Scripty Claus' gift to you this Holiday Season is a fun little AppleScript that lines up your Desktop icons and races them across the screen until one of them reaches the finish line.
Here's how to set it up...
[Read more on TUAW...]
TUAW Post > AppleScript Desktop Icon Race
2012.12.24 By
TUAW Post > Where Automator Actions and Workflows Live
2012.12.17 By
Automator's great for streamlining some of the repetitive things you do each day on your Mac. With Automator, you can create your own custom plugins for the Services menu, Folder Action workflows that run when files are placed into a folder, add-ons for the print window's PDF menu, and more. In most cases, when you save a workflow, Automator puts it where it needs to go automatically. But, where do your workflows actually live? If you want to remove or edit one, you'll need to know. In this post, we'll take a look at the various places workflows are found on your Mac.
[Read more on TUAW...]
Mac Productivity: 5 Tips for Locating and Launching Apps Faster
2012.07.16 By
How often do you find yourself digging through your Dock, Launchpad, or Applications folder to find a certain app? You've got other stuff to do. How about making things a little easier, so you can get back to work. Here are some tips to help you locate that elusive app and launch it a little more quickly. [Read more on the Peachpit blog...]
What not to do in Mac Mail
2012.02.17 By
Here's a handy data loss prevention tip. With a Mail message selected, do not press either of the secret undocumented keyboard shortcuts Option+Control+H or Command+Option+Control+H. That is, unless you want your selected message irretrievably deleted. Not moved to the trash. Deleted. Permanently.
Tested in Mac OS X 10.7.3. Bug report filed.
Note: If you're backing your Mac up with Time Machine, as you should be, then you may be able to restore the vaporized message.
10 Mac OS X Productivity Tips for Open and Save Dialogs
2012.02.13 By
They're open and save dialogs. You navigate to a file or folder. You select it. You enter a file name when saving. You click Open or Save. How much more efficient can you get? Well, here are 10 things most Mac users probably don't know...
Tip 1: Drag and drop a file or a folder right from the Finder into the open or save dialog to quickly select it. If you do this in a save dialog with a file, then the file's name is automatically entered as the save name.
Tip 2: With a folder or file selected in the dialog, press Command+R to bring the Finder to the front and reveal the item.
Tip 3: To manually navigate to a folder, press Command+Shift+G (or / or ~). Enter the desired path. As you type it in, you can press tab to auto-complete folder names.
Tip 4: To see hidden files and folders, press Command+Shift+Period (>).
Tip 5: To quickly navigate to:
- The Desktop - Press Command+D
- The Documents Folder - Press Command+Shift+O
- The Downloads Folder - Press Command+Shift+L
- The Applications Folder- Press Command+Shift+A
- The Home Folder - Press Command+Shift+H
Hint: The other navigation keyboard shortcuts in the Finder's Go menu should work here too.
Tip 6: To create a new folder, press Command+Shift+N.
Tip 7: To navigate up one level, press Command+Shift+Up Arrow Key
Tip 8: To choose an image, audio track, or movie, click Media in the sidebar.
Tip 9: To move a file or folder displayed in an open or save dialog to another folder, open the target folder in the Finder. Then, drag the item from the open or save dialog into the opened folder window in the Finder.
Tip 10: With a file or folder selected, press Command+I to bring the Finder to the front and display the Get Info window for the item.
So, there you have it. Small tips that will save you a few precious seconds here and there and make you more productive. Every second counts, right?
