This is a neat little tip. Type the name of any Application into Spotlight, wait a moment, and the Application will appear as the top hit in a list of the search results. Just hit Return and the Application will open.
You can refine your search results in Spotlight to search for and display the Applications first. Open Spotlight in System Preferences by typing “Spotlight pref” in Spotlight and hit Return. This will take you directly to the Spotlight Preference Pane.
In the Spotlight Preference Pane you can customize how search results are displayed.
The typical Apple Keyboard Shortcut for Spotlight is Cmd+Space. This will direct typing on the keyboard to Spotlight. So just type in the search string and press Return.
Safari’s new Find feature is slicker than ever! Use the keyboard shortcut Apple + F or Select Edit -> Find -> Find from the Menu Bar. The keyboard shortcut is so much easier…
A Find toolbar will appear under the Address Bar. Type in the word or phrase I wish to find in the website here. Press return.
The number of matches will appear in the tool bar. The first match will appear on the website, highlighted in yellow. Find next by using the keyboard shortcut Apple + G. Find previous by pressing Shift + Apple + G. Or just click the arrow buttons in the Find tool bar.
Click Done in the Tool Bar when I am finished searched for the term.
Since Apple has taken the time to make some changes in OS X Leopard that reflect our workflow habits, I have prepared some smart tips for anyone using Tiger so the transition will be smoother. Leopard is coming out in October and while some Mac users have already preordered Apple, Inc.’s next release of OS X through Amazon.com, others will be skeptical after watching Microsoft users disappointed with Windows Vista.
Even if there are a few bugs when OS X Leopard 10.5 is launched, Apple Inc. will take care of them rapidly with Security Fixes and Updates via Software Update. Will your old Applications work? There should be a seamless transition for the most part. Apple hasn’t reinvented the wheel with this release, just added features that will make your workflow easier and your files well organized.
The idea is to cut down on our Desktop Clutter by moving files that are usually place the Desktop to Folders in the Dock, make the Menu Bar transparent so digital photos can show through, organize open Applications in different Desktops, and set up automatic backups of files using Automator.
The Look and Feel of Leopard
For years, Apple has been changing the look of Application windows. In Panther, there was the blinds look; Tiger had the brushed metal look; and recently iTunes and iLife were given a new and softer appearance. In Leopard, all the windows will be uniform. What what can we do in Tiger to achieve this look? UNO to the rescue. “UNO is a theme that brings the sunken unified toolbar/titlebar look&feel to every single window on your system (cocoa or carbon, metal or aqua and already unified windows as well).”
Find out more about UNO from the official website.
Place Downloads in the Dock
It is easy to redirect Downloads to a folder in the Dock. Just follow these simple steps for Safari:
Select Safari: Preferences in the Menu Bar. Click the General Tab in the window that appears. In the Save downloaded files to: field select Other… In the next window, Navigate to Documents and Click New Folder. Name this new folder Downloads and Click Select.
For other Applications like Firefox or iChat, just follow a similar procedure for finding the Downloads location in each Application’s Preferences. Remember, the keyboard shortcut to get into an Application’s Preferences is Apple + ,.
Navigate to the Downloads Folder in the Finder. Drag the Folder to the right side of the Dock, just to the right of the small vertical crease. An alias of the Downloads folder will appear in the Dock. Ctrl + Click the new Dock folder and a listing of the files inside the Downloads Folder will appear.
Make the Menu Bar Transparent
An Application called MenuShade will make the Menu Bar semitransparent until I hover my mouse cursor over it and then it becomes opaque. This Application allows me have digital photos that seamlessly integrate with the Menu Bar.
Download MenuShade from VersionTracker here.
After I install MenuShade, I can adjust the transparency in MenuShade’s Preferences.
I can automatically load MenuShade when I login if I place MenuShade in the Dock and Ctrl+Click the Menu Shade Dock icon. Select Open at Login from the options. Now Menu Shade will load automatically at Login.
Use Multiple Desktops with VirtueDesktops
The motto of Leopard is “Conquer Time and Spaces”. We can certainly accomplish this with Tiger. I don’t have to be constrained to just one Desktop in OS X 10.4 Tiger. VirtueDesktops allows me to create alternate Desktops in a grid fashion. I switch between these spaces using the Menu Bar or the Shift + Control + Arrow Keyboard Shortcut.
Download and Install VirtueDesktops
There are several effects I can apply to the transition of each Desktop. I can even assign certain Applications to specific Desktops. I can set up Templates for the organization of all the Desktops too.
Backup Files Automatically
If I really want to get the most out of Backup, it is best to go out and purchase an external hard drive larger than the one I am backing up. Go out and buy a Lacie that has both Firewire and USB 2.0. If I have a G5 or a Mac Pro, I can even install a second internal hard drive that will make backups happen even faster. For Professionals, get an external hard drive that can connect via eSATA and purchase the appropriate eSATA add on cards for the computer are using.
Leopard uses Time Machine to make automatic backups, but there are several solutions that do the same thing in OS X 10.4 Tiger. The two solutions below are both free. The first option allows me to set up scheduled backups of individual folders using an Automator Action and iCal. It takes a few minutes to set up, but is well worth it if I only want to back up crucial files to a small hard drive. The second option requires downloaded a freeware Application called SuperDuper! that will allow me to backup a copy of my entire System to an external hard drive.
I have written step by step instructions for setting up automatic backups of folders with Automator.
If you are looking for a simpler and free method of backing up an entire Hard Drive, I’d recommend an Application called SuperDuper!
Multitasking is just a new word for not paying attention. Sometimes I want a simple solution to clean up my computer and focus on one open window. This makes me extremely more productive. There are some applications I can download that are perfect for this problem. I wrote a blog post about making a Distraction Free Mac. But I don’t need a bunch of fancy applications to do this. Apple already thought of the concept of hiding applications.
If I have multiple windows from different applications open, I can Select Hide Others from the Application’s drop down menu in the menu bar. Or I can do this with a keyboard shortcut, by pressing Shift + Cmd + H. This will hide all the other open applications and just leave the window on top. So, if Safari is the front most application, select Safari -> Hide Others from the drop down menu at the top of the screen.
Alternatively, I can hide the current open application in the foreground and reveal the application behind it. Select Hide (the application’s name) from the Application drop down menu in the menu bar. So, if Safari is the front most application, then select Safari -> Hide Safari to hide Safari. Or I can use the keyboard shortcut Cmd + H
Sometimes an Application will stop responding. Take a deep breath. “Don’t overreact,” I tell myself. “Save often” is what my professors always told me to do. Be patient, just wait a moment or two for my Mac to compute. If an Application stops responding completely, I can find out in the Force Quit menu.
There are a few ways to get to the Fore Quit menu. Select Force Quit in the Apple Menu. Sometimes the Finder stops responding. When that happens, the Apple Menu may be inaccessible. The best option is to learn the keyboard shortcut: Cmd+Opt+Esc. Kinda like Ctrl+Alt+Dlt on a Windows computer.
I can Force Quit an application I accidentally click on in the Dock. Ctrl+Click the Unresponsive Application’s icon in the Dock and Select Force Quit. I can usually do this too when an Application stops responding.
Select the Application that is not responding from the list and Click Force Quitin the Force Quit Menu.
In any Apple application you can Highlight a Word and Press Cmd+Ctrl+D to lookup the word in Dictionary, an application that comes packaged with every Mac. This feature will sadly not work with Firefox, but it works fine in Safari and Preview. Adium worked too.
Were you frustrated the first time you tried ejecting a CD on a Mac? “Where’s the eject button?”, you probably asked yourself. Everyone using a PC makes a habit of looking for the eject button on the front of the computer casing. After asking a friend or calling Apple support, you quickly realized the eject button is upper right most button on your keyboard.
Apple designers want you to use the keyboard for everything. It’s nice to have a mouse, but why should you always have to direct it to the top of the screen to drag down a menu? That’s why keyboard shortcuts are handy.
Command / Apple = Cmd
Option = Opt
Control = Ctrl
Shift
So, for instance,
3 = Cmd+Shift+3 = Press and hold Cmd and Shift, then press 3
Always hold the function keys down first, then press the key to perform an action.
So, did you notice what happened when you pressed Cmd+Shift+3?
An image file appeared on your desktop. If you pressed it more than once, there will be that many image files on your desktop. They should be called Picture 1.jpg, Picture 2.jpg, and so on.
This image is a screenshot. So, whenever you want to take a screenshot, just press Cmd+Shift+3.
You can find a bunch of keyboard shortcuts in your System Preferences.
In the top menu bar, Go to Apple -> System Preferences. Click on the Keyboard and Mouse Icon in the second row. If you do not see this icon, simply press Show All at the top of the window then navigate to Keyboard and Mouse.
Click on the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. This will open a list of all the Keyboard Shortcuts that come packaged in OS X. You can use this as a reference.
You can even design your own keyboard shortcuts for every action on the list down to any menu item in any Application. I would stick to the defaults, unless a specific keyboard shortcut is uncomfortable for you to perform. Also, be aware that the same keyboard shortcut cannot be used for two actions at once.
Another place you can find keyboard shortcuts is in the Menu bar. For instance, in the Finder you can go up to the menu and select File -> New folder. Right next to that selection in the menu bar, it says the corresponding keyboard shortcut. Cmd+Shift+N makes a new folder in the Finder. Cmd+N makes a new finder window.
Ok, so earlier I promised some cool shortcuts. All of these and more can be found in the Keyboard Shortcuts Preference Pane. Here they are:
| Turn Zoom on or off: |
Cmd+Option+8 |
| Zoom Out: |
Cmd+Option+- |
| Zoom In: |
Cmd+Option+= |
| Hide or show the Dock: |
Cmd+Option+D |
| Tile all windows: |
F9 |
| Tile Application windows: |
F10 |
| Reveal Desktop: |
F11 |
| Reveal Dashboard: |
F12 |
That’s all there is to keyboard shortcuts. Use them. Make a sticky note so you can learn them. You’ll get them in no time.
