tips

Maximize Windows

This is an Applescript, which resizes the current window to the full screen, minus the menu bar. You can define applications which should not be affected if they make problems, like Path Finder does for me.

You need a means to launch the script, Quicksilver does that for me.

The script is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License. Download: true_maximize.applescript.

Add items to Finder toolbar

You can add items (folders, files, programs) to the toolbar in Finder. Just drag-and-hold something to the free space on the toolbar until a little plus-sign appears beside the mouse cursor. Drop it then at the desired place.

This can be useful to launch programs or to open files with different the the standard application without going through the "Open With" context menu. For instance, I have the icon of MacVim and TextWrangler there, to open certain files with a text editor even if they have no default application associated. I can open the files by dragging and dropping on the desired icon.

This tip works alike with Path Finder.

Add keyboard layout for external UK keyboard

Thanks to Phil Gyford and Jonny Reeves.

1. Get this zip file and unpack it.
2. Put the British-Wondows.rsrc file into /System/Library/Keyboard Layouts/
3. Log out and back in.
4. Select British - Windows - 2 from System Preferences | International | Input Menu.

Disable alert sound and activate "visual bell"

Put an empty file named for example "Visual Bell" in /System/Library/Sounds/ or ˜/Library/Sounds/. You can do this for example from the terminal with touch "Visual Bell.aiff". Select the corresponding entry from System Preferences | Sound | Sound Effects. Instead of playing a sound, the screen will flash.

2007-12-20