Mac OS X includes many applications, such as the TextEdit word processor, the Preview viewer for PDF files and images, and the iTunes player for music and videos. You can use these applications to create and open documents, but you will very likely need to install other applications as well.
Open and Close an Application 50
Install an Application 52
Switch Quickly to Other Applications 54
See All the Windows Open on Your iMac 56
Create and Save a Document 58
Close and Open a Document 60
Edit a Document 62
Use Mac OS X's Help System 64
To use an application, you must first open it. You can open an application from the Dock if the application's icon appears there or from the Applications folder if it does not. When you have finished using an application, you close it by giving a Quit command.
Open and Close an Application
Open an Application from the Dock
Note
If you do not recognize an application's icon, position the mouse pointer over it to display the application's name.
The application opens.
Open an Application from the Applications Folder
A Finder window opens.
An icon appears for each application.
The application opens.
Close an Application
The menu appears.
Note
If any document that you have opened in the application contains unsaved changes, the application prompts you to save them. Normally you should click Save, but you can click Do Not Save if you want to discard the changes since you last saved.
Tip
Can I add an application to the Dock so that I do not need to open the Applications folder?
You can click an application in the Applications folder and drag it to the Dock. Drop the application to the left of the divider line between applications and files. Alternatively, open the application,
Can I close an application by closing its window?
Most Mac OS X applications enable you to open multiple windows, and even when you close the last window, the application remains open. But some applications quit automatically when you close the last window or the only window that the application lets you use. After closing a window, see if the application's menu bar is still active. If so, quit the application.
To get your work or play done, you will most likely need to install applications on your iMac. You can install an application or a suite of related applications either from a CD or DVD or from a file that you have downloaded from the Internet.
Install an Application
If the application is on a CD or DVD, insert the disc in your iMac's optical drive.
If the application is in a file you have downloaded, double-click the file.
A Finder window opens showing the contents of the disc or file.
A dialog opens prompting you to type your password.
Note
To install most applications, you must have an Administrator account or provide an Administrator's password.
The installation continues. When it is complete, Installer displays a screen telling you that the install succeeded.
Installer closes.
A Finder window opens.
The list of applications appears.
Note
Some application suites place a folder in the Applications folder. Click this folder in Column view, or double-click it in any other view, to see the applications.
The application opens.
Note
Installer places icons for some applications on the Dock. You can click the application's icon to open the application.
Tip
How do I install an application that has no installer or installation instructions?
If the application does not have an installer or specific installation instructions, use the standard method of installing an application on Mac OS X. Click the icon in the Finder window for the application's disc or file, and then drag the application's icon to the Applications folder in the sidebar. If the sidebar does not appear, click the rounded button at the right end of the window's title bar.
When you work with several applications at the same time, it is often useful to switch quickly from one application to another. In Mac OS X, you can switch quickly by using either the mouse or the keyboard.
Switch Quickly to Other Applications
Switch Applications Using the Mouse
All the windows for that application appear in front of the other applications' windows.
The Window menu opens.
Switch among Applications Using the Keyboard
Application Switcher opens, showing an icon for each open application.
Note
Press and hold
Note
To return to the application that was active before you opened Application Switcher, press
Application Switcher closes, and the selected application comes to the front.
Tip
Are there other ways of switching among applications?
You can switch among applications by using the keyboard and the mouse together. Press and hold
Can I do anything else with Application Switcher apart from switch to an application?
You can also hide an application or quit an application from Application Switcher. Press and hold
Another way of switching among windows is by using the Exposé feature, which shrinks down open windows so that you can see all those you need. You can display all open windows in all applications or just the windows in a particular application.
See All the Windows Open on Your iMac
See All the Windows Open in All Applications
Mac OS X shrinks and repositions each window so that you can see all windows. The desktop background darkens to make the windows more visible.
Mac OS X restores the windows to normal size and displays the window you clicked at the front.
You can now work with the window you clicked.
See All the Windows in the Active Application
Mac OS X tiles the windows of the application you chose so that you can see them all, and hides all other applications' windows.
Mac OS X restores all the windows from all the applications, placing the window you clicked at the front.
Tip
Does Exposé have any other tricks I should know about?
After pressing
Can I trigger Exposé with the mouse instead of the keyboard?
Yes, you can run Exposé with the mouse. What you need to do is set up a hot corner on the screen for Exposé. You then move the mouse pointer to that corner to trigger Exposé. See Chapter 12 for instructions.
After opening an application, you can create a document and work with it. Mac OS X stores the document temporarily in your iMac's memory as you work. To keep the document permanently, you save the document to your iMac's hard disk.
Create a Document
Create a Document
The File menu opens.
Note
Some applications display a New dialog to let you choose among different types of documents. Click the type you want, and then click OK.
A new document opens.
Save a Document
The File menu opens.
Note
You can also save a document by pressing
The Save As dialog appears.
The application saves the document.
Tip
When and how often should I save a document?
To avoid losing data, save each document as soon as you create it. After you have chosen the document's folder and given it a name, you can save it in moments by pressing
How do I save a document under another name?
After you give a document a name, the application keeps saving changes to it under that name. To save the latest version of the document with a different name, click File and then click Save As (
After creating and saving a document, close it when you have finished working with it. You can then reopen the document whenever you need to work with it.
Close and Open a Document
Close a Document
The File menu opens.
Note
You can also press
If the document contains unsaved changes, a dialog opens asking if you want to save changes.
The document closes.
Note
When you tell an application to quit, the application automatically closes each open document. If any document contains unsaved changes, the application displays a dialog asking if you want to save the changes. The application does not quit until you dismiss the dialog.
Open a Document
The File menu opens.
Note
You can also press
The Open dialog appears.
A window opens showing the document.
Many types of documents are based on text — for example, word processing documents, text files, and e-mails. To edit such documents, you can use standard techniques of selecting, copying, moving, and deleting text.
Edit a Document
Select Text
Note
You can also select by clicking at the end of the text and dragging to the beginning. Sometimes this is easier.
The application highlights the selected text, and you can then work with it.
Delete a Selection
The text disappears.
Note
To delete text without selecting it first, click after the last character of the text, and then press
Note
You can also press
Note
The Cut and Copy commands both place the text on the Mac OS X Clipboard, an area of memory that can hold one item at a time. Cut also removes the text from the document.
Note
You can also click to place the insertion point where you want it and press
The shortcut menu opens.
The application inserts the text where you clicked.
Tip
Is there a way to control scrolling when I click and drag to select text that continues off the screen?
When you need to select past the end of the text on the screen, it is usually easier to use a different method than clicking and dragging. Click to place the insertion point where you want to begin selecting. Scroll until you can see the end of the text you want to select. Press and hold
Mac OS X includes a built-in help system that you can use to solve problems that this book does not cover. You can launch the help system from the Finder toolbar or by clicking a Help button in a dialog. You can then either browse or search to find the information you need.
Use Mac OS X's Help System
Tip
Can I print out a Help topic for reference?
To print the current topic, click Action (
How do I get help for other applications?
Each application has its own Help menu. Activate the application, click Help to open the Help menu, and then click the Help topic for the application or type your search terms and press
