Chapter 3
Learning Basic Document Tasks
Much of the work you do in OS X involves documents, which are files that contain text, images, and other data. These tasks include saving, opening, printing, and editing documents, as well as copying and renaming files.
Save a Document
After you create a document and make changes to it, you can save the document to preserve your work. When you work on a document, OS X stores the changes in your computer’s memory. However, OS X erases the contents of the Mac’s memory each time you shut down or restart the computer. This means that the changes you make to your document are lost when you turn off or restart your Mac. However, saving the document preserves your changes on your Mac’s hard drive.
Save a Document
Click File.
Click Save.
In most applications, you can also press 
+
.
If you have saved the document previously, your changes are now preserved, and you do not need to follow the rest of the steps in this section.
If this is a new document that you have never saved before, the Save As dialog appears.
Type the filename you want to use in the Save As text box.
A To store the file in a different folder, you can click the Where 
and then select the location that you prefer from the pop-up menu.
Click Save.
The application saves the file.
Open a Document
To work with a document that you have saved in the past, you can open it in the application that you used to create it. When you save a document, you save its contents to your Mac’s hard drive, and those contents are stored in a separate file. When you open the document using the same application that you used to save it, OS X loads the file’s contents into memory and displays the document in the application. You can then view or edit the document as needed.
Open a Document
Start the application with which you want to work.
Click File.
Click Open.
In most applications, you can also press +
.
The Open dialog appears.
A To select a different folder from which to open a file, you can click and then click the location that you prefer.
Click the document.
Click Open.
The document appears in a window on the desktop.
Print a Document
When you need a hard copy of your document, either for your files or to distribute to someone else, you can send the document to your printer. Most applications that deal with documents also come with a Print command. When you run this command, the Print dialog appears. You use the Print dialog to choose the printer you want to use, as well as to specify how many copies you want to print. Many Print dialogs also enable you to see a preview of your document before printing it.
Print a Document
Turn on your printer.
Open the document that you want to print.
Click File.
Click Print.
In many applications, you can select the Print command by pressing +
.
The Print dialog appears.
The layout of the Print dialog varies from application to application. The version shown here is a typical example.
If you have more than one printer, click in the Printer list to select the printer that you want to use.
To print more than one copy, type the number of copies to print in the Copies text box to.
Click Print.
A OS X prints the document. The printer’s icon appears in the Dock while the document prints.
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Can I print only part of my document?
Yes, you can print a range of pages by selecting the From option (
changes to 
) and then using the two text boxes to type the numbers of the first and last pages you want to print.
If you just want to print one page, click anywhere within the page before running the Print command; then select the Current Page option ( changes to ) or click From ( changes to ) and type the page number in both text boxes.
If you just want to print a section of the document, select the text before running the Print command, and then select the Selection option ( changes to ).
Edit Document Text
When you work with a character-based file, such as a text or word processing document or an e-mail message, you need to know the basic techniques for editing text. It is rare that any text you type in a document is perfect the first time through. It is more likely that the text contains errors that require correcting, or words, sentences, or paragraphs that appear in the wrong place. To get your document text the way you want it, you need to know how to edit text, including deleting characters, selecting the text with which you want to work, and copying and moving text.
Edit Document Text
Delete Characters
In a text document, click immediately to the right of the last character that you want to delete.
A The cursor appears after the character.
Press 
until you have deleted all the characters you want.
If you make a mistake, immediately click Edit, and then click Undo. You can also press +
.
Select Text for Editing
Click and drag across the text that you want to select.
Release the mouse button.
B The application highlights the selected text.
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Are there any shortcut methods for selecting text?
Yes, most OS X applications have shortcuts you can use. Here are the most useful ones:
Double-click a word to select it.
• Press and hold 
and press 
or 
to select entire words.
• Press and hold and and press to select to the end of the line, or to select to the beginning of the line.
Triple-click inside a paragraph to select it.
Click Edit and then click Select All, or press +
to select the entire document.
Once you select text, you can then copy or move the text to another location in your document. Copying text is often a useful way to save work. For example, if you want to use the same passage of text elsewhere in the document, you can copy it instead of typing it from scratch. If you need a similar passage in another part of the document, copy the original and then edit the copy as needed. If you type a passage of text in the wrong position within the document, you can fix that by moving the text to the correct location.
Copy Text
Select the text that you want to copy.
Click Edit.
Click Copy.
In most applications, you can also press +
.
Click inside the document where you want the copied text to appear.
The cursor appears in the position where you clicked.
Click Edit.
Click Paste.
In most applications, you can also press +
.
A The application inserts a copy of the selected text at the cursor position.
Move Text
Select the text that you want to move.
Click Edit.
Click Cut.
In most applications, you can also press +
.
The application removes the text from the document.
Click inside the document where you want to move the text.
The cursor appears at the position where you clicked.
Click Edit.
Click Paste.
In most applications, you can also press +.
B The application inserts the text at the cursor position.
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How do I move and copy text with my mouse?
To move and copy text with your mouse, select the text that you want to move or copy. To move the selected text, position the mouse pointer over the selection and then click and drag the text to the new position within the document.
To copy the selected text, position the mouse pointer over the selection, press and hold the 
key, and then click and drag the text (the mouse 
changes to 
) to the new position within the document.
Copy a File
You can use OS X to make an exact copy of a file. This is useful when you want to make an extra copy of an important file to use as a backup. Similarly, you might require a copy of a file if you want to send the copy on a disk to another person. Finally, copying a file is also a real timesaver if you need a new file very similar to an existing file: You copy the original file and then make the required changes to the copy. You can copy either a single file or multiple files. You can also use this technique to copy a folder.
Copy a File
Locate the file that you want to copy.
Open the folder to which you want to copy the file.
To open a second folder window, click File and then click New Finder Window, or press +
.
Press and hold the key, and then click and drag the file and drop it inside the destination folder.
A The original file remains in its folder.
B A copy of the original file appears in the destination folder.
You can also make a copy of a file in the same folder, which is useful if you want to make major changes to the file and you would like to preserve a copy of the original. Click the file, click File, and then click Duplicate, or press +
. OS X creates a copy with the word “copy” added to the filename.
Move a File
When you need to store a file in a new location, the easiest way is to move the file from its current folder to another folder on your Mac. When you save a file for the first time, you specify a folder on your Mac’s hard drive. This original location is not permanent, however. Using the technique in this section, you can move the file to another location on your Mac’s hard drive. You can use this technique to move a single file, multiple files, and even a folder.
Move a File
Locate the file that you want to move.
Open the folder to which you want to move the file.
To create a new destination folder in the current folder, click File and then click New Folder, or press ++.
Click and drag the file and drop it inside the destination folder.
Note: If you are moving the file to another drive, you must hold down while you click and drag the file.
A The file disappears from its original folder.
B The file moves to the destination folder.
Rename a File
You can change the name of a file, which is useful if the current filename does not accurately describe the contents of the file. Giving your document a descriptive name makes it easier to find the file later. You should rename only those documents that you have created or that have been given to you by someone else. Do not try to rename any of the OS X system files or any files associated with your applications, or your computer may behave erratically or even crash.
Rename a File
Open the folder containing the file that you want to rename.
Click the file.
Press 
.
A A text box appears around the filename.
You can also rename any folders that you have created.
Edit the existing name or type a new name that you want to use for the file.
If you decide that you do not want to rename the file after all, you can press 
to cancel the operation.
Press or click an empty section of the folder.
B The new name appears under the file icon.
Delete a File
When you no longer need a file, you can delete it. This helps to prevent your hard drive from becoming cluttered with unnecessary files. You should ensure that you delete only those documents that you have created or that have been given to you by someone else. Do not delete any of the OS X system files or any files associated with your applications, or your computer may behave erratically or even crash.
Delete a File
Locate the file that you want to delete.
Click and drag the file and drop it on the Trash icon in the Dock.
A The file disappears from the folder.
You can also delete a file by clicking it and then pressing +.
If you delete a file accidentally, you can restore it. In the dock, click the Trash icon to open the Trash window. Right-click the file and then click Put Back.
Open a Folder in a Tab
You can make it easier to work with multiple folders simultaneously by opening each folder in its own tab within a single Finder window. As you work with your documents, you may come upon one or more folders that you want to keep available while you work with other folders. Instead of cluttering the desktop with multiple Finder windows, OS X enables you to use a single Finder window that displays each open folder in a special section of the window called a tab. To view the contents of any open folder, you need only click its tab.
Open a Folder in a Tab
Open a Folder in a New Tab
Right-click the folder you want to open.
Click Open in New Tab.
A A new tab appears for the folder.
B The folder’s contents appear here.
C Click any tab to display its contents in the Finder window.
D To close a tab, move the mouse over the tab and then click Close Tab (
).
Create a New Tab
Click File.
Click New Tab.
E If you already have two or more tabs open, you can also click the Create a new tab icon (
).
Finder creates a new tab.
Merge Open Folder Windows into Tabs
Click Window.
Click Merge All Windows.
Finder moves all the open folder windows into tabs in a single Finder window.
Note: To copy or move a file to a folder open in another tab, click and drag the file from its current folder and drop it on the other folder’s tab.
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Are there any shortcuts I can use to work with folders in tabs?
Yes, here are a few useful keyboard techniques you can use:
• In a folder, press and hold and double-click a subfolder to open it in a tab. Press and hold + instead to open the subfolder in a tab without switching to the tab.
• In the sidebar, press and hold (or +) and click a folder to open it in a tab.
• Press ++
or ++
to cycle through the tabs.
• Press +
to close the current tab.
• Press and click to close every tab but the one you clicked.