Mouseless OSX questions

[wamatt]

I've read over

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75459

But can't seem to find certain actions - I will add them as I continue learning OSX.

1. Initiate a Window "Move" state, that allows you to move a window using the arrow keys. In windows you had a Move option on the control box of each window.

2. Access the top menu bar in any application. In windows iirc ALT brings up the menu bar.

3. In firefox sometimes the focus will be on something other than the main browser window. In which case up and down arrows don't scroll the page. Pressing Tab is annoying its cycles variable amount of buttons etc until it reaches the document window. Anything to focus the window straight away?

4. In "all windows" F9 mode - anyway to make the Cmd-M / Cmd-Q keys work like they do in the Dock on highlight. This would be usefull in order to clean up a whole lot of windows if your desktop is getting messy without having to enter and exit "all windows" mode each time.

5. In firefox pressing Tab does not focus on form submit buttons like it does in windows "eg the Submit new thread" I see no way of getting to it without using a mouse.

6. Is there a global key for accessing Finder - surely this is a necessity?

Thanks for any help / suggestions, I will post more as I come across them.

[hayne]

1) See this older thread for a way to access the menus of any app via the keyboard: http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=49979

2) Make sure you have enabled full keyboard access in the Universal Access preferences. (I think that is where it is)

3) I seem to recall that Firefox has some config options re tabbing.

[chabig]

6. Is there a global key for accessing Finder - surely this is a necessity?
The global keystroke to get to the Finder is to command-tab to it. Or you can command-tab, then put the mouse cursor over the Finder and release the command key.

Chris

[Raven]

A very little know but usefull short cut to use if you want to stay away from using the mouse is CTRL+F2 (add to this combo the FN key if you use a laptop). It allows as the Alt key does in Windows to highlight the Apple menu so you can go through them menues witht e up, down and side arrows on your keyboard. So no need to use the mouse to go click menus either.

[nukular]

A very little know but usefull short cut to use if you want to stay away from using the mouse is CTRL+F2 (add to this combo the FN key if you use a laptop). It allows as the Alt key does in Windows to highlight the Apple menu so you can go through them menues witht e up, down and side arrows on your keyboard. So no need to use the mouse to go click menus either.

Yeah I only wish this was even 1/10th as quick as the windows method.

Lets say you type ctrl-f2-v..which takes you to the view menu in many applications...you then need to push return to activate the menu...or push the down arrow...then if any items start with the same letter you have to type one..or two (which doesn't always work in my experience) to get the command to activate.

window.... alt-v and then select the underlined letter in the menu item to activate the command.... So much easier and it doesn't require you to push keys all over the freakin' keyboard....

Mice just aren't good input devices for many keyboard intensive applications like Excel....where alt-e-s-v would do paste special (value) quickly and painlessly....or f2 would activate the individual cell (no two-keystroke combination) or alt-i-w would insert a window, etc....

[wamatt]

Yeah I only wish this was even 1/10th as quick as the windows method.
.

Yeah have to agree with you. I'm rather disappointed by the mouseless support in OSX.

CTRL - F2 - W - DOWN - Z - ENTER for example just to get to the Zoom command. You can set app wide shortcuts but so many apps all have different commands and menus.

Also why do I have an enter and a return key? And why no pageup and pagedown keys?

[hayne]

Also why do I have an enter and a return key? And why no pageup and pagedown keys?
I think if you search the forums you will see that these things have been discussed previously.
I note that there are "pg up" and "pg down" keys on my iBook.

[wamatt]

I think if you search the forums you will see that these things have been discussed previously.
I note that there are "pg up" and "pg down" keys on my iBook.

http://forums.macosxhints.com/search.php?searchid=1196041 couldnt find any discussion on why the PageUP and PageDown were removed from the MBP.

http://forums.macosxhints.com/search.php?searchid=1196043

Doesn't bring up anything usefull regarding discussion around enter and return.

Vbulletin not the greatest at searching, would you mind pointing me in the right direction?

[wamatt]

Anyway to map a key to System Preferences? Using global app settings does not seem to work for items under the "Apple icon" menu.

[chabig]

Are you certain you don't have page up and page down keys? Photos I've seen on the net have them, as do all other Apple keyboards. Here is one...

http://flickr.com/photos/portway-ave/107066548/

Look over on the lower right side of your keyboard, below the shift key, between the home and end keys.

Chris

[wamatt]

Are you certain you don't have page up and page down keys? Photos I've seen on the net have them, as do all other Apple keyboards. Here is one...

http://flickr.com/photos/portway-ave/107066548/

Look over on the lower right side of your keyboard, below the shift key, between the home and end keys.

Chris

Yeah I have the 15.4" version (got it last week).

http://www.macuser.com/hardware/ten_things_i_hate_about_macboo.php

Look at reason #10. The odd thing is there are two plastic squares on the keyboard wher pgup and pgdown should be.. I really can't fathom it.

[wamatt]

Are you certain you don't have page up and page down keys? Photos I've seen on the net have them, as do all other Apple keyboards. Here is one...

http://flickr.com/photos/portway-ave/107066548/

Look over on the lower right side of your keyboard, below the shift key, between the home and end keys.

Chris

Sorry I just checked out the pic. I think we talking cross purposes here. Those are arrow keys. I'm used to having arrow keys AND seperate pgup, pgdown etc.

IOW there are no pgdown pgup keys, you have to use a keyboard combo.

[chabig]

Apple can't fit as many keys onto a laptop keyboard as they do on a desktop keyboard. The arrow keys perform double-duty as page up/down keys. To access the page up/down function, hold down "fn" and press the key.

Chris

[wamatt]

Apple can't fit as many keys onto a laptop keyboard as they do on a desktop keyboard. The arrow keys perform double-duty as page up/down keys. To access the page up/down function, hold down "fn" and press the key.

Chris

Well I dunno why they have two blanks on the keyboard. They could have atleast made then pgup / down. Its a mild annoyance, don't get me wrong I think this MBP is the best notebook out there.

I was one of the first people in the world to try the Acer 8204 (flagship dual core machine). What a load of crap, they sent me 6 models to try and get it right. Eventually I decided to give Apple a try and glad I did.

[hayne]

Vbulletin not the greatest at searching
The best way to search is to use Google, with an additional search term
site:forums.macosxhints.com
to specify that you only want results from these forums.

[wamatt]

The best way to search is to use Google, with an additional search term
site:forums.macosxhints.com
to specify that you only want results from these forums.

I will give that a bash.

BTW do you know howto simulate a "right-click" using the keyboard only?

[wamatt]

Tip: To get to preferences on MDI pages say in firefox extensions press SHIFT-CMD-,

Question: Anyone know how to go straight to the top Spotlight search? I know you can press DOWN then ENTER but if there was something like CMD-ENTER that would be cool.