Learning Basic Program Tasks
One of the most crucial OS X concepts is the application (also sometimes called a program), because it is via applications that you perform all other OS X tasks. Therefore, it is important to have a basic understanding of how to start and manage applications in OS X.
Start an Application Using Launchpad
View Running Applications with Mission Control
Run an Application Full Screen
Select a Command from a Pull-Down Menu
Select a Command Using a Toolbar
Select Options with Dialog Controls
Before you can begin to understand how the OS X operating system works, you should become familiar with the basic screen elements. These elements include the OS X menu bar, the desktop, desktop icons, and the Dock. Understanding where these elements appear on the screen and what they are used for will help you work through the rest of the tasks in this book and will help you navigate OS X and its applications on your own.
A Menu Bar
The menu bar contains the pull-down menus for OS X and most Mac software.
B Desktop
This is the OS X work area, where you work with your applications and documents.
C Mouse Pointer
When you move your mouse or move your finger on a trackpad, the pointer moves along with it.
D Desktop Icon
An icon on the desktop represents an application, a folder, a document, or a device attached to your Mac, such as a hard drive, a CD or DVD, or an iPod.
E Dock
The Dock contains several icons, each of which gives you quick access to a commonly used application.
Tour the Dock
The Dock is the strip that runs along the bottom of the Mac screen. The Dock is populated with several small images, which are called icons. Each icon represents a particular component of your Mac — an application, a folder, a document, and so on — and clicking the icon opens the component. This makes the Dock one of the most important and useful OS X features because it gives you one-click access to applications, folders, and documents. The icons shown here are typical, but your Mac may display a different arrangement.
Work with the files on your computer.
B Launchpad
View, organize, and start your applications.
C Safari
Browse the World Wide Web on the Internet.
D Mail
Send and receive email messages.
E Contacts
Store and access people’s names, addresses, and other contact information.
F Calendar
Record upcoming appointments, birthdays, meetings, and other events.
G Notes
Record to-do lists and other short notes.
H Reminders
Set reminders for upcoming tasks.
I Maps
Find and get directions to locations.
J Messages
Send instant messages to other people.
K FaceTime
Place video and audio calls to other FaceTime users.
L Preview
View and work with images.
M iTunes
Play music and other media and add media to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad.
N iBooks
Purchase and read e-books.
O App Store
Install new applications and upgrade existing ones.
P System Preferences
Customize and configure your Mac.
Q Downloads
Display the contents of your Downloads folder.
R Trash
Delete files, folders, and applications.
Start an Application
To perform tasks of any kind in OS X, you use one of the applications installed on your Mac. The application you use depends on the task you want to perform. For example, if you want to surf the World Wide Web, you use a web browser application, such as the Safari program that comes with OS X. Before you can use an application, however, you must first tell OS X what application you want to run. OS X launches the application and displays it on the desktop. You can then use the application’s tools to perform your tasks.
Start an Application
Click the Finder icon ( 
).
Note: If the application that you want to start has an icon in the Dock, you can click the icon to start the application and skip the steps in this task.
The Finder window appears.
Click Applications.
Note: You can also navigate to Applications in any Finder window by pressing 
+
+
or by choosing Go and then clicking Applications.
The Applications window appears.
Double-click the icon of the application that you want to start.
Note: In some cases, double-clicking the icon just displays the contents of a folder, which is a storage area on your Mac. In this case, you then double-click the application icon.
A The application appears on the desktop.
B OS X adds a button for the application to the Dock.
C The menu bar displays the menus associated with the application.
Note: Another common way to launch an application is to use Finder to locate a document you want to work with and then double-click that document.
TIPS
How do I add an icon to the Dock for an application I use frequently?
To add an icon to the desktop, repeat steps 1 to 3 in this task. Right-click the application’s Dock icon, click Options, and then click Keep in Dock.
How do I shut down a running application?
To shut down a running application, right-click the application’s Dock icon and then click Quit. Alternatively, you can switch to the application and press +
.
Start an Application Using Launchpad
You can start an application using the Launchpad feature. This is often faster than using the Applications folder, particularly for applications that do not have a Dock icon.
Launchpad is designed to mimic the Home screens of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. So if you own one or more of these devices, then you are already familiar with how Launchpad works.
Start an Application Using Launchpad
The Launchpad screen appears.
If the application you want to start resides in a different Launchpad screen, click the dot that corresponds to the screen.
Launchpad switches to the screen and displays the applications.
If the application you want to start resides within a folder, click the folder.
Launchpad opens the folder.
Click the icon of the application you want to start.
OS X starts the application.
TIP
Is there an easier way to navigate the Launchpad screens?
Yes. OS X has designed Launchpad to work like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, which you navigate by using a finger to swipe the screen right or left. With your Mac, you can also navigate the Launchpad screens by swiping. In this case, however, you must use two fingers, and you swipe right or left on either the trackpad or the surface of a Magic Mouse.
You can also use a trackpad gesture to open Launchpad: Place four fingers lightly on the trackpad and pinch them together.
To exit Launchpad without starting an application, press 
.
Switch Between Applications
If you plan on running multiple applications at the same time, you need to know how to easily switch from one application to another. In OS X, after you start one application, you do not need to close that application before you open another one. OS X supports a feature called multitasking, which means running two or more applications simultaneously. This is handy if you need to use several applications throughout the day.
Switch Between Applications
Click the Dock icon of the application you want to switch to.
A OS X brings the application window(s) to the foreground.
B The menu bar displays the menus associated with the application.
Note: To switch between applications from the keyboard, press and hold and repeatedly press 
until the application that you want is highlighted in the list of running applications. Release to switch to the application.
View Running Applications with Mission Control
The Mission Control feature makes it easier for you to navigate and locate your running applications. OS X allows you to open multiple applications simultaneously, and the only real limit to the number of open applications you can have is the amount of memory contained in your Mac. In practical terms, this means you can easily open several applications, some of which may have multiple open windows. To help locate and navigate to the window you need, use the Mission Control feature.
View Running Applications with Mission Control
Click the Launchpad icon ( 
).
Click the Mission Control icon ( 
).
Note: You can also invoke Mission Control by pressing 
or by placing four fingers on the trackpad of your Mac and then swiping up.
A Mission Control displays each open window.
B Mission Control groups windows from the same application.
To switch to a particular window, click it.
C To close Mission Control without selecting a window, click Desktop or press .
Tour an Application Window
When you start an application, it appears on the OS X desktop in its own window. Each application has a unique window layout, but almost all application windows have a few features in common. To get the most out of your applications and to start working quickly and efficiently in an application, you need to know what these common features are and where to find them within the application window.
A Close Button
Click the Close button ( 
) to remove the application window from the desktop, usually without exiting the application.
B Minimize Button
Click the Minimize button ( 
) to remove the window from the desktop and display an icon for the currently open document in the right side of the Dock. The window is still open, but not active.
C Zoom Button
Click the Zoom button ( 
) to display the application full screen, or to enlarge the window so that it can display either all of its content or as much of its content as can fit the screen.
D Toolbar
The toolbar contains buttons that offer easy access to common application commands and features, although not all applications have toolbars. To move the window, click and drag the toolbar.
E Vertical Scroll Bar
Click and drag the vertical scroll bar to navigate up and down in a document. In some cases, you can also click and drag the horizontal scroll bar to navigate left and right in a document.
F Resize Control
Click and drag any edge or corner of the window to make the window larger or smaller.
G Status Bar
The status bar displays information about the current state of the application or document.
Run an Application Full Screen
You can maximize the viewing and working areas of an application by running that application in full-screen mode. When you switch to full-screen mode, OS X hides the menu bar, the application’s status bar, the Dock, and the top section of the application window (the section that includes the Close, Minimize, and Zoom buttons). OS X then expands the rest of the application window so that it takes up the entire screen. You must be running OS X Lion or later to use full-screen mode. Note, too, that not all programs are capable of switching to full-screen mode.
Run an Application Full Screen
Click View.
Click Enter Full Screen.
You can also press 
++
A In applications that support Full Screen, you can also click the Zoom button ( ).
OS X expands the application window to take up the entire screen.
Note: To exit full-screen mode, move the mouse 
up to the top of the screen to reveal the menu bar, click View, and then click Exit Full Screen. You can also press or ++.
Select a Command from a Pull-Down Menu
When you are working in an application, you can use the menu bar to access the application’s commands and features. Each item in the menu bar represents a pull-down menu, a collection of commands usually related to each other in some way. For example, the File menu commands usually deal with file-related tasks such as opening and closing documents. The items in a menu are either commands that execute an action in the application, or features that you can turn on and off.
Select a Command from a Pull-Down Menu
Execute Commands
Click the name of the menu that you want to display.
A The application displays the menu.
Click the command that you want to execute.
The application executes the command.
B If a command is followed by an ellipsis (...), it means the command displays a dialog.
C If a command is followed by an arrow ( 
), it means the command displays a submenu. Click the command to open the submenu and then click the command that you want to run.
Turn Features On and Off
Click the name of the menu that you want to display.
D The application displays the menu.
Click the menu item.
You may have to click for a submenu if your command is not on the main menu.
The application turns the feature either on or off.
Select a Command Using a Toolbar
You can access many application commands faster by using the toolbar. Many applications come with a toolbar, which is a collection of buttons, lists, and other controls displayed in a strip, usually across the top of the application window. Because the toolbar is always visible, you can always use it to select commands, which means that the toolbar often gives you one-click access to the application’s most common features. This is faster than using the menu bar method, which often takes several clicks, depending on the command.
Select a Command Using a Toolbar
Turn Features On and Off
Click the toolbar button that represents the feature you want to turn on.
A The application turns the feature on and indicates this state by highlighting the toolbar button.
B When a feature is turned off, the application does not highlight the button.
Execute Commands
Click the toolbar button that represents the command that you want.
If the button displays a menu, click the command on the menu.
C The application executes the command.
Select Options with Dialog Controls
You often interact with an application by selecting options or typing text using a dialog. A dialog is a small window that appears when an application has information for you, or needs you to provide information. For example, when you select the File menu’s Print command to print a document, you use the Print dialog to specify the number of copies that you want to print.
You provide that and other information by accessing various types of dialog controls. To provide information to an application quickly and accurately, you need to know what these dialog controls look like and how they work.
A Command Button
Clicking a command button executes the command printed on the button face. For example, you can click OK to apply settings that you have chosen in a dialog, or you can click Cancel to close the dialog without changing the settings.
B Text Box
A text box enables you to enter typed text. Press 
to delete any existing characters and then type your text.
C Stepper
A stepper ( 
) appears beside some text boxes and consists of two arrows: click the upward-pointing arrow to increment the text box value; click the downward-pointing arrow to decrement the text box value.
D List Box
A list box displays a list of choices from which you select the item you want. Use the vertical scroll bar to bring the item you want into view and then click the item to select it.
E Tabs
Many dialogs offer a large number of controls, so related controls appear on different tabs, and the tab names and icons appear across the top of the dialog. Click a tab to see its controls.
F Pop-Up Menu
A pop-up menu displays a list of choices from which you select the item you want. Click the up-down arrows ( 
) to display the menu and then click the item that you want to select.
G Radio Button
Clicking a radio button turns on an application feature. Only one radio button in a group can be turned on at a time. When you click a radio button that is currently off, it changes from 
to 
; a radio button that is on changes from to .
H Check Box
Clicking a check box toggles an application feature on and off. If you are turning on a feature, the check box changes from 
to 
; if you are turning off the feature, the check box changes from to .