As a sidebar to my discussion of my strategies for managing my Applications folder, Ill answer the question: Whats with these Stack 'Drawers', anyhow?

A 'Drawer' is used to visually brand any Stack with a nifty customisable icon that remains the first item in the Stack regardless of how many new items are added to the Stack's folder.

But first: Why would you want to do all of this?

These simple steps allow users to visually customize and thus (hopefully more easily) differentiate among the Stacks in their Dock.

Here's how:

Download Drawer icons from http://www.geocities.jp/chy065/. If you dont like the look of these ones, a web search should turn up some more variations...

Download Folder Action script from http://justinhileman.info/articles/keeping-my-custom-leopard-stack-overlays-in-front. This page also gives a good explanation of how to add Folder Actions... Follow these instructions first!

(If you are über-geeky and want to create drawer icons for say, Documents or Downloads (or any folder really) but are irked by the appearance of the drawer icon in OSX Finder, download and apply these Folder Action scripts from http://henrik.nyh.se/2007/11/hide-leopard-stack-overlays-in-finder. But know that this wont work with FlowSpaces or DockSpaces!)

In each folder that you have dragged to your Dock as a Stack, just drop one of these custom(izable) 'drawer' icon files. For the geeky/inquisitive: This icon file is really a (on intel macs) non-functioning carbon application most likely compiled from applescript. (If you click on it, a message indicates that this app cannot be launched.)

Rename the drawer icon to your chosen name for the Stack. (Important: The icon filename must begin and end with a ' ' space.)

If you *must* sort your stack by 'Date Added': Navigate to the parent folder of the folder you've dragged to the Dock as a Stack. Add the 'reload stack' Folder Action as specified above.

Again, for the geeky: This folder action calls a script that rewrites the 'last modified date' of this drawer icon file, ensuring that even when Stacks are sorted by 'Date Added', the drawer icon is *always* the first (or frontmost) icon...

To verify your Stack configuration, Right click on your Stack and set it to 'Display as' Stack, 'View content as' Fan, and select a 'Sort by' of your choice.

Ta daaa!

where does this go?