Mac Help Tips

Thanks to Peachpit press for these excerpts, click the headings below

 

Add a Saved Search to the Sidebar

When you save a Spotlight search as a smart folder, you have the option of adding it to the sidebar with other predefined searches. Click the Save button near the top of the New Smart Folder window. In the dialog that appears, click the Add To Sidebar checkbox to instruct Mac OS X to add an alias of the folder to the sidebar.

When a Dock Item Jumps Up and Down

At some point you might see a Dock item jumping up and down, over and over, as if it's trying to get your attention. It is. The jumping indicates that a particular application needs you. Click the jumping icon, and that application will "come forward." Then you'll probably see a message on the screen, such as "Do you want to save this document?" or "This application couldn't do what you wanted." Just do whatever the application wants you to do. This jumping action is different from the "bouncing" you'll see when an icon starts to open. The bounce is little; the jump is big. It's actually kind of cute.

Print as a PDF

The print capability in Mac OS X is useful even if you don't have a printer, or you don't want to make a paper copy of something. Because the Portable Document Format (PDF) is deeply ingrained into the operating system, you can "print" a document to a PDF file. This feature is great for saving receipts of online orders or articles to read later when you may not have an Internet connection. Choose File > Print, click the PDF button, and choose Save as PDF. Specify the file location and any desired metadata or security options, and then click Save to save the PDF to disk.

 

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