DS_Store Parser

A Python script to view and parse contents of macOS .DS_Store files.

About .DS_Store

The .DS_Store file is a macOS system file that stores folder display preferences and metadata. This tool allows you to inspect and extract entries from these files programmatically.

Before:

After:

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• pip (Python package manager)

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/dhaval17/DS_Store.git
cd DS_Store

2. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

python dsstore.py -p /path/to/.DS_Store -t Iloc

Parameters

• -p, --path (required): Path to the .DS_Store file
• -t, --type (optional): Entry type to filter (default: Iloc)

Supported Entry Types

• Iloc - Position information
• bwsp - Browser window position
• lsvp - List view properties
• lsvP - List view properties (alternate)
• icvp - Icon view properties

Dependencies

The project requires the following Python packages:

• ds_store (>=1.3.0): Library for reading .DS_Store files
• tqdm (>=4.65.0): Progress bar library

Install with: pip install -r requirements.txt

Example

# View all Iloc entries
python dsstore.py -p ~/.DS_Store -t Iloc

# View bwsp entries with progress bar
python dsstore.py -p /Volumes/External/.DS_Store -t bwsp

Requirements

To manually install dependencies:

pip install ds_store>=1.3.0
pip install tqdm>=4.65.0

License

This project is provided as-is for educational and utility purposes.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests.

Disclaimer

This tool is meant for analyzing your own .DS_Store files. Ensure you have the necessary permissions before accessing .DS_Store files on systems or volumes you don't own.