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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 743.
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23 Aug 2004 | Print Printer-Friendly Version of This Article

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There weren't many new threads in TidBITS Talk this week, so we encourage you to check out some of the postings we made in ExtraBITS; a number of which offer followup commentary on earlier TidBITS articles. We eventually plan to integrate some sort of headline listing of ExtraBITS posts into the main issues, much as we've done here with TidBITS Talk.

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OmniWeb 5.0: The Powerful Web Browser -- Adam's review of OmniWeb 5.0 sparks one person's brief impression (which contradicts Adam's experiences) and a number of tangential comments. (5 messages)

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