Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Tip 292
Scroll Finder Windows Better
If you drag a file to the top or bottom of a Finder window while in Column or
List view and hold it there, the window will eventually begin to scroll up or
down. This can be useful, but it's a rather difficult trick to master—often the
window will scroll jerkily or scroll a little and then stop.
Activating Better Scrolling
A secret setting can help enhance this feature and make it a useful part of
your workflow. To activate it, open a Terminal window (open Finder, select
the Applications list, and then in the list of applications double-click Terminal
within the
UTILITIES
folder), and type the following:
DEFAULTS WRITE COM.APPLE.FINDER NSDRAGGINGAUTOSCROLLDELAY -INT 0;KILLALL FINDER
The changes take effect immediately, so give it a try by dragging a folder to
the top or bottom of a Folder window full of files. You'll see how the Finder
window becomes far more responsive to scrolling suggestions.
Reverting to Default Settings
If you decide the change isn't for you, open a Terminal window, and type the
following:
DEFAULTS DELETE COM.APPLE.FINDER NSDRAGGINGAUTOSCROLLDELAY;KILLALL FINDER
Tip 293
See Numbers in Huge Type for Easy Jotting
Have you ever wanted to jot down a phone number from the screen but found
it difficult because you had to keep looking back and forth from screen to
page, constantly losing your place on the screen?
In TextEdit you can simply highlight the telephone number, right-click it, and
select Large Type. This works in Mail messages too, although you might also
be able to hover the mouse over the phone number until an arrow icon appears
and click it, selecting Large Type from the menu that appears. Note that this
