Chapter 2

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.

Explore the OS X Screen

Tour the Dock

Start an Application

Start an Application Using Launchpad

Switch Between Applications

View Running Applications with Mission Control

Tour an Application Window

Run an Application Full Screen

Select a Command from a Pull-Down Menu

Select a Command Using a Toolbar

Select Options with Dialog Controls

Explore the OS X Screen

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.

A Finder

Work with the files on your computer.

B Launchpad

View, organize, and start your applications.

C Mission Control

Locate and navigate running applications.

D Safari

Browse the World Wide Web on the Internet.

E Mail

Send and receive e-mail messages.

F Contacts

Store and access people’s names, addresses, and other contact information.

G Calendar

Record upcoming appointments, birthdays, meetings, and other events.

H Reminders

Set reminders for upcoming tasks.

I Notes

Record to-do lists and other short notes.

J Messages

Send instant messages to other people.

K FaceTime

Place video calls to other FaceTime users.

L Photo Booth

Take a picture using the camera on your Mac.

M iTunes

Play music and other media and add media to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad.

N App Store

Install new applications and upgrade existing ones.

O iPhoto

Import and edit digital photos and other images.

P iMovie

Import video footage and edit your own digital movies.

Q GarageBand

Create songs, podcasts, and other audio files.

R Maps

Find and get directions to locations.

S System Preferences

Customize and configure your Mac.

T Documents

Display the contents of your Documents folder.

U Downloads

Display the contents of your Downloads folder.

V 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 which 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 section.

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: If you see a folder icon (), it means that the application resides in its own folder, which is a storage area on the computer. Double-click to open the folder and 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 with which you want to work, 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

Click the Launchpad icon ().

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.

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 at once. This is handy if you need to use several applications throughout the day.

Switch Between Applications

Click the Dock icon of the application to which you want to switch.

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 at once, 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 Mission Control ().

Note: You can also invoke Mission Control by pressing or by placing three 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 enlarge the window so that it can display 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 Status Bar

The status bar displays information about the current state of the application or document.

F 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.

G Resize Control

Click and drag any edge or corner of the window to make the window larger or smaller.

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 You can also click Full Screen ().

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 ++.

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.

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.

C 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.

B Text Box

A text box enables you to enter typed text. Press to delete any existing characters, and then type your text.

D 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.

E 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.

F 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 .

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 .