Default Folder Menus
Description

Default Folder's Menus

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Using the Menus in Open and Save Dialogs

Thanks to Default Folder, you will see a consistent set of 4 buttons in both Standard File dialogs and Navigation Services Dialogs. The pictures below show the buttons that appear in Standard File and Navigation Services Open and Save dialogs.

  Standard File Open Dialog
Traditional "Standard File" open dialog

Nav Services Open Dialog
New "Navigation Services" open dialog

Clicking on each of the buttons will pop up a menu that allows you to navigate or operate on the folders and files that are displayed in the dialog.

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The Utility Menu

 
Utility Menu
Utility menu (identical for both Standard File and Navigation Services dialogs)

The utility menu allows you to change Default Folder's settings and perform time saving tasks with with the files and folders shown in an Open or Save dialog.

Make "current folder" the Default Folder: This command makes the currently displayed folder the preferred folder for an application. Whenever you launch the application without a document, the Open and Save dialogs will initially open in this folder. You can also switch to the application's default folder quickly using the "Application Default" command in the Favorites menu, as discussed later in this chapter.

Open "current folder" in the Finder: Selecting this menu item opens the currently displayed folder in the Finder, giving you faster access to it for copying files, reorganizing folders, etc.

Create a new folder in "current folder"...: This command lets you create a new folder within the current folder. A dialog box appears to ask you for the name of the new folder.

Rename "selected item"...: Provides a dialog box that allows you to rename the currently selected file or folder.

Get Info on "selected item"...: This menu command provides more information about the selected item using one of the dialog boxes shown below. If you have "novice mode" turned on in Default Folder's preferences, you'll see the first dialog, while "expert mode" displays information using the second dialog, which also lets you change file and folder attributes.

 Novice Get Info
"Novice Mode" Get Info dialog

 Expert Get Info
"Expert Mode" Get Info dialog

Move "selected item" to Trash...: Moves the currently selected item to the Trash. You are prompted to make sure you want to do this before the operation is actually performed. If you want to avoid the confirmation dialog, hold down the option key while choosing the command. Note that -Delete is another keyboard shortcut for "Move to Trash."

Default Set: The next set of menu items allow you to switch between sets of favorite and default folders. In order for these items to appear in the menu, you must have more than one Folder Set defined in the Default Folder control panel. See the "Configuring Folder Sets" chapter later in this manual for more details.

Open Default Folder Control Panel: This menu command dismisses the file dialog (unless it's a Navigation Services dialog that can be switched to the background) and opens the Default Folder control panel.

Default Folder Help...: Selecting this item from the menu brings up a dialog box containing a quick-references showing Default Folder's keyboard shortcuts and menu commands.

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The Disk Menu

 
  Standard File Disk Menu
Disk menu in Standard File dialogs

The disk menu displays a list of all available disk drives. If you have the "Show available disk space in menu" preference turned on in the preferences, it will also include the amount of space available on each drive, as shown above. Selecting any disk name from the menu switches the file dialog to that disk.

In Navigation Services Open and Save dialogs, you will see the following menu, which includes a few extra items provided by Apple.

  Navigation Services Disk Menu
Disk menu in Navigation Services dialogs

In addition to the list of disks, you can connect directly to an Appletalk network or to an AppleShare IP server using the "Network" and "Connect to Server..." menu items.

The "Desktop" and "Eject Disk" commands are provided because there are no buttons for performing these functions in Navigation Services file dialogs, as there are in old-style Standard File dialogs.

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The Favorites Menu

  Standard File Favorites Menu
Favorites menu in Standard File dialogs

The Favorites Menu provides you with a place to keep your favorite folders for quick and easy access, as well as giving you commands to jump to the default folder of an application, and the folder that contains an application.

In Navigation Services dialogs, the Favorites menu may also contain files, and appears as shown below.

  Navigation Services Favorites Menu
Favorites menu in Navigation Services dialogs

"Application" Default: The word "Application" is replaced in this menu command by the name of the current application (Screen Catcher, in the picture above). If a default folder has been defined for the application, selecting this menu item will switch the file dialog to that folder.

"Application" Folder: This command switches the Open or Save dialog to the folder that contains the current application. This can be very useful for opening templates or examples that came with the application.

Add "current folder" to Favorites: This menu item adds the current folder to the bottom of the list of favorite folders. You can move a folder up or down in the list by holding down the up or down arrow key while selecting the folder from the menu, or by using the arrow buttons in the "Edit Set..." dialog within the Default Folder control panel.

Remove "current folder" from Favorites: This menu item is only enabled when the current folder is already in the Favorites list. Selecting it removes the current folder from your list of favorites.

Favorite Folders: The rest of the Favorites menu is composed of folders. Selecting a favorite from the menu switches the file dialog to that folder. In Navigation Services Open dialogs, files are also shown in the Favorites menu. Selecting a file from the menu will either open it or select it, depending upon what type of Open dialog you are using.

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The Recent Menu

  Standard File Recent Menu
Recent menu in Standard File dialogs

The Recent menu displays a list of folders that you've recently used. This includes folders that you have visited in an Open or Save dialog, and folders that contain files you have double-clicked in the Finder. Selecting a folder from the menu takes you back to it.

You can control the ordering of the recent folders by changing a preference in the Default Folder control panel. The menu can display the folders alphabetically or chronologically, with the most recently used folder at the top. See the "Preferences" chapter of this manual for more information.

As with the Favorites menu, Navigation Services also offers a list of recently used files in the Recent menu, as shown below. These are displayed above or below the recent folders, depending upon the preference you set in the Default Folder control panel.

  Navigation Services Recent Menu
Recent menu in Navigation Services dialogs

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Reviews and Comments
In my opinion, it's the single most important add-on a Mac user can get!
- Ross A. Reyman
Default Folder is one of the coolest, most useful things I ever dropped in my system folder, and one of the first to get dropped back in when I update the system and the last to get dropped out when I'm having extension problems.
- Nick Wilde
I spend about half my time building and maintaining web sites and can't imagine doing it without Default Folder giving easy access to the multitude of files spread across various disks. It's one of those features that should have been built into the MacOS. Since it wasn't, I'd say it should be added to every web builders' toolkit.
- Ken Wilson
System Requirements
Default Folder works on Macintoshes running System 7.1.2 through 9.2.2, as well as in the Classic environment of Mac OS X.
If you're looking for a version of Default Folder for Microsoft Windows, you want FileBox eXtender from Hyperionics, which was modeled after Default Folder.
 

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