Finder is the application used to navigate and control everything in OS X. Clicking on the Desktop takes you back to the Finder interface, as in OS 9.

New Menu Bar

The default menu bar in OS X (as shown above) has similarities and differences to the menu bar in OS 9. For instance:

• File, Edit, View, Window, and Help menus were all present in OS 9
• There are new Finder and Go menus
• The Apple Menu has changed dramatically
• There is no longer a Special menu

Navigating Your Computer

 

The New Apple Menu

The first thing you will notice is that the Apple Menu no longer holds shortcuts to folders and applications you commonly use. This feature has been taken over by the Dock, as discussed in the Dock section of this tutorial. You will also notice that most of the features from the OS 9 Special menu are now located in the Apple Menu.

 

Apple Menu Items...
Below is a list of every standard Apple Menu Item and its function.

About This Mac: Brings up a window containing information about what version of OS X you are using, how much RAM (memory) your computer has, and processor specifications.

Get Mac OS X Software...: Takes you to the Downloads section of Apple's website. (Computer Support asks that you contact them (X.3832) before installing any software on a Biola owned computer.)

System Preferences: Opens the System Preferences application. Same function as clicking on the System Preferences icon in the Dock.

Dock: Moving your mouse pointer over Dock will bring up a menu with a few Dock preference items, as well as a link to the Dock System Preferences.

Location: Allows the user to select from a list of locations, like the Location Manager in OS 9. Locations are set up in the Network System Preferences. With questions regarding locations, contact Computer Support at x.3832.

Recent Items: Shows a list of all recently opened files and applications for quick access.

Force Quit: Opens the Force Quit window, displaying all open applications. If an application freezes, you can open this window and select to Force Quit any single application without affecting the others. Typing Command+Option+Esc. on the keyboard also brings up the Force Quit window.

Sleep: Puts your computer into sleep mode. You can wake it by hitting a key on the keyboard.

Restart...: Restarts the computer. A confirmation window will pop up before restarting.

Shut Down...: Shuts the computer down. A confirmation window will pop up before shutting down.

Log Out...: Logs you out of your account. A confirmation window will pop up before logging you out.

 

The Finder Menu

The Finder menu is a new addition to the menu bar. It allows you to make quick changes to the way Finder looks and functions, as well as preforming minor actions in the Finder interface.

About Finder: Tells you what version of OS X Finder you are using.

Preferences: Brings up a window which offers many user preferences relating to how the Finder interface looks and functions. The preferences feature will be found in this same menu for each application. For example, if you are in Microsoft Word, this menu will say Word instead of Finder, and preferences for Word will be found here.

Empty Trash: A feature that was stored in the Special menu in OS 9. This command empties the Trash. This can also be accomplished by Ctrl-clicking on the Trash icon in the Dock and selecting "Empty Trash."

Services: Allows you to perform basic system commands quickly, such as making a new sticky note. With questions regarding the items in this menu, contact Computer Support at x.3832.

Hide Finder: Hides the Finder application. This feature is also present when an application is open. For instance, in Microsoft Word, you would see Hide Word.

Hide Others: Hides every open application other than Finder. Click on an application's icon in the Dock to show it again.

Show All: Reopens all hidden applications.

 

The Go Menu

The Go menu contains shortcuts to the standard OS X folders, quick access to all of the items in your Favorites folder, and shortcuts to folders and drives you have recently accessed.

Go to Folder...: Brings up a window containing a field. If you know the name of a folder you would like to open, you can type it here and it will open. This can save the time of browsing to a folder.

Connect to Server: Brings up a window similar to the one shown below. The same can be achieved by typing Command-K on the keyboard.

The main window allows you to browse the network, as you would in the Chooser. This will only work if you have made Appletalk active in the System Preferences (see the System Preferences section of this tutorial for more information regarding Network settings).

The Address field allows you to connect to another computer or server using an IP address. If you do not know how to use file sharing using TCP/IP, but have need to do so, contact Computer Support at x.3832 for help.

NOTE: You will not browse for printers in this window. Printers are managed in the Print Center. For more information, see the Printing in OS X section of this tutorial.

 

File, Edit, View, and Window Menus

These menus are basically self-explanatory, serving the same purposes as in OS 9. Although, one useful menu item worth mentioning here is Show View Options in the View menu. This option is available when you are in the Finder interface. Clicking this menu item will bring up a window containing the settings necessary to alter how your desktop looks, including icon and text sizes.

 

The Help Menu

If you have basic questions about a feature in OS X or an application, clicking on the Help menu will allow you to search for potential answers. If you are in the Finder interface (i.e. you can see the Finder menu at the top of the screen), clicking on the Help menu will give you an option called Mac Help, as seen in the image above. Clicking on Mac Help will open a window that acts as a Mac OS X user guide. Here you can type in questions and keywords and the computer will search for answers.

 

The Right Side of the Menu Bar

By default, the right side of the menu bar offers a clock and volume control. Clicking the speaker icon will bring up a volume slider. Clicking the time will bring up a menu that:

• Displays the date
• Allows you to choose to view the clock as an icon or text
• Contains a shortcut to the Date & Time System Preferences

Some applications will add their own icons to the right side of the menu bar.

 

Navigating OS X

When you wanted to find something in OS 9, you would double-click your Macintosh HD icon. From there, you would proceed to open folders until you found the file or application you wanted.

In OS X, this process works the same way it did in OS 9. As a matter of fact, there is a quicker method of opening Finder's browser window than double-clicking the hard drive icon. All you have to do is click once on the Finder icon in the Dock. This will bring up a window that looks like this:

You will notice the mouse pointer on the image above. Clicking on this button always switches the window to Icon View. Clicking on the second button will switch it to List View, as seen below:

 

Both Icon View and List View were present in OS 9. OS X no longer offers button view. Yet, OS X has one new useful view to offer, called Column View, which is set by clicking the third button, as seen below:

In Column View, clicking on a hard drive icon or folder will expand the contents of that folder into a second column, and selecting a folder in the second column will expand its contents into a third column and so on. This mode essentially creates a "folder tree," rather than opening each folder in a new window.

You will also notice that in OS X, by default, each folder opens in the same window. If you would like each folder to open in a new window, as in OS 9, you can select this option by opening the Finder menu and clicking Preferences. Check the box next to Always open folders in a new window.

 

Finder Toolbar

 

The Finder window also contains toolbar items, like an internet browser. By default, your toolbar will contain the four items shown above. These icons are just shortcuts to folders you commonly use. Computer will return you to the basic Finder window, showing hard drives, CDs, and network drives. Home will take you immediately to your personal account folder. This folder contains all of the data you create or modify when logged in to your computer. Favorites takes you to a folder where you can store items you access frequently. Applications takes you to the Applications folder. The toolbar can be customized by opening the View menu and selecting Customize Toolbar. A window will pop up with options for customizing your toolbar. You can remove or add items to the toolbar here. Click Done when you have customized the toolbar to your liking.

 

Other New Features in OS X

One new feature provided by the OS X Finder is the Open With command. This allows you to select a file, and then choose which application you want to open it, rather than double-clicking the icon. The Open With command can be found in the File menu, as seen below.

 

If the application you are looking for is not shown, you can click Other... to browse for the application.

The Open With command can also be accessed by Control-clicking the file, or by right-clicking with a two-button mouse. This will open a menu with many helpful functions normally found in the File and Edit menus.

Another new feature in the Finder interface is the easy Copy and Paste function. This allows you to copy and paste files and folders just as you would with text in a doument. Simply select an item by clicking on it once. Then, in the Edit menu, select Copy, as seen below:

 

Now, you can go to any other location on the computer and paste that file or folder - no dragging needed! This function can also be accessed by Control-clicking (or right-clicking) the item.

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With any further questions about the Finder interface, menu items, or their functions, contact Computer Support at x3832.

More OS X Tutorials. >>