Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
You can Quick Look a
.VCF
just like any other file—select it and hit
SPACE
to
see its contents.
Exporting Multiple Contacts
You can export many or even all of your contacts at once either by selectively
clicking them (that is, holding down
COMMAND
while selecting) or by selecting
all by clicking one and hitting
COMMAND
+
A
. Then click and drag to an email
or the desktop as usual. All the details will be contained with a single
.VCF
file.
Note that Microsoft Outlook can't deal with multiple contacts in a single file,
but other Macs will be able to import the data just fine.
Tip 143
Set Your IM Status—Even If Messages Isn't Running
When Messages quits, it takes your instant messaging (IM) accounts offline.
Therefore, a knee-jerk reaction is to assume you need to have Messages
running at all time if you want your friends to be able to message you.
As you might expect with OS X, Apple engineers have provided an alternative
solution. You can add an icon to the top right of the desktop (near the clock
and Wi-Fi menulets) that will let you set your IM status and see which of your
buddies are online, all without having to start the Messages app. Any new
messages sent to you appear as notifications that, when clicked, start the
Messages app so you can continue the conversation. You'll also see a num-
bered notification on the Messages Dock icon showing how many messages
you have not yet read.
To add the Messages menu icon, start Messages, and then click the Preferences
item under the application menu. Ensure the General tab is selected, and
then check Show Status In Menu Bar. For what it's worth, you might also
want to remove the check alongside When I Quit Messages, Set My Status to
Offline. Then close the Preferences dialog box, and close Messages.
A menu icon—that of a small speech balloon— will be added to the menu bar.
Clicking it will let you set your IM status and see which of your IM buddies
are online.
Note that if you have several IM accounts configured within Messages, you
might find one or more sometimes go offline, in which case they'll be listed
