LOG file Creation from a MAC

It seems like there are possibly two questions here:

1) how can a Mac user create an empty file?

I'll answer this in the next comment

2) how can a Mac user copy that empty file from a Mac to his Edge 530?

I think they can just use Finder (the mac equivalent of File Explorer), as Edge 530 is 6 years old and should be still using USB Mass Storage. If I'm wrong about that, they should be able to use OpenMTP.

If you're asking how to directly create an empty file on the Garmin device from a Mac, well, as I think you pointed out above, that isn't possible in Windows either (to be clear, it isn't possible in Windows for devices that use MTP, but it should be possible in Windows for devices that use USB mass storage)

DaveBrillhart said:

I think Garmin introduced a new mounting approach in the last year that changes how devices mount via USB.

I doubt it. 

The only thing that's changed is - as you mentioned to us - newer Edges now use MTP instead of USB mass storage for file transfer. Mac users would have to use a 3rd party app like openmtp, to transfer files to and from MTP devices.

Garmin devices either use USB Mass Storage or MTP. There's really no additional nuance beyond that (except for an option on watches that causes the device to prompt the user to go into USB Mass Storage Mode/MTP when it's plugged into a computer - if they say no, they can continue using the device normally while it charges.)

DaveBrillhart said:

How can an empty file be created from a MAC?

As for this specific question, a Mac user can use TextEdit to create an empty file.

1) Open TextEdit

2) Create a new document. From the app menu, select File > New or press CMD-N

3) From the app menu, select Format > Make Plain Text

4) From the app menu, select File > Save and save the empty file somewhere on their Mac drive

Now they can use:

- Finder to copy the file to a Garmin device that uses USB mass storage

- OpenMTP (or whatever) to copy the empty file to a Garmin MTP device

I just type: touch MyApp.txt

flocsy🤠 said:

I just type: touch MyApp.txt

You expect end users to use Terminal.app? I wouldn't suggest that for this kind of user and this kind of action when there's an alternative that doesn't involve using the command line.

That would be like telling normal windows users to use copy con MyApp.txt followed by CTRL-Z to create an empty file. Or maybe they could install WSL, open bash and use touch MyApp.txt from there. That's what I would do, but it's not what I would expect normal users to do. 

Also, I did a quick search and noticed that Mac users have been asking about this for years (how to create an empty file on Mac). Obviously to you and me, the touch command is the simplest solution. But equally obviously, normal users don't want to use the command line if they can avoid it.