Now that you know how to work with the graphical elements that make Mac OS X Leopard work, you’re ready to work with applications. An application is software you use to accomplish a specific task, such as word processing or managing files on your computer. Leopard comes with several small applications and utilities that are extremely useful for completing basic tasks, such as creating a written document or performing basic calculations. Leopard not only comes packaged with quite a few new applications, such as Font Book and iChat, it also has enhanced many of the old favorites such as: Address Book and Chess. Its suite of applications let you organize your workflow and create sticky notes. You can even edit and create digital media for use on the Internet, CD, or burn it onto a DVD. In addition, Leopard makes setting up and communicating over the Internet easier than ever. And, if you happen to own an iSight (Macintosh Web camera), Leopard helps you communicate with other iSight owners using audio and video. If you deal with a lot of fonts, Leopard comes packaged with a font management system second to none. Leopard’s applications are powerful tools for organization, gaming, controlling digital media, and Internet communication, just to name a few.
Mac OS X comes with several accessories, built-in applications that, while not as feature-rich as many applications sold separately, are extremely useful for completing basic tasks. A frequently used list of Mac OS X applications is provided here. However, you can view a complete list of installed applications in the Applications folder on your hard disk drive. The Applications folder also contains a Utilities folder with additional applications you can use to perform specialized functions, which are detailed more in later chapters.
Mac OS X comes with a set of applications automatically loaded during the installation of the operating system, and appear on the hard drive within the Applications folder. All other third-party applications need to be installed separately. You can install a third-party application by inserting the software installation CD or DVD and following the instructions, or by downloading the software from the Web to your hard disk, uncompressing the file if necessary, starting the installer (typically in a disk image file, .dmg, which mounts as a disk icon), and following the instructions. In some cases, an installer application is not used to perform an installation. In that case, all you need to do is simply drag the software files to your hard disk, typically in the Applications folder. To uninstall an application, simply drag the icon (or its folder) to the Trash.
Download the software application from the Web.
The file typically appears on your desktop. If you use Safari to download your application file, it automatically uncompressed it into a disk image file (.dmg), so you don’t have to.
Compressed files use these file extensions: .sit (standard Mac), .zip(standard Windows), .tar (tape archive Unix), .gz (standard Unix), .tar.gz, or .tgz
If the file is compressed, use the StuffIt Expander application (available at www.download.com) to uncompress the file.
Double-click the disk image file (.dmg).
A disk icon from the disk image mounts on your desktop.
Double-click the mounted disk icon to start the installer program, and then follow the instructions.
Drag the disk image file into the Trash to remove and eject it.
All Mac OS X applications are automatically loaded during the installation of the operating system, and appear on the hard drive within the Applications folder. All other third-party applications need to be installed separately. When you open the hard drive, you’ll have the choice of viewing the file as icons, as file names (with information), or as file names in columns. Regardless of what view you choose to launch a Mac application, simply locate the desired application in the open window, and then double-click the application to load.
As you open applications and files, their names are kept in the Recent Items submenu in the Apple menu for easy access the next time you want to open a specific application or file. The Mac OS has always allowed you to double-click a document icon to launch the application used to create it and the document itself. If the Mac OS doesn’t know what application created it (and gives you an error message), you can use drag and drop in the Dock to help you open the document. You can drag a document icon in the Dock on an application icon. If the application can possibly open it, the application icon becomes highlighted. Release the icon to open the application and the document.
The Dock is initially located at the bottom of the desktop and is most often used to launch an application or switch from one application to another. When you launch an application, its icon appears in the Dock with a black arrow below it. If an application is not available in the Dock, you can hide any open applications to display the desktop, open your hard disk, and then launch the application you want. If you arrange open application windows so that they are visible, you can switch among them simply by clicking in the window in which you want to work.
Mac OS X provides several ways to switch between applications:
Click a visible window in the other application.
Display the Dock, and then click an application icon to show (black triangle below icon) or launch the application.
Press and hold down
, and then repeatedly press the Tab key to highlight the Dock icon of an open application. (Use Shift++Tab to move backwards) Release both keys when you reach the one you want to open.To leave without switching applications, press the Esc key.
Press F11 (use Exposé) to hide all open windows, double-click the hard disk icon, open the Applications folder, and then double-click an application icon.
When you’re done working with an application, you should exit, or close it, to conserve your computer’s resources. If an application stops responding while you work, Mac OS X provides you with the option to end the task. When you end a task, you’ll probably lose any unsaved work in the problem application. If the problem persists, you might need to reinstall the application or contact product support to fix the problem.
CHECKMATE, oh how I love to hear those words, or at least when I’m the one saying them. Computers aren’t just for business proposals, worksheets, and documents. We all know that there are thousands of games available for computer systems, but one of the most challenging games in the world is available as soon as you load Leopard. Chess is available in the Applications folder and ready for you to play on your own screen. Chess gives you more options, and even makes it quite a challenge to those who have moved beyond the beginner stage.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Chess icon.
Click and drag a piece. For example, the white Knight at G1 to F3.
Black responds with a move.
Click the Moves menu, and then click Take Back Move, Show Hint, or Show Last Move.
Click the Chess menu, and then click Preferences. Select from the following options:
Click the Board pop-up to select a new playing surface.
Click the Pieces pop-up to select different playing pieces.
Select the check boxes for Speech to use voice recognition to call your moves.
Drag the Computer Plays slider to increase or decrease the computer’s playing skills.
Select the Show Move in Title check box to display the current move in the Title bar.
Click the Close button.
Click the Game menu, and then select a game option, such as New Game or Save Game.
Quit Chess.
When you work with Address Book, you have the ability to create cards of information. Each card can hold all the information you want to keep on a contact, no matter how many phone numbers and e-mail addresses a particular friend, or company might have. In addition, you can add a picture with a drag and a drop. Address Book comes packaged with a bunch of features such as: label generation, change of address notification, synchronization with .Mac, Microsoft Exchange or Yahoo (New!), view iChat Buddy status, and even the ability to use speech recognition to look up and search the Address Book database. Creating an Address Book involves launching Address Book, and then working through the simple setup procedures.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Address Book icon.
Click the Add Group (+) button to add a group.
Give the new group a descriptive name, and then press Return.
Click the Add Name (+) button to add a new card.
Type a Name, and then using the Tab key, type a Company Name (if necessary).
Click in the individual card fields to add information such as: Phone number, e-mail address, home address, Internet home page, and Instant Messaging user name (a .Mac or AIM screen name).
If you enter an IM or AIM user name, you can view iChat Buddy status while browsing contacts in the Address Book.
If necessary, click the Remove button (-), located to the left of some of the data fields to remove that field.
Click in the Note field to add specific text notes.
If necessary, click on the Field pop-up to change the field name.
Repeat steps 4 thru 9 to add additional address cards.
Quit Address Book.
Once a contact is placed within the Address Book, it’s a simple matter to edit or add information concerning a contact. The Address Book automatically saves the information as you change it, so there’s no need to stop and save your work. Editing or updating an Address Book contact involves the same skills learned in creating a contact, with the exception that the information is already there, so all you need to do is edit, add, or delete the contact.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Address Book icon.
Select the Group that contains the contact or contacts you want to modify.
Select the Name from the available cards in the Group.
Click Edit.
Click in any of the fields to edit the existing information.
Click the Remove (-) button to remove a specific data piece.
Click the Add (+) button to add an additional data piece.
To remove a contact from the list, select a contact in the Name column, press the Delete key, and then confirm your delete.
Quit Address Book.
Any address book, even Leopard’s, can quickly become a confusing mess of unorganized data. Unlike paper address books, Leopard’s can create a very organized system... if you know what to do. For example, you could create logical groups, and then use obvious naming conventions for each contact. You can name your groups by family, school, work, community service, kids sports teams just to name a few. Address Book has many features that helps you manage your groups and the contacts you create, and then share them with others. You can even use the vCard format to exchange contact information between various programs.
Click the Address Book menu, and then click Preferences.
Click General to organize the viewable screen.
Make any of the following changes: Display Order, Sort By, Address Format, Font Size, and Notify People When My Card Changes.
If you want to synchronize with others, set options to use .Mac, Exchange, or Yahoo!.
Click Template to organize the card data screen.
Make any of the following changes: Work and Mobile phone numbers, Email and Homepage information, Names, and Work address
Click the Formats pop-up, and then select a phone number format.
Click vCard to set the preferences for vCards.
Make any of the following changes: vCard Format, vCard 2.1 Encoding, Enable Private ‘Me’ Card, Export Notes in vCards, and Export Photos in vCards.
Click LDAP to set up directory connections to automatically search for information on network directory servers.
Select an LDAP connection.
Click Sharing to set option to share your address book.
Select the Share your Address Book check box.
Click the Add (+) button, select the contacts with .Mac accounts you want to have access.
Click Send Invitation to inform the contacts they have access.
Quit Address Book.
It’s not unusual for an address book to grow quite large. Over time, you’ll add more and more addresses and occasionally delete old ones, until you have dozens even hundreds of contacts listed in your address book. Sometimes, identification requires more than just a name or an address, so Apple gives you the ability to add an image to a contact. Maybe it’s to help associate a face with a name, or just be reminded (visually) of a special someone—whatever the reason, adding an image is as simple as opening the file containing the image, and dragging it into the photo box for the selected contact.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Address Book icon.
Select the Group which contains the contact.
Select the Name of the contact that you want to add the image to.
Drag the image into the active contact.
Address Book opens an image placement dialog which lets you resize the image to fit in the allocated space.
Drag the slider left or right to resize the image.
Click Set to add the image to the contact.
Quit Address Book.
Grapher is an application, located in the Utilities folder, that allows you to graph mathematical functions and equations, so you can visualize what’s happening. You can analyze equations and display algebraic relationships. With Grapher, you can create two- and three-dimensional graphs and format the results to get the visual display you want.
Open the Applications folder, double-click the Utilities folder, and then double-click the Grapher icon.
Click the 2D Graph or 3D Graph tab.
Select the type of graphic you want to create.
Click Open.
Enter the expression in the entry field.
To format the graph text, layout, axes and frame, use the Format menu.
Click the File menu, and then click Save As.
Select the drive and folder in which you want to save the file.
Type a name for the file, and then click Save.
Quit Grapher.
Leopard comes with a great tool to help you perform common calculations and to do complex conversions. The Calculator application has been around for a long time, however, Leopard gave it a few powerful features, that just might make you want to reacquaint yourself with an old friend. If you’re like most people, you probably have a dozen calculators laying about your home and office. If you’re tired of all the mess, then take a look at the Mac’s idea of a calculator. Not only does it help you add 2 + 2; it helps you convert miles into kilometers or the Euro dollar into American currency. The Calculator application gives you the ability to perform conversions on everything from currency to volume, from temperature to speed, and more.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Calculator icon.
Click the buttons on the calculator to perform standard calculations.
Click the Window menu, and then click Show Paper Tape to display a Paper Tape dialog, which shows all of your calculations.
Click Clear to clear the tape, or click Recalculate Totals to have the calculator refigure the total.
Click the File menu, and then click Print Tape to have a paper copy of your calculations.
Click the View menu, and then click Scientific to have access to a scientific calculator.
Quit Calculator.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Calculator icon.
Enter a value into the calculation window.
Click the Convert pop-up, and then click Currency. If you need to change the convert type, click the Convert pop-up and make your change.
Click the From and To pop-ups to select currency countries.
If available, click Update Currency Rates to access the latest exchange rate (requires an Internet connection).
Click OK.
The conversion results display in the calculation window.
Quit Calculator.
Mac OS X has provided you a way to directly access your digital camera and organize your images and even sounds. Just plug in your digital camera or scanner directly, and import your pictures or sounds from any application that supports Services and Rich Text Format (most digital cameras and scanners). The Image Capture application lets you download all or selected contents from your digital camera, crop images to a variety of sizes, and even delete unwanted pictures from your camera. You can even use Image Capture to build a Web page, complete with individual thumbnails of your photos. Just click Build Web Page from the Automatic Task pop-up on the toolbar. Image Capture automatically generates the Web page and stores the images in the Pictures folder on your hard drive. In addition, you can use the images to create a slideshow or format them for printing.
Plug a digital device into your computer.
If necessary, open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Image Capture icon.
Click the Download To pop-up, and then select where to store the images.
Click the Automatic Task pop-up, and then select from the tasks.
Click Options, select from the available options, and then click OK.
Click Download All to move all the images from the digital device to the folder on your hard drive.
Click Download Some, and then select the images (hold down
to select more than one).Click Rotate Left, Rotate Right, or Delete buttons to adjust or delete.
Click Download.
Quit Image Capture.
If there is something on your computer screen, such as an error dialog, window, or desktop, that you want to capture as a picture to show someone, you can use a built-in utility called Grab to get the job done. Grab is useful for taking pictures of different parts of the screen, like the ones in this book. This may not be a tool you’ll use everyday (unless you are a computer trainer or book author), but it may come in handy one day.
Display the screen you want to capture.
Open the Applications folder, double-click the Utilities folder, and then double-click the Grab icon.
Click the Capture menu, and then select the command with the method you want to use:
Selection. Drag to select a capture area.
Window. Click the Choose Window button, and then click a window.
Screen. Click a screen.
Timed Screen. Click the Start Timer button, display a screen, and then wait 10 seconds.
Click the File menu, and then click Save As.
Select the drive and folder in which you want to save the file.
Type a name for the file, and then click Save.
Quit Grab.
Need a quick way to view images, or possibly a Portable Document File (PDF)? No problem, Leopard’s built-in PDF viewer, Preview, lets you quickly view graphics and PDF files with the click of a button. In fact, once you’ve opened a PDF document file, Preview lets you perform an indexed search, select text and copy it to the clipboard, even view FAX documents using its built-in FAX support. In addition, if you open an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) or a PostScript file, Preview converts the file into the PDF format. The Preview application works to open any images or documents which are not identified by another program. For example, double-clicking on a Photoshop document file (.psd) would open the image in Photoshop. However, if you double-click on a graphic file from your digital camera, chances are it would open in the Preview application. And the same would be true of a PDF document, if you owned Adobe Acrobat, or the Acrobat Reader application. If you want to open one or more images in the Preview application regardless of file type, then you must open them using the Preview File Open command.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Preview icon.
Click the File menu, and then click Open.
Select one or more files to open from the available images or documents.
Click Open.
To move between pages in a PDF document, click the Previous or Next buttons.
To move to a specific page in a PDF document, click the thumbnail icon you want.
You can also use the tools at the bottom to change the Thumbnail view.
To increase or decrease the viewing size of the image, click the Zoom In or Zoom Out buttons.
The Zoom function does not impact the printing size of the image.
To select a portion of the image, click to choose a Selection tool button, and then drag within the image.
To copy the selected area to the clipboard, click the Edit menu, and then click Copy.
Quit Preview.
The Sticky Notes application is not new to Leopard, however it does give you the ability to tack notes onto your desktop; where they stay until removed. Just think, no longer do you need to worry about the sticky note on your monitor losing its “stick” and falling off. With Leopard, you can use your desktop the way Apple intended—to help with everyday life. Once you create a sticky note, you can change the color of the note, change the color and size of the text, or even have your sticky note talk to you by turning on the speech mode through the Edit menu.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Stickies icon.
When you first open the Stickies application, you’ll see 3 prewritten stickies notes.
Click the File menu, and then click New Note.
Type the text into the note area.
To increase or decrease the note size, drag the lower-right corner of the sticky note.
Click the Font menu, and then select from the font options.
Click the Note menu, and then select between Floating Windows or Translucent Windows.
To change the color of the selected note, click the Color menu and make your change.
Click the File menu to import or export notes, archive your notes, and to print or save your notes.
Click the Close button to quit without saving.
Quit Stickies.
Most of us have fonts...a whole lot of fonts and Leopard adds to it. Mac OS X organizes fonts into main folders: User and Computer. Fonts in the User folder reside in your Home folder for private use, while fonts in the Computer folder are available for all users. Besides these folders, you can also organize your fonts into specific user-defined folders, known as collections, and then activate those folders, or specific fonts within the folder without having to restart your application. In addition, Font Book gives you a window to view the font, and change its viewing size on the fly.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Font Book icon.
Click the Add Collections (+) button, type a name, and then press Return.
Click the Add Fonts (+) button.
Select the fonts you want to add to the New Collection (active folder).
Click Open.
Select a collection from the Collection column, and then click on a font to view a sample.
To increase or decrease the view of the font in the window, drag the view slider up or down.
To copy a font, click and drag a font from the Font window into another Collection.
If necessary, type search criteria to locate specific fonts.
To remove a font from a Collection (this does not delete the file from the hard drive), select a font, and then press the Delete key.
Quit Font Book.
Once you’ve created a series of font collections, it’ll be necessary to instruct the Font Book application as to what fonts you want to use, and what fonts you want to turn off. It’s important to understand that fonts consume memory on your computer. For example, if you have hundreds of fonts active (and that’s not unusual), it takes more RAM memory to maintain those fonts; even if you’re not using them. That’s where font management comes into play. Using Font Book, you can decide what fonts you need, and what fonts can be retired, or disabled, for the remainder of the work session.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Font Book icon.
To deactivate a collection or a font, select the collection or font, click Disable, and then click Disable to confirm.
To activate selected fonts, select one of more fonts from the Font column, and then click Enable.
If a font is disabled, it says Off to the right of the font.
Quit Font Book.
Open the Applications folder, and then double-click the Font Book icon.
Select the font you want to customize.
Click the Preview menu, and then click Custom.
Control-click your mouse in the font window, point to Font, and then select from the following customizing options:
Show Fonts. Lets you adjust the font; including color, size and drop shadow.
Show Colors. Lets you change the color of the selected font.
Make any changes to the font, and then close any open dialogs.
Quit Font Book.
Dashboard is a Mac OS X screen that gives you quick access to widgets, such as news headlines and updates, slide shows, weather information, traffic maps, Internet radio streams, and slide shows of online photo albums. Widgets are mini-applications that can connect to Web services, such as an RSS feed (which automatically delivers Web content to your desktop), or integrate with many of your applications, such as viewing your calendar. You can customize Dashboard to suit the way you work by using the Widget bar. Mac OS X comes with a set of widgets to get you started. However, you can easily download more widgets online. You can quickly open Dashboard by pressing the F12 key. If you prefer a different shortcut key, you can select the one you want in the Exposé & Spaces pane of System Preferences.
Show or Hide Dashboard. Press F12.
Open Widget Bar. Click the Open (+) button in the lower-left corner of Dashboard or press
+= (equal).Close Widget Bar. Click the Close (x) button or press
+= (equal).Scroll the Widget Bar. Click the Left or Right Arrow buttons or press
+Left Arrow or +Right Arrow.Reload Current Widget. Press
+R.
Click the Exposé & Spaces icon.
Click the Exposé tab.
Click the Hide and Show pop-up, press a keyboard modifier (Shift, Control, Option, or
) if you want, and then select the shortcut key you want.If you want to see more shortcut options, hold down the Shift, Control, Option, or Command keys, or a combination of the keys, while you view the pop-up menu.
If you have a Mighty Mouse or other multi-button mouse, you can use the other pop-up to set mouse button shortcuts.
On the Mighty Mouse, Button 3 applies to the scroll-ball button and Button 4 applies to the pair of side buttons. You can use the scroll-ball button to open Dashboard.
Click the Close button.
Dashboard comes with a wide variety of widgets pre-installed with Mac OS X Leopard. Dashboard displays the Calculator, Weather, World Clock, and iCal widgets by default. However, you can add other pre-installed widgets to the Dashboard, which include Address Book, Business, Dictionary, ESPN, Flight Tracker, Google, iTunes, Movies, People, Ski Report, Stickies, Stocks, Tile Game, Translation, and Unit Converter. In fact, you can add more than one of the same widget, such as two World Clocks for two different times around the world. Some of the widgets are linked with applications and allow you to access information or functionality without opening the application. For example, the Weather widget displays Web-based content on the Dashboard without opening a Web browser.
Press F12 to open Dashboard.
Click the Open (+) button in the lower left corner to display the Widget bar.
To hide a widget from the Dashboard, click the Close (x) button in the upper-left corner of the widget.
To show a widget on the Dashboard, click the widget you want on the Widget bar.
To move a widget on the Dashboard, drag it to another location.
Click the Close (x) button in the Widget bar.
Address Book. Type a name, or click the arrow buttons.
Business. Type a business name or category. Click the Info (i) button to change the local city.
Calculator. Use the numeric pad or click buttons to enter numbers.
Dictionary. Type a word to view a definition.
ESPN. Click the Info (i) button to select a sport. Click New or Scores to change the display.
Flight Tracker. Enter flight information, and then click Find Flights.
Google. Type a word or phrase, and then press Return to display the Google search.
iCal. Use the arrow buttons or arrow keys to move around the calendar. Click the today’s date pane to expand/collapse it.
iTunes. Use controls to use iTunes when it’s open.
Movies (New!). Click the Info (i) button to enter your zip code to view theaters near you.
People. Type first name, last name, and a city and state or zip code, and then press Return.
Ski Report. Click the Info (i) button to type the name of a resort.
Stickies. Type notes. Click the Info (i) button to change color and font.
Stocks. Type a company. Click the Info (i) button to view a graph.
Tile Game. Click a tile that borders the empty space to move it.
Translation. Select a language, and then type the word or phrase.
Unit Converter. Select a Convert category, select the unit converted and the unit converted to.
Weather. Click the Info (i) button to check the weather forecast.
World Clock. Click the Info (i) button to change the city.
Even though Mac OS X Leopard comes with a wide range of commonly used widgets, there is always room for more. Developers are continually creating new widgets, which you can download from the Internet and install onto your computer. If you no longer use a widget on the Dashboard, you can remove a pre-installed widget from the Widget bar or remove a widget you installed from your computer.
Press F12 to open Dashboard.
Click the Open (+) button in the lower left corner to display the Widget bar.
Click Manage Widgets.
Click More Widgets.
Browse the widget Web site to find the widget you want to download and install.
Click the widget’s Download button.
The installer should automatically start. If it doesn’t, double-click the downloaded file. If the file is compressed, you need to uncompress it first.
Click Install.
Click Keep to keep the widget or click Delete if you decide not to keep it.
Click the Close button.
Click the Open (+) button in the lower left corner to display the Widget bar.
Click Manage Widgets.
To remove (disable) a widget from the Widget bar, clear the check box next to the widget name you want to remove.
To remove a widget you installed, click the widget’s Remove (-) button, and then click OK.
Click the Close button.
You can also create your own widgets by using Web Clips or Dashcode. A Web Clip widget (New!) is a container for a Web page you can add to the Dashboard. When you open the Web Clip widget in Dashboard, the Web page associated with it opens. If you’re a developer with a basic knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, you can create your own Dashboard widget using Dashcode. Dashcode is out of the scope of this book. For more information on Dashcode, go to the Apple Developer Connection Web site.
Launch Safari, and then display the Web page you want to make into a Web Clip widget.
Click the Open in Dashboard button on the Safari toolbar.
Move the page to highlight the area you want to use, and then click the mouse button.
To reposition the highlighted area, drag the area. To resize it, drag the circular handles on the edges of the box.
Click Add.
To customize the widget, point to it, click the small info (i) button, and then specify the options you want:
Edges. Displays thumbnails of different edge styles. Click the style you want.
Only Play Audio in Dashboard. Select or clear the check box to play or not play audio in Dashboard.
Edit. Click to select a different highlighted area.
When you’re finished, click Done.
