Browse tag: Finder

Browse tag: Finder

Toggle sidebar visibility in all open Finder windows
Using an AppleScript, create a Service (in 10.6) that will let you toggle the visibility of the sidebar in all open Finder windows. This also works in 10.5, but it's not quite as useful there, as the script can't fully hide the sidebar.
Five unexpected uses for Copy and Paste
Did you know you can copy and paste a whole lot more than just text and graphics? When you start in the Finder, you can use the Copy command to lift all sorts of information from a selected Finder item. Here are some of Sharon Zardetto's favorite tricks.
Five unexpected uses for the Control key
Sure, you’ve nearly worn out your Mac’s Control key using it to open contextual menus. But did you know you can also add Control to common key combinations to access different commands? Here are five of Sharon Zardetto's favorite Control key tricks.
See icon previews in folder Quick Look windows
Learn how to see a rotating set of icon previews for files within folders in Quick Look mode - perhaps not terribly useful, but visually intriguing
Five unexpected uses for the Esc key
The Esc key has long been the “get me outta here” panacea for many things: canceling a dialog box, getting rid of a button-less splash screen, you name it. (Esc is, after all, short for "escape.") Here’s a handful of less-than-obvious solutions the Esc key provides.
Find recently-used apps and documents in Snow Leopard
In Snow Leopard, you can use the Recent Items menu to help you quickly find where you saved a recently-used document (or application).
Move Finder items more efficiently
There must be easier ways to move items from place to place on your Mac. I provide a few and then solicit your ideas.
Select Expose windows by name in Snow Leopard
Learn how to select any window in Expose's All Windows mode based on the name of that window.
Associate files to applications using Services in Snow Leopard
If you don't like Snow Leopard's inability to automatically open certain documents in the program that create that document, you're not alone. While there's no permanent solution in sight, this hint provides a relatively easy way to associate a document with an application.
Snow Leopard changes the rules about opening files
In Snow Leopard, you can no longer assume that double-clicking a document will open that document in its source application. Rob Griffiths discusses this change, and the implication for users, as well as a couple of workarounds and a suggested fix.
See hidden files in Snow Leopard's Open and Save dialogs
Learn a simple way to show (and hide) hidden files and folders directly from Open and Save dialogs in Snow Leopard.
Five unexpected uses for the Option key
The unsung hero of the keyboard, the Option key can reveal alternative commands and unlock all sorts of hidden features. Here are five of Sharon Zardetto's favorite Option key tricks.
Five unexpected uses for the spacebar
In the quest for greater productivity, Mac users have an unlikely ally—the spacebar. Here are five things you didn't know the spacebar could help you do.
See more fields in Finder Spotlight search results
Learn how to enable the Size, Version, Comments, and Label fields when viewing Finder Spotlight search results. Once enabled, you can easily sort on any field.
Create smart burn folders
Combine two useful OS X features -- smart folders and burn folders -- to create smart burn folders that are always ready to burn.
Find parent folders in Finder search results
Use a keyboard shortcut to navigate to enclosing folders after you've done a search in the Finder.
Rename open files
Use a long-standing Mac OS feature to rename a file even while you're actively editing that file.
Hiding the menu bar
Distracted by an omnipresent menu bar in the Finder? Here's one way to hide it.
Increment numbers in filenames in 10.5's Finder
The 10.5 Finder has an interesting feature (or is it a bug?) in how it renames copied files. Depending on how you copy the file, you can control how the copy will be named. Use one method, and you can increment numbers in filenames as you copy them.
Repair incorrect icon associations
Are the icons for certain file types incorrect on your machine -- zip files appearing as disk image files, for instance? If so, this hint will help you quickly fix the problem.
Snow Leopard more feature-laden than expected
Apple gave us a ship date and a few more details about Mac OS X 10.6. Rob Griffiths takes a look at the previously-unknown features of Snow Leopard.
Manage files in OS X your way
You don't have to stick with the Finder: Here a few of the ways Macworld contributors and readers have customized OS X to make file-management easier
EagleFiler helps you track your files
If you find yourself inundated with a huge assortment of documents that are difficult to track, a document organizer application like EagleFiler can help you sort the mess.
Flatten folder structure via AppleScript
Use a simple AppleScript to flatten a collection of buried files and subfolders into one new top-level folder.
Bugs & Fixes: Crash and relaunch doesn't work as expected
Ted Landau notes a difference with how Mac OS X Leopard behaves when an app unexpectedly quits.
View super large preview icons in Leopard
Learn how to see super large preview icons (for photographs and movies) in Leopard without using Cover Flow view mode.
Stay oriented with the Finder's path and title bars
When you're digging through files and folders, it's easy to get confused about where you are. Two bars can help you figure out your place in the file hierarchy and offer some quick ways to move things around.
Get efficient with the Finder's sidebar
You use your Mac’s Finder windows constantly to browse your files, but have stopped to consider what the parts of these windows can do for you? Here's how to take advantage of the sidebar for launching programs and accessing files.
Quick shortcuts with the Finder's toolbar
You use your Mac's Finder windows constantly to browse your files, but have stopped to consider what the parts of these windows can do for you? Here's how to take advantage of the toolbar to trigger actions and access files and programs.
Quickly create an image contact sheet in Leopard
Use Quick Look to make quick work of creating a sheet of image thumbnails