On a Mac - as on any other computer platform - there are several applications that can handle a certain types of files. Just think of pictures in .jpg format - Preview, iPhoto, Photoshop and many more understand and can handle them.
One question that gets asked a lot by new users is, how to change the default application for certain file types, so all files of that type are opened in a certain application.
So, you have a document already open and you’d like to use the same file in another program. For example, you have an image open in Preview and would like to insert into a email message as attachment.
The usual way would be, to locate it in Finder and drag it onto the composing window or use the Attach button in Mail (even slower).
Away with that - proxy icons come to rescue you.
Everybody uses Finder, the file browsing application of Mac OS X, a lot. Let’s look at some handy shortcuts to speed navigation up a little.
Previously we looked at all the information Mac OS X provides us in the Get Info window.
As you might have found out, if you have multiple items (files and/or folders) selected, Get Info will open up a separate information window for every item selected. Look at this post on selecting items in Mac OS X.
While it might be handy to have an information window for every item (for side-by-side comparison) it can be a pain in the neck if you want to find out congregated information such as total file size of all items.
In programs with a lot of functions in the menus (e.g. Adobe Photoshop) the menus can get pretty big. Even though you know what you’re looking for it can be quite a task to actually find what you’re looking for.
Well… no more thanks to a new feature of Leopard.
Mac OS X does a great job of providing you with information on the files on your hard drive. Today we will look at how to show all kind of information on your files.
In recent posts we talked about QuickLook, which allows you to instantly preview a file, without having to open it in an application.
However, there are file types, that can’t be previewed with the standard installation of Leopard.
Let’s find out how to add more plugins, so we can preview more file types (eg. compressed .zip files, flash video or even folders).
The items in the menu bar offer quick access to certain functions (date/time, Time Machine, etc.).
Find out, how to quickly rearrange these icons and/or remove them from the menu bar.
Every time when you open or save a file, you have to navigate the directories to get to the place where it belongs to. It can take some time until you reach the folder in question or pick an item from a long list of files.
Well, not on a Mac… (more…)
Previously we looked at how to install applications in Mac OS X. We identified different forms applications for your Mac can come in and how to handle those different types.
Today we will learn how to uninstall applications again.