[superblue]

I keep finding new ways of doing things in OSX that surprise me. Here are a few recent ones I noticed, apologies if these are glaringly obvious to some users, in which case, post some better ones!

1 - You can select text by holding shift and moving the cursor keys!! Holding down the option key as well lets select an entire line or page of text.

2 - You can move a window in the background by holding command and dragging it.

3 - In iTunes you can drag radio stations to the 'source' column for easy access.

4 - When minimized (i.e. just controller visible) you can control iTunes in the background by holding the command key.

Bring 'em on!

[JLFanboy]

Those are pretty damn cool (especially being able to move windows in the background)!

But I don't think you need to hold the command key down to manipulate iTunes in the background. It's working fine for me without it.

[Sage]

Yeah, those are fairly well-known tips (especially the first one), but I'm sure someone will benefit from you posting them.

[oVeRmInD911]

Heheh, I think you can do those all in Mac OS 9.

[Sarc]

Originally posted by superblue:

4 - When minimized (i.e. just controller visible) you can control iTunes in the background by holding the command key.

you mean play, foward, backwards, etc ?
if so, you can control it without command
else
please explain

[sworthy]

I'm a recent switcher and I love command-f (find). I used to use a google toolbar for IE 6 and I missed being able to find text in web pages. I just found out about 'find' and it does it everywhere, not just webpages!

Sorry for the excitment, it's just really handy for research to command find certain text.

[OptimusG4]

Option-Control-Click on a document brings up an 'Always Open With...' command.

You can play animated gifs in preview, all you have to do is customize the toolbar and add the 'Play' button.

[Krusty]

Originally posted by sworthy:
I'm a recent switcher and I love command-f (find). I used to use a google toolbar for IE 6 and I missed being able to find text in web pages. I just found out about 'find' and it does it everywhere, not just webpages!

Sorry for the excitment, it's just really handy for research to command find certain text.

If you like command-f , you'll love command-g ... it will keep finding instances of what you entered in the command-f dialog (i.e. its "find next" but you don't have to have an open dialog box). I use it ALL THE TIME

[superblue]

Originally posted by Sarc:
you mean play, foward, backwards, etc ?
if so, you can control it without command
else
please explain

Sorry, my mistake! You're right, it doesn't need the key at all. I must have just got carried away with all the excitement of the command + drag window

[superblue]

Originally posted by sworthy:
I'm a recent switcher and I love command-f (find). I used to use a google toolbar for IE 6 and I missed being able to find text in web pages. I just found out about 'find' and it does it everywhere, not just webpages!

Sorry for the excitment, it's just really handy for research to command find certain text.

Bloody hell!!! I had no idea you could do that! Thankyou!

[ASIMO]

Amateur night.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by Krusty:
If you like command-f , you'll love command-g ... it will keep finding instances of what you entered in the command-f dialog (i.e. its "find next" but you don't have to have an open dialog box). I use it ALL THE TIME

Yes, you can do command-G in any Mac app that supports find.

Except *ahem* MS Word *ahem*

[superblue]

Originally posted by ASIMO:
Amateur night.

Cheeky bugger.

How about educating us imbeciles then Mr Professional, and post something of use?

[AU_student_iceBook]

Originally posted by OptimusG4:
You can play animated gifs in preview, all you have to do is customize the toolbar and add the 'Play' button.

HOT DAMN. That is GREAT.

[engaged]

Originally posted by ASIMO:
Amateur night.

Snob.

[Zadian]

Best tip is to use the Mac help ;-) it is realy useful.

Some shortcuts for <b>cocoa Apps</b>:

Control-A: moves the cursor to the beginning of a line
Control-E: moves the cursor to the end of a line

Control-T: switches the two letters around the insertion mark
Control-D: forward-delete (for those with Powerbooks or iBooks or small USB-keyboards)
Control-H: normal backward delet

more can be found in the terminal using bindkey

<b>Dock</b> Shortcuts:

holding option while switching an App -> hides active app

holding command-option while switching an App --> hides all apps

command click on active app --> shows app in finder

option command click on activ app --> hides all other appps.

Command Tab - switches apps
still holding down command and pressing h will hide the selected app without first activating it.

<b>Safari</b> shortcuts can be found here:
file:///Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Shortcuts.html (if Safari is in the Applications Folder.

If you want to print a list with the contents of a folder just drag that folder onto the PrintCenter.

[edit: it's the option key ]

[DeathMan]

Option Click the minimize button, and it will dock all the windows for that app.

option-click the close button, and it will close all the windows for that app.
cmd-option-w does the same.

command click the titlebar of a finder window (or title in safari) and it will let you choose any dir in your path.

command-option drag a document to make an alias. option drag to copy, command drag will arrange the doc on the grid.

drag any file into mail to auto compose-attach.

[Diggory Laycock]

If you want to drag something from a background window (including something from the desktop) into the foremost window - without losing focus on the foremost window:

Shift-Command-Drag the item.

[::maroma::]

In iTunes, while listening to an internet radio station, Command+Clicking in the 'status area' (where the info is) while the web address is showing will open your browser to that page. If the web address isn't showing it will cycle through like normal until you get to the web address.

[Stefan]

Originally posted by superblue:
2 - You can move a window in the background by holding command and dragging it.

You can also mark text from apps / windows in background and then drag it when holding command!

[nobitacu]

Nice info!

Thanks!

Ming

[greenG4]

Originally posted by Zadian:



holding Command while switching an App -> hides active app

Actaully it's hold option while switching.

[SMacTech]

Originally posted by greenG4:
Actaully it's hold option while switching.

that only hides the app you are using when you click, command option will hide all other apps and show only the one you clicked in the dock.

oh, sorry, that is what you meant. next step is take reading classes

[Zadian]

Originally posted by greenG4:
Actaully it's hold option while switching.

Yes, you're right, it's the option key :-)

It's:
holding Option while clicking on a new app -> hides active app and switches to new app

holding command-option while clicking on a new app --> hides all apps and activates the new app

[Diggory Laycock]

Something else I only just noticed - you can rename the Library in iTunes to anything you want.

[videian28]

looky here

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75459

[bradoesch]

Originally posted by OptimusG4:
Option-Control-Click on a document brings up an 'Always Open With...' command.

Not only that, but if you hold option after you've control-clicked it, the menu changes right there!

[Mohammed Al-Sabah]

never knew about the bg window its cool

[KeyLimePi]

If you've got PrintCenter in your dock, drag a folder onto it -- or in an open window drag the folder icon in title bar -- to print a list of that folder's contents.

[hayesk]

Originally posted by superblue:

You can select text by holding shift and moving the cursor keys!! Holding down the option key as well lets select an entire line or page of text.

Good tips. Just gotta comment on this one. You could always do that. I was doing it on my Mac Plus (the first Mac with arror keys, btw) in System 6. I'm not saying this to be snobby, but just to point out how many things are in MacOS that people don't even realize.

[a-poria]

some more:

http://davespicks.com/writing/programming/mackeys.html

[typoon]

Originally posted by KeyLimePi:
If you've got PrintCenter in your dock, drag a folder onto it -- or in an open window drag the folder icon in title bar -- to print a list of that folder's contents.

Never knew that one. Cool.

[[APi]TheMan]

Originally posted by Zadian:
Control-T: switches the two letters around the insertion mark
Control-D: forward-delete (for those with Powerbooks or iBooks or small USB-keyboards)
Control-H: normal backward delet

Very interesting... especially that control-T... Neat.

[Zadian]

In a Finder window in icon view, to go up to the parent folder just press command and the [up-arrow] key.

This is very useful if you opened the Finder window trough an alias or from the dock (that way "back" wouldn't bring you to the parent folder).

[Geobunny]

Originally posted by OptimusG4:

You can play animated gifs in preview, all you have to do is customize the toolbar and add the 'Play' button.

I'm either missing something, being a bit of a dafty, or you guys have something installed that I don't. Anyway, I don't have a "play" button in my Finder toolbar or the customisable options. All I have is the following:

http://markjallan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/customise.jpg



BTW, these are great tips (a lot of which have been available in the Mac OS for a few years, but we gotta spread the wealth to all the newbies! )

[Zadian]

Originally posted by Geobunny:
Anyway, I don't have a "play" button in my Finder toolbar or the customisable options.

That's because the play button is in the Preview app toolbar and not in the finder.

[Diggory Laycock]

Originally posted by [APi]TheMan:
Very interesting... especially that control-T... Neat.

Yeah - I've read that hint before and the wierd thing is - I find it's easier to retype the two letters than to remember the key-combo at those odd times you need it!

[Geobunny]

Originally posted by Zadian:
That's because the play button is in the Preview app toolbar and not in the finder.

Ahh, well you see, that makes much more sense now! The first tip was a Finder tip, I assumed the second one was too. I thought it meant the preview column in the finder (it really would be great if you could do that!).

Thanks for clearing that up.

[darcybaston]

YAY!!!! My %ls > textfile.txt (and then open text edit and print) days are now over!

A thousand thank yous!

Originally posted by KeyLimePi:
If you've got PrintCenter in your dock, drag a folder onto it -- or in an open window drag the folder icon in title bar -- to print a list of that folder's contents.

[DeathMan]

darcy: how often do you need to print the contents of a file? Just wondering. In 5 years, I don't think I've ever had to even once.

[superblue]

Originally posted by hayesk:
Good tips. Just gotta comment on this one. You could always do that. I was doing it on my Mac Plus (the first Mac with arror keys, btw) in System 6. I'm not saying this to be snobby, but just to point out how many things are in MacOS that people don't even realize.

That doesn't surprise me at all! When I accidentally discovered it, it seemed the most logical thing to have there, I suspected it had been there from the start. Being a self-taught semi-newbie Mac user though, unless people point these things out, you just don't find them.

[Superchicken]

Isn't it cool when you learn lil things... here are a few things I discovered long ago that I thought were freakin cool when I learned em.

option/alt and double clicking a folder makes a new window and closes that folder's window.

Shift command W closes all windows in the finder.
You can play MP3s in the finder.

Shift Command 4 gives you cross hairs you can save what's on your screen with just like grab but less clunky.

Preveiw can export graphics in other formats making it actually useful.

You can copy any graphic and make it an icon by just pasteing in OS X.

Those are all the things that come to mind

[besson3c]

hold down the shift key while you minimize any window to put the animation in slow motion and watch each frame.

Option + shift click the minimize window to watch multiple windows from a given app be minimized to the dock.

A great way to impress your friends.

[adamberti]

Originally posted by DeathMan:
darcy: how often do you need to print the contents of a file? Just wondering. In 5 years, I don't think I've ever had to even once.

I'm not darcy, but I work in the print industry, and lots of people print the contents of a disk and make it the cover of the CD they're burned. Well, they used to in OS 9 when it was easy, now, not a lot of people are, cause its not well known how to do it.

[Zadian]

Originally posted by Superchic[k]en:
option/alt and double clicking a folder makes a new window and closes that folder's window.

Double clicking with the Command key pressed will open the folder in a new window - if you've set up the finder to open folders in the same window or you are in colomn view.

Originally posted by Superchic[k]en:

Shift Command 4 gives you cross hairs you can save what's on your screen with just like grab but less clunky.

Pressing shift-command-4 and then space will give you a "camera" that will snap an entire window (or object).

[LightWaver-67]

Originally posted by Superchic[k]en:

Shift Command 4 gives you cross hairs you can save what's on your screen with just like grab but less clunky.

It gets cooler than that; after you hit Shift + Command + 4... before clicking anywhere, press the spacebar, and the crosshairs turn into a "Camera" that will capture any window you mouse-over. The window to be grabbed will "Hi-Lite" in blue.

It will grab a window that is obscured, or it will grab the desktop... really neat.

Happy snappin'...!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

EDIT: I was mistaken... it will NOT capture obscured windows, even though it DOES hilite just the window that is targeted... it basically will capture the "shape" of the targeted window, but anything overlapping it will also be captured. Sorry for the mis-info... it's still cool, though!

[chambone]

Just a little thing I discovered last week (and the rest of the world might already know)

When you double click a word in pretty much any textfield, for example your browsers address box, the word will be selected, but when you triple click the whole line will be highlighted. I use it all the time since I found this out. The address box is a bad example of course, we've got cmd-L for that.

What I greatly miss is a keyboard shortcut for the 'zoom' window widget. After all we've got one for minimize and close, why is there not one for zoom? Or is there..

[LightWaver-67]

Originally posted by chambone:
Just a little thing I discovered last week (and the rest of the world might already know)

When you double click a word in pretty much any textfield, for example your browsers address box, the word will be selected, but when you triple click the whole line will be highlighted.

In 'most' apps (I think):

1-click = insert cursor
2-click = selects word or unbroken string
3-click = selects entire line of text/copy
4-click = selects entire paragraph
5-click = essentially cycles you back around to a 1-click, hence 6 = 2... etc...

[7Macfreak]

command click an item in the dock to reveal it in the finder.

command-tab selects next open application.
shift-command-tab cycles backwards.

btw, the selecting text by holding down shift + any cursor key is a 'feature' in windows too. i think that is native to any text area in any OS.

[sworthy]

safari tip: if you have a scroll wheel on your mouse click it on a link, ta-da! it opens in a new tab. No more command clicking