OK, before I tell you what I just discovered, I feel compelled to note that I have been using a Macintosh since 1985!
I was watching a video tutorial this morning and the guy copied a file on the desktop by pressing Command-C and then switched to another folder and pasted it in there by pressing Command-V. Did you all know you could do that? I sure didn't. Not sure if it's useful, but it definitely took me by surprise, even though it's completely logical and obvious.
Thought you should know too!
Monday, February 01, 2010
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12 comments:
What Mac users have been waiting for for years is the Cut function for files -- via Command-X or a menu -- to move files from one place to another on the same drive/volume. Copy is good, but one still has to delete the original when using the Command-C route. Moving files by dragging remains to only method for doing that.
I've been a pro-level Mac user since 1988, and I just learned of this a year ago. Amazing.
I hate to say this, but I've been doing copy/cut and paste on both Windows and Linux for years. I assumed it was pretty basic, and I'm surprised people wouldn't know about it. I'm also surprised Macs don't do cut and paste for files, something I do all the time on Windows and Linux.
@Anonymous... Macs do do cut and paste for files, it was just me who didn't know it. At any rate, my point was that it's curious that in all these years I never knew it, because frankly, I know a lot about the Mac.
What is more, there are so many things about the Mac that you just get because you've extrapolated them from some other use, and I still find it interesting that it didn't occur to me to extrapolate cut and paste to files in the Finder (though it obviously occurred to most everyone else!)
I can't believe you are just finding this out. I started on Mac OS6 in mid 80s and used keyboard shortcuts from the beginning. I don't know what Jeff means by "What Mac users have been waiting for for years is the Cut function for files". Mac users did have to wait for the 2 button mouse and then the 2 button with roller button (I don't think there's a need for more; personally). I now right-click for cut, copy, paste, and most other commands on both Mac and Win.
@Anonymous.. to be clear, I've been copying and pasting for as long as I've been on a Mac, but only learned you could copy and paste files recently. I dunno, I just missed it. I still don't use it :)
Didn't CMD-D also Duplicate a file? Been so long since I used Mac.
Cut/Paste is the way Windows has moved stuff for ages. Freaked me out as so primitive when I was still all-Mac.
Yes, Copy/Paste files came along w/OS X. Congrats on discovering it! ;-)
You can get Cut (as well as Move)in the Finder's contextual menu with a $5.00 shareware extention called FileCutter by Greg Weston. I've been using it for years:
http://www.splook.com/Software/FileCutter.html
The first Macs didn't support keyboard shortcuts for anything. It took a while for Apple to realize people might want to do this. So, in some ways, I'm not that surprised when longtime Mac users don't realize such things have been implemented.
I found out about the copy and paste feature on the Mac via the shortcut menu. Right-mouse clicking on a file in any finder window shows a list of useful things to do with the file. Once I saw the Copy menu item, I just assumed command-C would perform that feature as well. Bringing up the shortcut menus on everything is my first task with new software. Hopefully the developers take the time to properly design the menus!
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Thanks, Bruce! So glad you and your students have found my book useful. Looks like you do all sorts of cool stuff--how do you work on both coasts at once?!
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