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Mac OS X: Sane way to switch between windows

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Re: Mac OS X: Sane way to switch between windows

#21

Post by mikeash »

mmastrac wrote: post #3

This is interesting, though I'd be wary of calling it sane - you have to press cmd, then tab, release tab, then press option (without releasing cmd!). What it appears to do it trigger the "reopen" command on an application, which tends to open a new window if one does not exist. The "reopen" event is described here: https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/Cocoa/... and here: https://developer.apple.com/…

Thanks for explaining what it does, I couldn't figure it out at all from the article, and of course I tested it on apps that already had windows open, so nothing changed! The "open a new instance" phrasing is rather misleading: it's not opening a new instance of an application, it's opening a new window in an existing application.

Re: Mac OS X: Sane way to switch between windows

#22

Post by dagwaging »

guelo wrote: post #17

As a long time user of both I don't think there's any doubt that OSX's window manager is inferior to Microsoft Windows'. Windows can handle things like multiple monitors and full screen modes much more seamlessly with less confusion. If it wasn't for the Unix layer, and the occasional need to open XCode, I personally would have ditched Macs.

the unix layer is (mostly) a non-issue now with the windows 10 anniversary update, though that doesn't help for xcode

personally i found exposé and spaces to be way ahead of windows a few years ago, but the new task view in windows 10 and multiple desktops have basically caught up, and i think combining them into mission control was actually a bit worse than just using the features separately

window management with aero snap and actual, real maximized windows was always better though

of course, all this and much much more have been possible on various linux desktop environments for a long time, if one doesn't run any critical windows-only (or mac-only) software

Re: Mac OS X: Sane way to switch between windows

#23

Post by thought_alarm »

> You might come across a situation, where you want to switch to an application or open a new instance of it. You press (Command ⌘ + Tab) combination. and you don’t get your window, just the title in the menu bar!

If you're having that problem then you're not using the Minimize command correctly. Never use Minimize when you intend to switch between apps.

You only use Minimize when you explicitly do not want to see a window when its app is active. Typically, it's a rarely used command, but it can occasionally useful when you're working in an app that has a lot of windows open (like, say, Terminal) and you want to set some of the windows aside for awhile.

More often, you should use the Hide command. (Command+H, select "Hide" from the app menu, or Option+Click a dock icon.)

This will hide the active app and activate the next app in order. When you return to the hidden app via Command+Tab, the app and its windows will be restored just as you left it.

In the old NeXTSTEP days, the Hide and Quit commands were top-level menu buttons and always just a single click away. It's unfortunate that those commands were moved to a sub-menu in Mac OS X.

I actually wrote a little app that puts Quit and Hide buttons in the top left and right corners of the screen. It gets a lot of use.

Re: Mac OS X: Sane way to switch between windows

#24

Post by josefdlange »

I have literally never encountered this specific UX issue. Having using OS X and macOS for just about its entire fifteen year lifespan, I don't even know how or why it would happen, to be honest.

The only issue I encounter here and there is if I have windows scattered across spaces and full-screen windows, switching just to the app usually picks the wrong window, and then because of the full-screen window complications, I can't simple Command+` around, I need to use Spaces shortcuts to navigate to the left or right.

Edit: I think I understand the scenario after thinking a few more minutes: you've closed all the windows of an application, but you have not exited the application entirely. I agree with the existing behavior. I don't want apps spawning new windows every time I go to them. If I want the window later, I don't close it. If I just don't want to see it, I hide the app -- but not minimizing it in the Dock either. Hiding it is like turning the other way, minimizing is like folding it up and putting it in my pocket. If I just hid it, I can just turn back to it when I want it. If I folded it up, I have to go through the "pain" of unfolding.

Re: Mac OS X: Sane way to switch between windows

#25

Post by josefdlange »

thomas-st wrote: post #18

Some other keys that work while using Cmd+Tab: - Press "q" to quit the selected application - Press "h" to toggle hiding the selected application - Press "1" to show all open windows for the selected application Does anyone know if there is a built-in way to only switch to the frontmost application window (by default Cmd+Tab puts all app windows in the foreground)? Sometimes I need to switch between two windows of di…

Command + ` (back-tick, right above your Tab key)

Re: Mac OS X: Sane way to switch between windows

#28

Post by josefdlange »

zer0defex wrote: post #2

I love all of the advanced functionality hidden just beneath OSX's user-friendly veneer. Sadly, it's been one of the first casualties in the post-Jobs Apple. Every new release of OSX along with Apple's own apps, the first thing I check is holding down the alt/option key while clicking the various menu items to see what nuggets of alternate functionality appear. Every day, every release - less and less, if any at all.…

Pressing a modifier key to see alternate options is further "down" than "just beneath"?

Re: Mac OS X: Sane way to switch between windows

#29

Post by thought_alarm »

nray wrote: post #27
jedmeyers wrote: post #19

[Command + `] - a very useful shortcut in OS X for switching between windows of the same application.

Less useful on non-US keyboards, unfortunately, may require three keys in combination.

You can configure that shortcut in the Keyboard System Preferences.

Re: Mac OS X: Sane way to switch between windows

#30

Post by wodenokoto »

jedmeyers wrote: post #19

[Command + `] - a very useful shortcut in OS X for switching between windows of the same application.

My big grief with that is that it implements a different ordering logic than cmd+tab does.

cmd+tab orders by last active application, while cmd+` orders by last window created.

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