dropshado.ws
Front-end development minutiæ
by David DeSandro
TotalFinder
TotalFinder is little app that adds a couple much-needed features to OS X’s file browser, namely tabs and split windows. Finder windows tend to multiply as the day goes by. Having all Finder windows collected removes a lot of desktop clutter.
There are other Finder replacement apps out there, but this is the only one I’ve stuck with. It works as an extension to Finder, rather than a completely separate app. So I don’t have to re-learn the Go to Folder key command. The Visor feature could be nice, but I’ve found it a bit buggy and unresponsive.
Re-enable Option+arrow move-by-word in Lion
Before you go whining like an impulsive brat about a reliable OS X feature that you believe has been sorely ripped out of Lion, rest assure that there’s probably a preference setting for it.
In my case, my beloved Opt+arrow move-by-word key bindings were not working after I upgraded to Lion. Turns out the default keyboard shortcuts for Mission Control were conflicting with them. Go to System Preferences » Keyboard » Keyboard Shortcuts and disable or change Mission Control: Move left/right a space.
Sorry about that :P
Enabling PHP, Apache, & .htaccess in Mac OS X
I’m trying out developing without MAMP, and relying on the frameworks that are built into OS X. Here’s how I got Apache, PHP, and htaccess working:
Additionally, I changed the document root to point to my projects folder.
Within /etc/apache2/httdp.conf it can be changed in:
DocumentRoot "/Users/username/projects/"
And then in /etc/apache2/users/username.conf
<Directory "/Users/username/projects/">
SymbolicLinker - Contextual menu creates symbolic links in Finder
Yeah, I can create symlinks in Terminal, but after using it one time, I’m loving being able to use a GUI for symlinking. Creating, dragging, and dropping keeps it simple stupid for me and I don’t have to remember the syntax or filepaths.
Arrange icons by kind
My desktop gets messy. This cleans it up a bit, grouping items by filetype, folders first.
With the desktop focused: Finder › View › Arrange By › Kind. Or by key command ⌘⌃5
Ctrl + Cmd + Shift + 3 / 4
Again, via Phil Dokas.
Hold Control with Cmd+Shift+3 or 4 and your screenshot will be copied to your clipboard without generating an image file on your Desktop. Paste right into Photoshop.
More Cmd + Shift + 4 hotness
Phil Dokas followed up with:
⌘⇧4, click + drag to make a selection without releasing, now hold down the spacebar and move the cursor.
If you instead hold down spacebar + shift, you lock one axis of movement.
Cmd + Shift + 4 / +Shift / +Option
After triggering screen capture with ⌘⇧4 (Cmd+Shift+4), you can use additional keys like in Photoshop. Holding down Shift (⇧) will keep lock one dimension, for changes to only the vertical or horizontal dimension. Holding down Option (⌥) will cause the overlay to be sized symmetrically.
Tested only OS X Snow Leopard. Not sure about earlier versions.
Keyboard navigation - Space vs. Enter
First off, you should have Full Keyboard Access enabled for All Controls in System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts. Now then…
As a former Windows user, this dialog boxed perplexed me. I see two buttons that appear to be focused. Mind you, no mouse hover state is affecting these buttons. Restart appears to be focused, and Shut Down looks special. If I hit Enter, I would expect that Restart would be hit, but instead Shut Down is triggered.
My problem was that I was using Enter instead of Space. Hitting Enter triggers the default (special) button. Hitting Space triggers the focused button.
Now when faced with this dialog from the Twitter app, I can appropriately trigger the button I want without hitting Tab.
You can also use space to toggle checkboxes on forms. Hitting enter will submit the form.
