Workaround For Dashcode Beta Expiration Date

Just nearly an hour after I learned that Dashcode had in fact stopped working due to it’s (quite annoying) expiration date and posted a blog entry on it Eric and I found a workaround to the expiration date. Initially we used these instructions to get the basic understanding of the process, but we did end up modifying/ simplifying it a bit and those instructions are right here within this blog post. First of all you’ll need a Hex editor. Eric used “Hex Fiend”, but there’s also “OxED”. Next open Dashcode’s executable file with the application. It lives within Dashcode at /Contents/MacOS/. To open Dashcode as a directory control-click it and choose “Show Package Contents”. The executable will be named “Dashcode” and will be the only file within the “MacOS” folder. Once the executable is open search for the hex data “D7 07” and replace it with “BF 0B”. Then save the file. That should set Dashcode’s expiration date to 7-15-3007, way after Apple releases 10.5 Leopard. When you next open Dashcode it ought to act as it did yesterday. However, be warned, save a copy of the file before you mess with it as a backup. Also, this workaround only changes the i386 (Intel) side of the Dashcode binary, a PPC fix will be your own job to find and use. Enjoy creating Dashboard widgets, Alex.