Exposé
From Applepedia
Contents |
What is it?
Exposé is a powerful windows management tool for Mac OS X that was first introduced in Panther. It works on the concept that a user's desktop can extend beyond the edge of the screen, and that common movements with the mouse can be shortened to a single keypress. There are three commands in Exposé:
F9
F9 quickly rescales all windows currently shown, and tiles them within the screen real-estate available. To switch between windows, simply click the one you wish to bring to the front, and the other windows will fall in behind it.
F10
F10 will do exactly the same thing as F9, except it only tiles the windows from the application currently active. All Safari, Terminal, or all Finder windows for example.
F11
F11 throws all windows to the edge of the screen, allowing you to see the contents of your desktop. You can click and move items on your desktop without the windows moving again. If you open a folder from your desktop, all windows will return to their previous positions.
Hot Corners and Hot Buttons
Under Exposé's Preference Pane, you can assign certain corners on the screen to perform the actions that would usually be performed by a keypress. Similarly, if you are using a multi-button mouse, you can assign the extra keys on it to perform those actions.
Tips and Tricks
- You can drag and drop with Exposé. Try dragging some text, pressing F9, moving your mouse over a text editor (or whatever), and dropping it. It becomes even more useful combined with F11 and spring-loaded folders.
- Repeatedly press F9 very quickly for a fun show as the windows spring back and forth.
- Hold down shift when you Exposé to make it go in slow-motion.
- You can press ~ to switch between windows, and ⌘-~ to do it in reverse.
- If you're using a mouse with more than one button, try setting the middle button to Exposé' "Show All" function. After using it for a day or two you'll never go back to wasting a button.
- If you are using a PowerBook and the F9 and F10 keys do not activate Exposé, try holding down the Fn key, or open your Keyboard Preferences and select "Use the F1-F12 keys to control software features".
Technical Information
Exposé is a function of the Dock. If you can kill the Dock process while in the middle of a move, the window will be stuck in its distorted shape, yet remain somewhat functional (most controls will not be where their visual is, but they will still work if you manage to land on their invisible hotspots).
