Frequently I am at a page and the focus is somewhere else. Where, I have no idea. When I Alt+Tab to a page, shouldn't the focus be on that page? Is there some preference that controls this? And if not, is there a keyboard shortcut that can force the focus to the page I'm looking at? (As if I would want the focus anywhere else!)
Focus - is there a trick to this?
- Thread starter RobinS
- Start date
ElDiabloConCaca
U.S.D.A. Prime
You don't apple-tab to different windows... you alt-tab to different applications (applications can have multiple windows). Windows alt-tabs to different windows, in a sense, since each window is itself an instance of an application. For example, with Word for Windows, you can alt-tab between many open documents (really, you're alt-tabbing between many instances of the same application)... in Word on a Mac, you can't -- you must apple-tab to Word, and if the current active document isn't the one you want, select the one you want.
I would agree, though it may sound harsh, that it seems like you're looking for a one-to-one correspondence between Macintosh and Windows. If so, I would suggest trying to break that habit as soon as possible -- if you try to use your Macintosh like you use Windows, you will find nothing but frustration and you'll curse the machine... Mac OS X isn't Windows, and while they share basic similarities (file manipulation, Desktop, icons for files, etc.), they are much different than they appear on the surface.
I used to find myself ripping my hair out when I tried to use the Solaris OS after using both Macintosh and Windows and getting both of them down pat. It was similar on the surface, but the routines I got into on my Mac didn't work or required a vastly different interaction/keystroke/mouse button to do the same on Solaris. I had to ditch the idea that it should work the same as my other computers, and resort to learning the Solaris OS without referencing another OS. From then on, I found it much more pleasant and actually got quite good at navigation and everyday activities.
If you are under a crunch to get work done, by all means, use your Windows computer -- you will be much faster and more comfortable in your "native" OS. I would suggest playing around and learning the Mac OS before diving right in and trying to be productive immediately -- it will pay off in the end knowing how to navigate easily and without frustration.
Whew... sorry, got off on a little tangent there... just trying to offer some suggestions on how to accustom yourself to a new operating system...
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You may find it helpful to apple-tab to the application, then apple-~ to cycle through the windows. You can tell which window is active by glancing at the top of that window.
Typically, the last window that was in focus when you focused on another application is the window that will be active when you alt-tab back to that application.
I would agree, though it may sound harsh, that it seems like you're looking for a one-to-one correspondence between Macintosh and Windows. If so, I would suggest trying to break that habit as soon as possible -- if you try to use your Macintosh like you use Windows, you will find nothing but frustration and you'll curse the machine... Mac OS X isn't Windows, and while they share basic similarities (file manipulation, Desktop, icons for files, etc.), they are much different than they appear on the surface.
I used to find myself ripping my hair out when I tried to use the Solaris OS after using both Macintosh and Windows and getting both of them down pat. It was similar on the surface, but the routines I got into on my Mac didn't work or required a vastly different interaction/keystroke/mouse button to do the same on Solaris. I had to ditch the idea that it should work the same as my other computers, and resort to learning the Solaris OS without referencing another OS. From then on, I found it much more pleasant and actually got quite good at navigation and everyday activities.
If you are under a crunch to get work done, by all means, use your Windows computer -- you will be much faster and more comfortable in your "native" OS. I would suggest playing around and learning the Mac OS before diving right in and trying to be productive immediately -- it will pay off in the end knowing how to navigate easily and without frustration.
Whew... sorry, got off on a little tangent there... just trying to offer some suggestions on how to accustom yourself to a new operating system...
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You may find it helpful to apple-tab to the application, then apple-~ to cycle through the windows. You can tell which window is active by glancing at the top of that window.
Typically, the last window that was in focus when you focused on another application is the window that will be active when you alt-tab back to that application.
On this same topic.............
In Opera you can edit the keyboard shortcuts. I want to replicate the Command+`shortcut so I can switch between windows.
But the default command for that (Option+Tab) cannot seem to be replaced. I can delete it, but I can't add the Command+` shortcut for some reason.
Does anyone know if there is a logical reason why OS X might be blocking this from happening? Command+` doesn't seem to do anything in Opera so its not as if its being used for something else. I think I went through all the shortcuts in Opera to see if its being used elsewhere but didn't notice anything.
In Opera you can edit the keyboard shortcuts. I want to replicate the Command+`shortcut so I can switch between windows.
But the default command for that (Option+Tab) cannot seem to be replaced. I can delete it, but I can't add the Command+` shortcut for some reason.
Does anyone know if there is a logical reason why OS X might be blocking this from happening? Command+` doesn't seem to do anything in Opera so its not as if its being used for something else. I think I went through all the shortcuts in Opera to see if its being used elsewhere but didn't notice anything.