details one needs to get started.

It would probably help to update the Readme to include these additional details so that others don't have the same confusion. I'd be happy to contribute a quick explanation or screen recording to the readme demonstrating this for other users if you'd like. I create a lot of training and documentation in my day job and I'd be happy to help with this.

Thanks!

Dan

Sent via Superhuman ( @.*** )

On Sat, Jul 20, 2024 at 3:49 PM, UeharaYou < @.*** > wrote:

I'm not 100% sure that this will be the answer of your question, but hiding those pipes is a designed behavior, as they should not appear in normal mode.

To see all icons: Option+Click the chevron ">"; to edit hidden properties of icons, use edit mode.

==== Detailed Answer ==== Hidden Bar divides the top menu bar into different sectors: hidden | folded | shown. All sectors are solely controlled by the chevron ">". By just clicking the chevron, you can toggle the visibility of the "folded" section; Option+clicking for "hidden" section. (Every new menu icons are in different sector by default)

The sole purpose of those pipes are just indicators of different sectors, to let you easily see where those sectors are, and arrange your app menu icons into their corresponding sectors in edit mode. When exiting edit mode, sectors are committed, icons inside each sectors are given their "properties". Since pipes are implemented as icons, but no "properties" can apply to them, they should simply just disappear. Also, since they carries mechanical implementations of Hidden Bar, it is designed that they stay invisible in case of unexpected adjustments, eventually crashing Hidden Bar (like showing the "invalid" tag)

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub ( https://github.com/UeharaYou/HiddenBar/issues/10#issuecomment-2241276863 ) , or unsubscribe ( https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ADGZONAOICEQ3YGEMPAWWZLZNK5LTAVCNFSM6AAAAABLE3B7ZKVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDENBRGI3TMOBWGM ). You are receiving this because you authored the thread. Message ID: <UeharaYou/HiddenBar/issues/10/2241276863 @ github. com>

UeharaYou / HiddenBar

Two pipe icons and "Invalid" next to arrow - reinstall doesn't fix #10