Browse Utilities Help and Tips

Browse Utilities Help and Tips

Bugs & Fixes: Screensavers in Snow Leopard
After a little wait, many third-party screensavers are now compatible with Snow Leopard. But there are glitches. Ted Landau has details.
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.
Open minimized windows in current space in Snow Leopard
Learn a simple keyboard shortcut to release minimized windows into the active Space, instead of back into their original Space.
Enable global text replacements in Snow Leopard
In Snow Leopard, text replacement must be enabled on a program by program basis. Use this hint to enable text replacements globally, at least in all programs that support them.
Bugs & Fixes: LaunchBar causes an unexpected surprise
LaunchBar is an application (plus much more) par excellence. But a new feature in LaunchBar 5 has caused a headache for bug-finder Ted Landau.
Looking at the changes to Snow Leopard's top command
Learn about some key changes to the Unix 'top' command in Snow Leopard
Add more effects to Photo Booth and iChat
Learn how to add over 20 additional effects to photos taken in Photo Booth and iChat
Delete networked files without caution dialog
Learn a timesaving (but potentially dangerous) method of deleting files stored on networked volumes without going through the Finder's "are you sure?" warning dialog.
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
Two more Snow Leopard Expose tips
Learn how to change the Expose All Windows sort order, and how to control whether or not Expose searches across Spaces in Application Windows mode.
Add notes to events and contacts created with data detectors
Data detectors in Mail in 10.5 and 10.6 can help you create new contacts and events from dates, addresses, and phone numbers. Learn how to automatically associate notes with these new entries.
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).
Two ways to download software updates in Snow Leopard
Snow Leopard removed a useful 'download only' option from Software Update. Learn two ways to replace that lost functionality.
See which processes are using the Internet
Use Terminal to see which processes are using your Internet connection
Recovering an erased hard drive
So, you erased your hard drive. Here's one recommendation for a tool to use to recover it.
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.
Solutions for synchronizing folders
Student Ross Wehner would like to synchronize his school and home homework folder. Here are some suggestions.
Top iChat etiquette tips
Don't want instant messaging to add up to instant embarrassment? Then follow these simple rules whether you're at work or home.
Yet another way to move app windows to Spaces
Learn one additional method of moving app windows into Spaces.
Reveal hidden menu bar icon functions in Snow Leopard
Get more power out of the AirPort, Battery, Sync, and Sound menu bar icons in Snow Leopard -- all with a simple key press.
How to create a Service in Snow Leopard
Want to learn how to create a simple Service in OS X 10.6? Rob Griffiths provides a step-by-step tutorial. The example service will extract text from PDF files, and save it in new text files. As a bonus, there's an included video version of the tutorial.
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.
See all of the Weather widget's weather modes
Learn how to see all of the various graphics included with the OS X Dashboard Weather widget.
See really large results in Calculator
Want to see super huge results of your calculations in Calculator? Here's how...
Identify causes of large Time Machine backups
Learn about possible sources of large Time Machine backups, and tools you can use to identify those sources.
Temporarily turn Terminal translucent
Use a simple trick to quickly see what's behind a Terminal window, without having to move it way out of the way, use Expose, minimize it to the Dock, or switch to another application.
Use Preview in 10.5 to invert colors
Learn a simple way to invert a photograph using Preview in OS X 10.5
Add a weather forecast event to iCal
Learn how to add an automatically-updated weather forecast to iCal -- and optionally, how to sync that forecast to Calendar on your iPhone or iPod touch.
A survivor's guide to family Mac upgrades
Upgrading others' computers is an addiction for some. Here are some tips for doing so without spending a week in the doghouse.
How to add URLs to Address Book records
Learn how Address Book can record URLs for use in Safari, Camino, and OmniWeb's bookmarks sections.