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kman42 · Jan 3, 2007, 11:22 PM

I know how the smart resizing maximize button works, but I'm wondering if there is a command-key click combo on it that will make a window go full-screen. My inlaws just switched from Windows and were asking about a full-screen mode. I explained to them the genius of the smart resizing (harder than it seems), but realized that maybe it would be advantageous at some point to want a window full-screen. Any way to do it?

kman

gooser · Jan 3, 2007, 11:43 PM

in the lower right hand corner of a window is a little box. drag it where you want the window to go.

Chuckit · Jan 4, 2007, 12:55 AM

It used to be that option-zoom would do this, but now it seems like all the apps I can find use fullscreen as their "optimal" size anyway.

kick52 · Jan 4, 2007, 02:09 AM

smart resizing?

i thought it just randomly resized.. can someone tell me what it actualy does?

JKT · Jan 4, 2007, 02:50 AM

With the exception of a few apps*, clicking the zoom button is meant to toggle between two or three states - the default window size, the optimal window size to fit the contents, and the window size you set yourself (sometimes this qualifies as the default window size). It is not meant to fill the screen unless this is the optimal window size. This is why for e.g. Safari will zoom its windows to a width that fits the content of the webpage rather than to fill the screen.

FWIW, I like OmniGroup's solution to this in OmniWeb which is to shift-click the zoom button to get full screen. I wish it would be adopted system wide.

* iTunes, Preview and TextEdit being glaring examples of where this doesn't work and where the way it does work is hugely annoying. I'm not holding my breath, but I hope Apple does something about this in Leopard.

Chuckit · Jan 4, 2007, 03:11 AM

Originally Posted by JKT

* iTunes, Preview and TextEdit being glaring examples of where this doesn't work and where the way it does work is hugely annoying. I'm not holding my breath, but I hope Apple does something about this in Leopard.

Like I said, it used to work the way you'd like in 10.1. I think it was in 10.3 where they changed it. It used to be that most apps would find their optimal size when you clicked zoom, and option-zoom would make them fill the screen. Then all of a sudden, zoom stopped working like that in most of Apple's apps.

Madrag · Jan 4, 2007, 04:09 AM

you could accomplish this via applescript, and you just need to call it each time you want a "full" screen window, it will resize the foremost window.
I could write a script for you but I don't guarantee that it will work on every app
If you're interested PM me.

hldan · Feb 15, 2007, 07:16 PM

I have been using an Apple Macintosh since Mac OS 8.5 and I for one am ready for a change. Apple not only needs to make the apps in OSX consistant with one another but they should make all windows go full screen from clicking zoom. Yeah I have Windows switchers that I know as well and that's the first thing they complain about. Apple's way of using the zoom button is logical but inconvenient for people coming from Windows.
Saft offers this feature for Safari. In the menu just click "Safari" Max Screen or Full Screen. The Full screen feature takes away the Mac menu bar so all you see is Safari's controls. h a o l i

Chuckit · Feb 15, 2007, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by hldan

I have been using an Apple Macintosh since Mac OS 8.5 and I for one am ready for a change. Apple not only needs to make the apps in OSX consistant with one another but they should make all windows go full screen from clicking zoom. Yeah I have Windows switchers that I know as well and that's the first thing they complain about. Apple's way of using the zoom button is logical but inconvenient for people coming from Windows.

So, even though Apple's way is better, they should change it to be exactly like Windows so people don't have to get used to the Mac? That's a horrible reason for doing something. May as well argue that Apple should include a start menu, reduce Safari's standards compliance, make it so just reading e-mail can give you a virus and pop up "Cancel or allow?" dialog boxes before every freaking action as well. That way Windows users can feel right at home.

Brass · Feb 15, 2007, 08:35 PM

What is the point of making a Window full-size if it displays no more content than it would at its optimal size? That is the whole point of 'optimal'. That is what it means. If optimal is less than full screen, then full screen is a waste.

If optimal is NOT less than full screen, then it should go to full-screen.

If applications do not behave this way, then blame the application developers, NOT Apple. It is up to the developers to code how their applications decide what the "optimal" size is (I believe the default is full-screen, if they do not decide to do anything with it themselves).

Mithras · Feb 15, 2007, 09:23 PM

I urge you to give Megazoomer a try. One-click zooming to way-hecka-mega-fullscreen.

monkeybrain · Feb 15, 2007, 09:42 PM

Rather than Megazoomer, which is like extreme maximise, I recommend giving Stoplight a go: Stoplight 1.1 Bugs - InsanelyMac Forum

It brings the Window's behaviour to the Mac. For smaller screens it is very useful.

I too wish Apple would sort it out. Zooming in Textedit in particular is incredibly annoying, and the results are so sporadic across apps I found myself simply not using the green zoom button at all.