22 | MACFORMAT | DECEMBER 2019 macformat.com @macformat1
Autocomplete entries
In System Prefs > Keyboard > Text, you
can create automated text snippets; for
example when we type “;shrug” it prints. We also use it to autocomplete
addresses and type stock replies.
2
Create shortcuts
Shortcuts enables you to create
shortcuts on a system-wide or per-app
basis. For the latter, press the ‘+’, select
the app you want to create a shortcut
for and choose the menu command.Keyboard hacks
Finder tips & tricks
Make more use of Finder’s handy helpers
C
reate your own tags in Finder’s
Preferences to make it easy to
classify and find related files.1
Change how your
folders are displayed
To change how Finder displays a folder,
open any folder in Finder and then click
on View > Show View Options. Here you
can choose how the contents should be
grouped and sorted and also specify if
you want the folder to always open in List
View. You can also use shortcuts: ç+ 1 ,
2 , 3 or 4 displays icon view, list view,
column view and gallery view.FEATURE 87 time-saving tips
2
Declutter the desktop
Show View Options also works on the
desktop, where you can set Stack and
sorting options, icon sizes and spacing,
and the size and positioning of text labels.3
Change global settings
and the sidebar
You can adjust global settings for the
Finder in its Preferences panel. This
enables you to specify whether external
disks and devices should appear on
the desktop, which folder new Finder
windows should open in and whether new
folders should be opened in new tabs
rather than new windows. This section
also enables you to specify which tags
and links should appear in the sidebar.4
Transform the toolbar
The toolbar can be customised.
≈-click over the toolbar to switch
between icon, text and icon+text views,
or customise which buttons appear.5
Pick a Path
If you’d like to see the location of the
currently selected file or folder, make the
Path Bar visible from View > Show PathBar. You can open a folder from the Path
Bar by ≈-clicking on it and selecting
Open In New Tab.6
Show your status
You can also show and hide the
Status Bar from the same menu.7
Unhide the Library
You can access commonly used
folders such as Pictures and Applications
from the Go menu, but Library isn’t there.
Hold down å and it magically appears.8
Get tagging
Finder’s Tags enable you to quicklyTag files and folders with names and colours
to make them easier to find in the sidebar.Voice Control
>One of Catalina’s accessibility
features is widely useful: if you enable
Voice Control in System Preferences >
Accessibility you can control your Mac
with voice commands such as “move
to the end of the paragraph”. You can
insert emoji, navigate, or get your Mac
to do anything else you say out loud.