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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 102.
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20 Jan 1992 | Print Printer-Friendly Version of This Article

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by Adam C. Engst Send Email to Author

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What a show! Going to a Macworld Expo always takes a great deal of effort because I want to see everything and talk to lots of people, and I usually spend the entire day on the floor. I wanted to order a new set of legs by the end, but all the mail order places were backordered by then. :-)

I enjoyed the show, and I'll write more about it below. I want to mention how nice it was to meet so many of the people I've corresponded with electronically for so long. We had made up a bunch of cool red TidBITS buttons (the only button at the show with a penguin on it) and I tried to give them away to TidBITS readers, but I'm sure I missed many of you. We've still got some buttons and will give you a chance to get one via snail mail in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for details.

 

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