Getting Around in the Mac OS X Finder

When Apple made the leap to Mac OS X back in 2001, the transition was traumatic for many designers used to the comfortable confines of Mac OS 9. But Mac OS X has become more stable and more robust over the years. Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger is a dream to work in.

Despite the fact that a Mac is still a Mac, regardless of which version of the operating system you use, there's a big difference in using Mac OS X compared with Mac OS 9. Sure, there are folders and applications and windows, but it also has features like home directories and sidebars, and other elements that may seem foreign at first glance. Some keyboard shortcuts are different, and the Trash isn't even on the Desktop anymore. Now it lives in the Dock, another component new in Mac OS X.

At times, even experienced Mac users still wrestle with navigating Mac OS X. In this section we'll look at the basic structure of Mac OS X 10.4, define some of the terms we'll be using throughout the book, and give you an overview of what's new in Tiger.

Finder Components

In some ways, Tiger's interface is similar to those of other operating systems: A desktop lets you place frequently used items within easy reach, windows open to let you see what's inside, and so on. But Mac OS X includes some features you may not be used to, such as the Dock. Let's look at the basic look and feel of the Tiger Finder.

The Desktop

Your Desktop is essentially the portal into the rest of your Mac (Figure 1.1). From there, you access all the components that make your Mac what it is, from system settings to your files to applications.

Figure 1.1. A Desktop overview: These are the components that make up your Mac's interface: the Desktop; your hard drive; removable discsin this case, a CD; the menu bar; the Dock; a Finder window.

The Desktop is the common denominator between the applications you use to design your client's projects. It's the component that lets you see windows, navigate through your hard drive, and open documents. Several other Finder components are either located on the Desktop or accessible through it. These are hard drives and removable discs, like CDs and DVDs; iPods; USB memory sticks; the menu bar; the Dock; and Finder windows. Let's quickly run through each.

• Hard drives and removable media. Your hard drive is the place where your operating system, applications, and files are stored. Icons for any removable mediaCD-ROM drives, extra hard drives, thumb-size USB driveswill also appear on the Desktop.

• Finder menu bar. The menu bars is where you access functions that make your applications do the things they do. The menu bar's contents may change depending on what application you are currently using. For example, the File menu in the Finder lets you make folders and aliases, find more information about the files on your hard drive, and create new Finder windows. In Photoshop, however, the File menu lets you open or create a new Photoshop document, export files to other image formats, and print your documents.

  • The Apple menu. The Apple menu is always present regardless of what application is running. From there you can do the following: find out what version of Mac OS X you are running, check for Tiger and Apple application updates, launch System Preferences, force-quit applications that have stopped responding, and more.

  • The application menu. Next to the Apple menu you'll see the name of the application you are currently working in. If you're in the Finder, it will display Finder; if you're in InDesign, it will display InDesign. There you'll find application-specific options, like Preferences, Hide, Quit, and the About menu item, which tells you which version of the software you're using. In Adobe InDesign, for example, you'll also see the menu item Configure Plug-ins.

  • Status menus. Status menus, located on the right side of the menu bar, give you quick access to an assortment of functions and information about your Mac. Look there for indicators such as the signal strength of an Airport wireless-network connection, the current time, speaker volume, and the icon for Spotlight, Tiger's search tool, which we'll cover shortly.

• The Dock. The Dock is a dynamic bar that shows currently running applications as well as aliases to frequently accessed applications, documents, and folders. When you launch an application, it shows up in your Dock. When you quit an application, it disappears from your Dock. By default, the Dock lives at the bottom of your Desktop, but you can move it to the left or right side. You can also change its behavior to disappear or appear larger, according to your personal preferences. You'll learn how later in this chapter.

Keyboard Shortcut Symbols

Most applications, including the Finder, let you use keyboard shortcuts to perform certain tasks. By and large, people who use keyboard shortcuts instead of their mouse work faster and more efficiently. As an example, instead of using your mouse to click the File menu, move down the list of options, and then click Print, you can simply press Command-P to print a document.

Command (or Apple)
Shift
Control
Option
Escape

Tip

You might have a second Documents folder nestled at the root level of your hard drive, along with the System, Library, Applications, and Users folders. This is a carryover from the Mac OS 9 days, and unless you use an old application, like Microsoft Outlook Express, that stores information there, you really don't need it. If you have this extra Documents folder and save files there, that's OK. Just keep in mind that you'll need to check for files in two locations.

The Home Directory

Thanks to its Unix origins, Mac OS X is a multiuser operating system, meaning that more than one person can have a private workspace on the same Mac. Each user gets a personal Desktop, Documents folder, and customized system settings that no one else can go mucking around in.

• Desktop. Your Desktop contents are also viewable as a folder. Any documents or folders that end up on your Desktop are also visible here.

• Documents. This is the default location where documents you create get saved. The contents of this folder are visible only to you. I made additional folders in here so I can organize my client projects.

• Library. The Library folder keeps your application preferences along with your customized settings, like Screen Saver, Desktop picture, and email account information.

• Movies. If you use iMovie and iDVD, your projects get stored here.

• Music. iTunes stores your music library here, and GarageBand keeps song projects here, too.

• Public. This is the folder that other users can see if they log in to your Mac through your network. We'll cover networking and file sharing in chapter 6, "Networking."

• Sites. The Sites folder holds Web page content that other people on your network can see if you use Personal Web Sharing. That's covered in chapter 6, too.

Applications

The applications that shipped with your Mac, as well as the applications you add, belong in the Applications folder. Double-click your hard-drive icon to open a new Finder window. The Applications folder should be there, along with several other folders, including System, Library, and Users. Don't move your programs out of the Applications folder, because some application updaters from Apple and other software vendors expect them to be in there.

File-Naming Conventions

File-naming conventions are practices in which Apple really can't do much to hide Mac OS X's Unix underpinnings. Luckily, the rules we have to follow for filenames and filename extensions are pretty simple:

Filenames. Don't start filenames with a period (.) and don't use slashes (/). Starting a file or folder name with a period tells the Finder that the item should be invisible, and the slash means it is a folder. Typically, an alert dialog will let you know if you're trying to use characters that you shouldn't. If you need to share files with Windows users, also avoid using spaces, colons (:), angle brackets (<, >), pipes (|), asterisks (*), and question marks (?) for best filename compatibility.

Filename extensions. Don't mess around with filename extensions unless you know what you are doing. Filename extensions are a part of Unix. Most applications are smart enough to add the correct extension for you. For example, InDesign documents end with .indd, Photoshop uses .psd, and QuarkXPress uses .qxd. If you change an InDesign document's filename extension to .qxd, QuarkXPress will think the document is something it can open even though it can't.

System Preferences

System Preferences is an application that lets you modify the nuts-and-bolts settings of your Mac, such as what the Desktop looks like or how your Mac accesses the Internet (Figure 1.2). These settings are controlled through software modules called preference panes. For example, the Desktop & Screen Saver Preference Pane lets you change your Desktop background picture and choose a different screensaver.

Figure 1.2. System Preferences is the control center for all of your Mac's settings.

You can launch System Preferences in several ways: Click its icon in the Applications folder on your hard drive, click its icon in the Dock, or navigate to it on the Apple menu in the Finder (Figure 1.3). Some applications, such as QuickTime Player, will launch it for you as well, since some of its settings are controlled through the QuickTime preference pane.

Figure 1.3. Choosing System Preferences from the Apple menu is a fast, one-click way to launch System Preferences.

Preference panes are grouped into sections: Personal, Hardware, Internet & Network, System, and Other. Most of these groupings are self-explanatory; for example, controls for your monitor and printer are found in the Hardware group, and network and file-sharing settings are in the Internet Network section. Non-Apple Preference Panes that are added when you install third-party hardware or software appear in the Other section. Typically, these are settings for items like Wacom tablets, Adobe Version Cue CS2, and Allume Systems' StuffIt Deluxe.