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Switcher Guide : Using Web Browser

What are the things that are essential for many switchers?

The Launching of Safari

Until know I realize the variation of preferences in using Mac. Some prefer to use keyboard, some prefer to use mouse, while others prefer to use both. I, as a keyboard-only user and sometimes mouse-only user, would gladly share my experience in navigating web browser.

Launching with Mouse

Dock, the place that most of the applications sit, is a kind of shortcut for either launching applications or opening certain files. While it's usually needed double-click on desktop application icon to launch the application, it's only needed single-click on Dock icon to launch it. To add a new application icon to the dock, simple drag-n-drop action works well.

However, this single-click behavior potentially leads to mis-click, which people accidentally click on the nearby applications. To prevent this happens, I hold my click longer and contextual menu will appear instead of launching application.

Opening with Keyboard

Opening with keyboard isn't as simple as with mouse. Firstly, you should navigate into Applications folder, which Command-Shift-A comes in handy for this case.

Secondly, you should look for your web browser. Quick navigating, which is searching specified name with its spellings, can be used for this. For example I want to search for Safari, then I will consecutively type in letters s-a-f-... until the highlighted item is Safari.

Thirdly, you should now open the application. If you want to open it and you still keep Finder open, you can use either Command-O or Command-DownArrow. If you want to open it and on the same time close the Finder, you can use either Command-Option-O or Command-Option-DownArrow.

Now you should have known how to quickly open your browser. The first time I used my Mac, I am really curious to figure out what are the functions of those three buttons, that look like traffic lamp, on the top-left pane of the window.

The Three Buttons

Red Button : Close

In Mac, closing is very different from quitting. If you close your browser, you will notice that the LED light at the bottom of the application is still there. It means that the application is still running, but your Mac somehow manages to allocate very small memory usage for that application. However, you will be able to save your time that should have been spent on opening application.

While quitting means that you stop, you halt, (or even harsher) you kill the browser. According to my experience, closing is much better than quitting.

Though both of them are different in some fields, they've the same function for you (and me), i.e. to save working space.

Yellow Button : Minimize

By minimizing your browser, you will keep its active window in your Dock. The bad thing in using minimize is you cannot kick that window out of the Dock without clicking on it using your mouse. In exchange, I often use hide (Command-H).

Green Button : Zoom

I know this is totally new for switcher. In Mac, they're no such a Windows-like term called maximize. Zoom is the proper Mac way to define it

If the Zoom button is pressed, that window will be expanded to the size that either you can see the whole page in a glimpse or the window has covered all your desktop screen (it will neither overflow the Dock nor the menu bar).

Trick : Using Option Key

If you click on the button while pressing the modifier key : Option, the button's action will affect all opened windows of the browser.

The previous two parts will also work for other applications. Now let's see Mac browser specialties.

The Clicking Process

Modifier Functions

With assistance of several combination (exactly five) of modifier keys, you can ask browser to perform differently while clicking on a link. They are :

• Click: Opens in current tab
• Cmd-Click: Opens in a new tab
• Shift-Cmd-Click: Opens and selects in a new tab
• Option-Cmd-Click: Opens in a new window behind the current one
• Shift-Option-Cmd-Click: Opens and selects in a new window

Tips : Changing Modifier Functions

Those modifier keys' functions can be changed inside Safari ▸ Preferences ▸ Tabs. There are two checkboxes that control the functions. By enabling or disabling these checkboxes, you can change the order of the functions.

The Windows

There are four different types of windows pane in Safari, i.e. browser windows, downloads window, activity window, and preferences pane.

Browser Windows

Browser windows are the place where you can do several things for webpage, such as load, view, clip - you name it. These windows are the main parts of your browsing activity.

Shortcut to create new window : Command-N
Shortcut to create new tab : Command-T

Downloads Window

Whatever you the files downloaded using your Safari browser will appear on the downloads pane. This way, you can monitor the download rate or even cancel the downloading process by the aid of this window pane.

Shortcut to open : Command-Option-L.

Activity Window

This window contains detailed information of running browser windows (including their tabs). By looking at the activity window, you can tell which windows (and tabs) of your browser is in loading state and which ones is already loaded. If you don't like to be redirected without your permission, just like me, this activity window will be a great help for you (without hesitation, I will close the suspicious tab).

Shortcut to open : Command-Option-A.

Preferences Pane

Inside this pane, you can change your browser appearance, bookmarks, etc, as you preferred.

Shortcut to open : Command-Comma.

Tips : Change Download Folder

IF you're not satisfied with initial folder to store downloaded items, Downloads, you can change it inside Safari ▸ Preferences ▸ General ▸ Save downloaded files to.

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Keyboard only users (I'm one) need to be using Quicksilver. Forget the opening of the Apps menu. Search and execute.

Aaron,


I agree with you, Quicksilver is really cool. For more information regarding to Quicksilver including downloading it, can check out Blacktree.