The view of the window can be changed. Along the top of the window
is a set of three buttons. Clicking on these buttons changes the way the contents
of the window are displayed. The icon view, seen at the top of the page, shows
items in a visual format, with a label below the icon for each item. The List view, selected in the picture below, lines up the contents of the window in
a list format which can be sorted by the name of the item, the size, or the
date it was last modified. Sort the list by clicking the desired heading at
the top of the list.
The final option, which looks a little
like a table in a word processing document, brings up a view called Columns.
This view shows you the entire path, from the hard drive down, to your files
or folders. This view takes a little
getting used to, but if you know where you keep your files it can be a time
saver in getting to where you want to go. Clicking on an item
displays the contents of that item in the column to the right. In the case
of a file, a preview of the
file is displayed. Sound files and movies can
be played in the preview without starting an application. Information about
applications or files shows up in the preview column, giving you quick access
to version numbers, creation dates, or file size. This preview option does
not show up in either icon or list view.
| Another feature in OS X windows can be found in the upper
left corner. The close, maximize, and window shade buttons in OS 9 windows
have become a sideways stoplight. The red button closes a window. The yellow
button minimizes the window by placing it in the Dock, the toolbar at
the bottom of the screen. The green button
maximizes the window to the largest size possible. If you are working in
an application that makes use of toolbars and pallets, your document will
be fitted into the largest space it can to accommodate all of the other
work spaces. By the way, if the red button has a dot in the middle of
it,
it means you have made some changes to the document that have not been
saved. You do save your work early and often don't you? The
close,
minimize,
and maximize buttons work even if the window is behind another window and
not the front most active window. |
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At the right corner of the window is an elongated clear button.  Clicking
this button removes the toolbar, returning it to the more familiar look
of an OS 9 window. You can further customize your windows, one at a time,
or make them all the same, by selecting the Show View Options menu item
under the View menu. Simply open the folder for which you wish to make
adjustments and select View>>Show View Options. From here you can
set the size of icons and the size of the text. In the icon view options
seen to the
left, you can also set where the file name goes (either below or to the
right) and the behavior of icons and how they are arranged in your folder.
Under the background section you can set your folder to a different color,
or even to display an image. Changing colors or adding images can make
it
difficult to find items in a folder, so please use with caution. The view
you are using for a folder determines the options available in the View
Options. To the right are the options available for folders using the list
view. The column view options only allow you to display previews, icons,
and change the size of the text. |
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In addition to setting view options, you can also customize the toolbar. To
add or remove or rearrange items in the toolbar, select the Customize
Toolbar option under the View menu. The contents of the current window are replaced
with the options shown in the picture below. The items in the toolbar can
be removed
at this time, or added from the choices listed. The Path option allows you
to see the full path of the location of a given item from list or icon views.
Customize brings up the customize toolbar options, Separator adds
a dividing line for organizing
items. Most of the others are shortcuts to locations or other frequently used
actions. If you don't like your current toolbar, you also have a default set
to return it to its original state. At the bottom you can remove the icons
and just use the labels or text in the toolbar, or remove the text and use
only
the icons, or use both. When you have finished
modifying your toolbar, click the Done button in the lower right corner to
return to the previous folder.
