I hope you have been using Snow Leopard long enough to be comfortable with it so you can enjoy learning about some of the new features that were included in this latest Mac operating system, because I have gathered together some of the Snow Leopard features that I most enjoy using, and now I want to share them with you.
Language and Text Shortcuts
Shortcuts are always good, particularly when you don’t have to do anything special to take advantage of them once they are set up.
This works primarily in the app TextEdit, but it also works in Mail, iChat among others. Follow these steps for TextEdit. For other apps, choose Text Substitutions from the Edit menu.
For TextEdit - Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu and then select Language and Text. In Snow Leopard you will find a new tab called Text. It has a Symbol And Text Substitution feature. Type ( c ) and you get © among other commonly used symbols. As you can see from the following image, you must put check marks next to the substitutions you want to use. You also can add any additional substitutions that you wish as I have done, so that by typing my initials my name will appear.
System Preferences Language & Text Window
Note: You can accomplish this same thing in Pages by selecting Pages > Preferences > Auto-Correction and putting check marks in similar boxes; and in Numbers by selecting Numbers > Preferences > Auto-Correction.
Sync Address Book with Google and Yahoo
If you have a Google or Yahoo account, you can sync your Address Book with these accounts in Snow Leopard. Choose Address Book > Preferences > the Accounts tab. Put a check in the appropriate box, click the configure button and follow the instructions.
Address Book Preferences Window
Two Ways To Quit Applications
In Snow Leopard you can quit an application by placing your mouse over the application in the Dock, holding down the right mouse button, and selecting Quit from the list of options. You can achieve a forced quit by placing your mouse over the application in the Dock, holding down the Option key and the left mouse button, and selecting Force Quit from the options.
Hold Down Right (or Left) Mouse Button and Select Quit
Hold Down The Option key & Right (or Left) Mouse Button and Select Force Quit
Show The Date In the Minubar
I was particularly pleased when Snow Leopard added the option of displaying the date along side the day of the week in the minubar. Someone pointed out to me, when I mentioned this in an earlier column that you could do this in Leopard if you knew how, but the whole point is that you had to know the secret of doing it. In Snow Leopard it is very easy.
Select System Preferences from the Apple Menu. Then select the Date & Time Icon and click on the Clock tab. All you have to do then is put check marks in the appropriate boxes. By-the-way, unless you are hearing impaired I urge you not to activate the “Announce the time” feature if you work in an environment where your work station is in close proximity to others. It won’t take long before your coworkers are plotting your demise in gruesome detail. I know whereof I speak!
Preferences Window For Electing To Show The Day of the Week in the Menubar
Easily transform text to all lowercase, all uppercase, or capitalize the first letter of words
TextEdit is the word processing application that is included in the Mac operating system. Think of it as rolling a blank piece of paper into your typewriter and typing a letter. Nothing hard to learn other than learning the basics of using the computer itself. Not many frills. Just plain old document processing. But you are using a Mac so there are built in benefits.
In Snow Leopard, Apple has added a new feature to TextEdit. It now supports text transformations. You can easily make everything uppercase, everything lowercase, or capitalize the first letter of every word selected, also known as headline case.
Highlight the information by holding down the mouse button and dragging across the information you want to affect. Select Edit from the Menubar. Scroll down to Transformations and make your choice. Thus “i’m changing this to a headline using the Capitalize option” allows me to change it to “I’m Changing This To A Headline Using The Capitalize Option” all in one step.
Using Transformations in TextEdit.
Use Auto Fill in Safari
If it is your habit to shop and purchase on-line you might really like to add the Auto Fill button to your Safari toolbar. Doing so allows you to fill in your personal information with one click. The personal information is taken from your personal card in Address Book. To add the new Auto Fill button (or any other available button) to the tool bar, choose Safari > View > Customize Toolbar. When the toolbar window opens, drag the Auto Fill icon to the tool bar and release it.
Customize Toolbar Window For Safari
Place the Auto Fill Button in This Location
Now when you visit any web site that requires you to enter personal information all you have to do is click in the first information field and then click on the Auto Fill button. Your information will be filled in for you. It’s a great time saver.
That is it for this column. I hope you find some of these tips to be useful. If you do you might also be interested in purchasing a copy of my manual.
The entire Table of Contents and a sample page are available for free review for anyone who wishes to see them.
I am making this book available in three formats:.
__________
| The first is the more traditional printed book format, spiral bound. Cost is U.S. $17.15 each, plus shipping. All the illustrations have been printed in black and white to reduce the purchase price.
|
| The second option is a PDF download version. This is the full version of the book available in the same format as that available in the free review The contents are hyperlinked from the Table of Contents for ease of location. This version is U.S. $9.85 After payment has been verified the purchaser will be sent a URL where they can download of the document. |
| The third option is a CD format. It is the PDF version saved to a CD and the contents are also hyperlinked from the Table of Contents for ease of location. This version is $10.85 plus shipping. |
Payment for any version must be made using PayPal. Clicking on the Buy Now button next to the version you want to purchase will take you directly to PayPal where you can place your order and make your payment. Payment can be made through PayPal even if you are not a PayPal member.
Anyone wishing to pay with a money order or cashier check may contact me through TMO.