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Open Files with Finder's App Switcher

Say you're in the Finder looking at a file and you want to open it with an application that's already running but which doesn't own that particular document. How? Switch to that app and choose File > Open? Too many steps. Choose Open With from the file's contextual menu? Takes too long, and the app might not be listed. Drag the file to the Dock and drop it onto the app's icon? The icon might be hard to find; worse, you might miss.

In Leopard there's a new solution: use the Command-Tab switcher. Yes, the Command-Tab switcher accepts drag-and-drop! The gesture required is a bit tricky. Start dragging the file in the Finder: move the file, but don't let up on the mouse button. With your other hand, press Command-Tab to summon the switcher, and don't let up on the Command key. Drag the file onto the application's icon in the switcher and let go of the mouse. (Now you can let go of the Command key too.) Extra tip: If you switch to the app beforehand, its icon in the Command-Tab switcher will be easy to find; it will be first (or second).

Visit Take Control of Customizing Leopard

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Published in TidBITS 993.
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Inside TidBITS | 31 Aug 2009 | Print Printer-Friendly Version of This Article

Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk for 31-Aug-09

by Jeff Carlson Send Email to Author

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Good "Beginning Mac for Seniors" book? Readers suggest Mac how-to books that focus on the basics. (7 messages)


Optical drive replacement -- Replacing components such as optical drives can be done inexpensively if you do it yourself. (12 messages)


Crop PDF pages: Preview bug? Alternatives? When Preview crops a PDF only in the printed result, it's actually a feature (non-destructive editing). (3 messages)


Snow Leopard pricing: Are they kidding? Readers debate the significantly higher price tag for the Mac Box Set compared to the regular update for Snow Leopard. (42 messages)


OS X 10.6 Contains AV Software! Is the improved File Quarantine feature in Snow Leopard the same as running antivirus software? (7 messages)


iLife 09 and iWork 09 in "the box" compared to out of it -- Are the versions of iLife and iWork that are included in the Mac Box Set different than their standalone counterparts? We don't think so. (3 messages)


CS3 not support in Snow Leopard -- Although Adobe Creative Suite 3 isn't supported under Snow Leopard, it still works; Adobe just isn't offering official development on the discontinued suite. (5 messages)


What is technological literacy? (A public conversation) -- Spawned from the previous week's active discussion about living in a "post-literate" society, this thread tries to define what "technological literacy" is. (15 messages)


Snow Leopard and an External Trackpad? Do any companies still offer external trackpads for Macs, and if so, would they support Apple's trackpad gestures? (8 messages)


New iMac 24" -- How difficult is it to install a higher-capacity hard drive into an iMac? (3 messages)


PGP incompatible with OSX 10.6 -- PGP has announced that none of its products is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Is the company out of step with the Mac, or is waiting for a final release version the better course of action? (7 messages)


Snow Leopard Text Replacement Strings -- Readers try to figure out how to add more items to Snow Leopard's text-replacement feature without having to enter each one manually. (3 messages)


Text Replacements in OS X Snow Leopard -- This is a follow-up thread that offers step-by-step instructions for importing the TidBITS Autocorrect Dictionary into Snow Leopard. (1 message)

 

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