mikem@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Mike Morton) (11/27/88)
As long as we're helping Apple redesign the Finder, I have a request:
I'd like a "Select by..." menu item, probably below "Select All". It would
let you select by Unix-like criteria. Choosing the menu item would bring
up a dialog, allowing you to enter criteria for:
* minimum and maximum length or modification time
* file type (folder, APPL, document, name of owning application)
* name restrictions, using [shudder] wildcards
Restrictions left blank are ignored; others are ANDed together. When you
click "OK", the icons in the active window meeting these criteria are
selected.
Multiple selection is done with a checkbox named something like "Add to
current selection". Of course, holding down Shift while selecting the
menu item would make the dialog appear with this option checked. (This
is how you OR together multiple criteria.)
This feature isn't useful for everyone, but it makes a few tasks much
easier:
* quick backups (select modification date greater than...)
* copy all my Word documents written in September
* a sort of View by Suffix, for files ending in ".p" or ".c" or...
(Perhaps this would be a bit too weird, but a toggled command in the
View menu could bring selected items to the top of the window, when
viewing by Name, Date, Size, etc...)
Comments? Refinement? Denunciations?
-- Mike Morton // P.O. Box 11378, Honolulu, HI 96828, (808) 676-6966 HST
Internet: msm@ceta.ics.hawaii.edu
(anagrams): Mr. Machine Tool; Ethical Mormon; Chosen Immortal; etc.vg@csri.toronto.edu (Victor Greenberg) (11/28/88)
mikem@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Mike Morton) writes: > >As long as we're helping Apple redesign the Finder, I have a request: > >I'd like a "Select by..." menu item, probably below "Select All". It would >let you select by ... > * minimum and maximum length or modification time > * file type (folder, APPL, document, name of owning application) > * name restrictions, using [shudder] wildcards Apple is as likely to add this to the Finder as Claris is to extend MacWrite into something like FullWrite professional. What we need, therefore, is a third-party shell designed for Power Users. I, personally, would like the ability to view files in a *sorted*, multi-column format that looks like small icons, but acts like view-by-name. When you add or remove files, the view automatically reshuffles itself. You should be able to specify that the files be separated into categories. Eg, folders at the top, source files in the middle, object files at the bottom. Like this: [] A Folder [] Folder [] Another Folder [] alpha.c [] rho.c [] beta.c [] theta.c [] gamma.c [] alpha.o [] rho.o [] beta.o [] theta.o [] gamma.o (There is, of course, the MPW shell. It provides all the power of the Unix shell, but it isn't very pleasant to use. There is no graphical display of the contents of a folder that can be directly manipulated using the mouse.) Doug Moen.
terranova@vms.macc.wisc.edu (John Terranova) (11/28/88)
In article <2712@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>, mikem@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Mike Morton) writes... > >As long as we're helping Apple redesign the Finder, I have a request: > So do I. I love the Mac interface. Honest, I do. But, much as I hate to admit it, it is not perfect. In fact, no derivative of it (in my opinion) can be perfect. Sometimes a command line is preferable. I would like a single command line window in the Finder. Give it a menu option and command key equivalent. The window could function not too dissimilarly from the UNIX csh. It would come with standard commands (ls, cp, mv, more, jobs, ...). People can write their own routines that can be called from it with the same type of parameters as normal UNIX programs. Can you say "The Best of Both Worlds?" OK, how much flame am I going to get now? P.S. Don't try to reply to this account. It should be going away Mon depending on how prompt the systems people are upstairs. I can be reached at terranov@garfield.cs.wisc.edu -------------------------+--------------------+---------------------------- John C. Terranova \ What the Hell do | I'm not a Computer CS, BS to be \ I know? I come | Science undergraduate, terranova@vms.macc.wisc.edu \ from Waunakee! | but I play one at school. -----------------------------+----------------+---------------------------- It's awful hard to try to make love long-distance. --Billy Joel, "Just a Fantasy" Robert Heibel: 08/30/41 - 09/21/88; R.I.P., you deserve it.
land@hpccc.HP.COM (David M. Land) (11/29/88)
OK, now it's my turn to get flamed. MicroSoft Windows has a nice feature for us keyboard jockeys: type the first letter of the file you want to select, and the first file (in alphabetabular order) with that letter gets selected. Sorta like the standard file dialog deal, only it advances to the next file name if you keep hitting the same letter (slowly). This would be nice out at the finder for those of us who don't always find the mouse the handiest way to get things. And I second the motion for a command line, although I shudder to think of what could go in there... ----- I have no fancy disclaimer. I speak, and others ignore me.
land@hpccc.HP.COM (David M. Land) (11/29/88)
Oh, what the hell ... while we're messing up a good thing.... The "View" menu could be heirarchical: View by small icon, icon, or text, with choices under text for "sort by," and other fancy things that people think up. ----- I still don't have a disclaimer, so shut up about it already.
sho@pur-phy (Sho Kuwamoto) (11/30/88)
In article <5360020@hpccc.HP.COM> land@hpccc.HP.COM (David M. Land) writes:
<OK, now it's my turn to get flamed. MicroSoft Windows has a nice feature
<for us keyboard jockeys: type the first letter of the file you want to
<select, and the first file (in alphabetabular order) with that letter gets
<selected. Sorta like the standard file dialog deal, only it advances to
<the next file name if you keep hitting the same letter (slowly). This
<would be nice out at the finder for those of us who don't always find
<the mouse the handiest way to get things.
<
I'm not exactly sure this would be a good idea for the Finder, since
it kind of gets into the modality problem. As it is, typing is only
used for modifying filenames. If this feature were to be added,
typing would hilight the correct item, unless the user had clicked in
a filename (and the cursor was blinking and all that.) This would be
especially problematic when the file whose filename you are modifying
somehow gets off screen. Still, maybe there's a way to work around
this problem.
Another cute trick with the standard file dialog is that if you type
multiple letters quickly, it'll find the first file starting with
those n letters. As you are typing, it hilights the file beginning
with how many ever letters you've typed in so far, so you can quit when
you've typed out enough....
-Shojrk@s1.sys.uea.ac.uk (Richard Kennaway CMP RA) (11/30/88)
In article <2712@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>, mikem@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Mike Morton) writes: > > As long as we're helping Apple redesign the Finder I missed that. Can anyone join in? My 0.5p worth: 1. I want an easy way to open the parent folder/volume of a Finder window. For example: Clicking on the title of a Finder window brings up a menu of (above the title) all the parent folders back to the root. Selecting any of them would open that folder. 2. Under MultiFinder, I want the Finder windows to always reflect the current state of affairs, not the state of affairs obtaining when they were opened. E.g. I write to a file from an application, the file is in a "View by Date" window, so the displayed date/time is updated and the file moved to the top of the window. (Yes, I can imagine the potential inefficiencies, and large-scale rewriting of Finder/Multifinder/file package this might require...) 3. Under MultiFinder, when I use ResEdit or similar tool to change a file's type or creator, I dont want Finder to insist it knows better and change it back. (Is this a bug or a feature?) 4. When developing a program, I may have several different versions of it present simultaneously. They all have the same creator type. At present, if I double-click on a file of that creator type, it is not determined which of the applications will be invoked. I would like to be able to nominate one of them as the preferred one. The others would still be runnable by double- clicking on them explicitly. 5. I want the "Rebuild Desktop" feature to retain in the desktop file all icons for all files present on the volume, not just icons for applications. E.g. if I rebuild the desktop for a disc full of Word3 files, but not containing Word3 itself, I want the Word3 icons (or as many of them as are currently in use for files on that disc) to be retained. (It should check to see if they are damaged, since this is one reason for rebuilding the desktop, and discard them if they are.) Also, rebuilding the desktop should retain comments (everyone's favorite gripe). 6. I want an easier way to get at icons on the desktop which are obscured by other applications' windows. At present I have to drag all the other windows aside one by one. 7. Under MultiFinder, why is the window showing memory usage by all applications brought up by the "About the Finder" command (for which you have to be in the Finder)? "About MultiFinder" would be a more appropriate and convenient place to put it. 8. Not a Finder suggestion, but I thought I'd ask this here. The "About MultiFinder" command brings up a rather prosaic credits box. Poking around with ResEdit reveals some much more interesting "About"-type things. Does anyone know how to invoke them? -- Richard Kennaway SYS, University of East Anglia, Norwich, U.K. uucp: ...mcvax!ukc!uea-sys!jrk Janet: kennaway@uk.ac.uea.sys
twakeman@hpcea.CE.HP.COM (Teriann Wakeman) (12/01/88)
I can not believe that people are asking Apple to make the finder more UNIX like. The beauty of the Mac is that it is user friendly, even to people who are slightly computer phobic. My personal experience: BEFORE 1984: I was a hardware engineer who thought it would come in handy to learn how to use one of those suddenly popular PCs. Id had a Fortran class back in the days of punched cards, & had in 1978 built a breadboard micro with 4K RAM, toggle switch input and nixi tube hex output. But every time I went into a computer store to "kick the tyres", I saw this incomprehensible, unfriendly prompt. The salesman would type some strange character sequences into the keyboard to make it do anything. I always walked off, somewhat intimidated by the beasti. 1984 THE AGE OF ENLIGHTINMENT: I walked into a computer store to find a computer that smiled, welcomed me into its desktop, and had understandable pictures as well as plain english words. I could easily understand what it could do and could easily make it do what I wanted to do. Soon I brought my new friend home & started learning about the computer that existed beyond ICs, traces and machine language. I have come a long way since then. I wouldn't have learned as much as I have without my smiley toaster look-a-like friends. There are a lot of people out there becoming computer literate on Macs who otherwise would never make the transistion. Before you ask for UNIX like commands, try to remember what it was like when you were first exposed to cut commands, pipes, & such. How many of you remember all the arguments that can follow a UNIX if command? Learning UNIX is about as intuitive as learning how to assemble a chineese puzzle when it is handed it to you unassembled. For those power users who insist on a more UNIX like system, remember, Apple has provided UNIX. All you need is tons of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. TeriAnn
jurjen@cwi.nl (Jurjen N.E. Bos) (12/01/88)
How about this: The Open command (Command-O) is currently grayed out if no file is selected. How about changing this to "Open..." (with the standard open dialog)? Keyboard addicts just type Command-O followed by the name specification, and other people won't even notice the difference... -- -- Jurjen N.E. Bos (jurjen@cwi.nl)
c9c-ac@dorothy.Berkeley.EDU (Mike) (12/02/88)
In article <266@s1.sys.uea.ac.uk> jrk@s1.sys.uea.ac.uk (Richard Kennaway CMP RA) writes: >1. I want an easy way to open the parent folder/volume of a Finder window. Well, there is a bit in the Finder's LAYO resource which, if set, will make double-clicks in the title-bar of a Finder window bring the parent directory's window come up (even if it's closed) >8. Not a Finder suggestion, but I thought I'd ask this here. The >"About MultiFinder" command brings up a rather prosaic credits box. >Poking around with ResEdit reveals some much more interesting >"About"-type things. Does anyone know how to invoke them? It starts switching between the real and alternate info in the box after (I'm told) about an hour of complete inactivity. This can be expedited. MacTutor says: Use FEdit or similar program to searh for hex $034BC0 in multifinder and change the two occurances to $0000C0. (It's in CODE 1) It won't take as long to show you the other info with this patch. Mike
cyosta@taux01.UUCP (Yossie Silverman) (12/05/88)
In article <7743@boring.cwi.nl> jurjen@cwi.nl (Jurjen N.E. Bos) writes: >How about this: >The Open command (Command-O) is currently grayed out if no file is selected. >How about changing this to "Open..." (with the standard open dialog)? >Keyboard addicts just type Command-O followed by the name specification, >and other people won't even notice the difference... >-- > -- Jurjen N.E. Bos (jurjen@cwi.nl) To take it one step further. Holding Shift down while choosing Open from file menu should present you with Open... even if something is already selected. What I would like to see if a full UNIX filename resolution in the SFGetFile dialog, possibly with another button. You should be able to choose an intial set of fils, add files to it (with Shift) etc.. Lets remake finder in our own image... -- Yossie Silverman What did the Caspian sea? National Semiconductor Ltd. (Israel) - Saki UUCP: taux01!yossie@nsc.UUCP NSA LSD FBI KGB PCP CIA MOSAD NUCLEAR MI5 SPY ASSASSINATE SDI -- OOCLAY ITAY
ecs175f037@deneb.ucdavis.edu (Greg DeMichillie) (12/06/88)
In article <7743@boring.cwi.nl> jurjen@cwi.nl (Jurjen N.E. Bos) writes: >How about this: >The Open command (Command-O) is currently grayed out if no file is selected. >How about changing this to "Open..." (with the standard open dialog)? >Keyboard addicts just type Command-O followed by the name specification, >and other people won't even notice the difference... >-- > -- Jurjen N.E. Bos (jurjen@cwi.nl) I like this idea! It's simple, helpful to experienced users, yet it doesn't confuse the hell out of people who are just learning. In short, it's Mac-like! ----- Greg DeMichillie Apple Student Rep - UC Davis lgdemichillie@ucdavis.edu AppleLink: ST0178 Disclaimer: If you've seen one disclaimer, you've seen them all.