Thoughtful, detailed coverage of the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, plus the best-selling Take Control ebooks.

 

 

 

 

TidBITS Watchlist
 
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

Share your own tip! | Search TipBITS

 

 

Related Articles

 

 

Published in TidBITS 511.
Subscribe to our weekly email edition.

 

 
03 Jan 2000 | Print Printer-Friendly Version of This Article

Now Up-to-Date & Contact Are Now Up to Date

by Jeff Carlson Send Email to Author

Send Article to a Friend

Now Up-to-Date & Contact Are Now Up to Date -- Power On Software is delivering on its promise to continue development of Now Up-to-Date & Contact, its calendar and contact combo purchased from Qualcomm earlier this year. Version 3.8 fixes compatibility issues with Mac OS 8.5 and later, solves problems associated with its Internet features, and includes Now Up-to-Date & Contact Web Publisher for free (it was formerly a separate $400 product). Power On claims that Palm device synchronization is scheduled to arrive in an upcoming version 3.9, tentatively scheduled for early 2000. Now Up-to-Date & Contact costs $90; owners of previous versions can upgrade for $40. A fully functional 30-day demo is a 4.6 MB download. [JLC]

<http://www.poweronsoftware.com/now.html>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/05465>

 

THE MISSING SYNC FOR ANDROID: Sync with iTunes, Address Book,
iCal, iPhoto and other Mac applications. Supports HTC EVO,
Motorola Droid, Droid X, Droid 2, Google Nexus One and many
other phones. <http://www.markspace.com/bits>