[pdub99]

Hey there, recent switcher, and I've just got a finder usability question.
Is there any way to have the enter key be open, rather than the start of rename? It doesn't seem to make much sence to have it start renaming a file. I open a document or app thousands of times, I rename it maybe once or twice.

Is there an easy way to do this?

Thanks

[dtriska]

I don't know of a way to do what you're asking, but here are a couple of keyboard shortcuts for opening files in the Finder: command-O and command-down arrow. In case you don't know, the command key is next to the spacebar.

[Drakino]

This has irritated me a bit being a switcher as well. Wish I could change this somehow, as I am always suprised when it happens. It's becoming more commonplace on my Powerbook then it did with the Cube, since I use the trackpad as little as possible.

[sodamnregistered2]

non-switcher, but bugs me too...

I want to search for and open a file way more often than I want to search for and rename...

wackin' the enter key to open would be sweet...

[WJMoore]

I can understand that this bugs people, especially switchers but the Enter key has been rename for as long as I can remember, at least from System 7 onwards. uControl allows you to to remap modifier keys. I'm not sure if it would allow you to do what you want and it doesn't work in 10.3 yet.

[ZackS]

The return key is too easy to press by accident to assign to launch. It takes two fingers instead of one but it's hardly a hassle to hit Command-O. That insures that it was deliberate and it'll become second nature anyway.

[pdub99]

I don't think I want to remap the Enter key (that would suck for doing any sort of text editing). Just remap the command to open something in the Finder. I spend equal time in Windows and Mac, and the enter key just seems like a more natural action than command-O.

As for the safety feature, I would much rather open a doc by accident than rename it.

Does anyone know if you could do something with apple script or something like that?

[Drakino]

Originally posted by ZackS:
The return key is too easy to press by accident to assign to launch. It takes two fingers instead of one but it's hardly a hassle to hit Command-O. That insures that it was deliberate and it'll become second nature anyway.

If I'm moving my hand out of the area of the arrows on my Powerbook, I might as well just use the mouse to open instead of having to do a two handed operation.

[Hop Pocket]

Originally posted by ZackS:
The return key is too easy to press by accident to assign to launch. It takes two fingers instead of one but it's hardly a hassle to hit Command-O. That insures that it was deliberate and it'll become second nature anyway.

I believe you can also do CMD-DownArrow

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally posted by ZackS:
The return key is too easy to press by accident to assign to launch. It takes two fingers instead of one but it's hardly a hassle to hit Command-O. That insures that it was deliberate and it'll become second nature anyway.

um, so it's ok if renaming a file is done by accident? That would be why so many mac users have hard drvies name "x", because they accidentally erased the name, and also why my grandfather's Control Panels apple menu item broke and he didn't know why for 6 months.

Anyway, as a mac user I never thought about this issue before, but I think you all are right, that Enter = Open would be much more useful. Maybe Apple never thought of it either (it happens sometimes). Go to the feedback page and tell them. I wouldn't expect them to change it, because it would screw up every other mac user, but they might make it a preference

All that being said, I just had a look at Finder's nib file and I bet if you open it as root you can change the command-o key binding to anything you want. It's in /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/menus.nib

[antisonne]

This is not windows, get used to Command O. Not that hard, I like it more than the enter. And you can always undo a rename.