Add "new" as an option to right click dock icon?

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westrock2000

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
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When using Safari or Finder, I would really like to add a way to open a new window by right clicking the respective icons in the Dock. Now I just cmd-N, which is fine, but it seems like this OS is so flexible in so many intricate ways that maybe it was a possibility. Now when I right click the icons it just says like Force Quit, or lists open windows and few other options.


Also is there a way to downsize all windows at once? Sometime I need to get to the desktop and I might have 5 or 6 windows open that are scattered all over the place. Something like the "Show Desktop" icon in Windows would be awsome.
 
I don't think you can add arbitrary commands to Dock icon contextual menus. There are plugins for customizing regular contextuals, but I haven't seen anything that does what you want. Sorry.

As for "show desktop," how about Exposé's "show desktop" functionality? Set it to a corner of the monitor (I recoment upper right) and it's a hell of a lot more efficient than Windows' "show desktop."
 
rephrased:

how is "Windows + D" or the "show desktop" inefficient? personally, expose is just osx fluff, but then again i'm a developer that wants every possible resource availible on my machine
 
Black Morty Rackham said:
As for "show desktop," how about Exposé's "show desktop" functionality? Set it to a corner of the monitor (I recoment upper right) and it's a hell of a lot more efficient than Windows' "show desktop."
Click to expand...

I like F11 (the default) for my iBook, it's so much nicer than moving the mouse. Then I have the All Windows command set to my middle mouse button when it's plugged in and all my programs are at the touch of my finger tips.
 
kidicarus74 said:
rephrased:

how is "Windows + D" or the "show desktop" inefficient? personally, expose is just osx fluff, but then again i'm a developer that wants every possible resource availible on my machine
Click to expand...
Exposé's Show desktop functionality fits perfectly into just about every workflow I want. Brush away the windows, click-n-hold on a file, use Exposé's show all windows in another corner, drop the file on the window I want. It's a lot more efficient, in my opinion. If you think Exposé is just fluff, I really hope you're not a GUI designer.


I like F11 (the default) for my iBook, it's so much nicer than moving the mouse. Then I have the All Windows command set to my middle mouse button when it's plugged in and all my programs are at the touch of my finger tips.
Click to expand...
Why not have both keyboard and mouse availability? ;)


There is a new window item in Safari's contextual menu in the dock...
Click to expand...
Yes, and you can message people on your list via the contextual menu in the Dock in Proteus. The problem is that it's too application-specific.
 
Black Morty Rackham said:
It's a lot more efficient, in my opinion. If you think Exposé is just fluff, I really hope you're not a GUI designer.
Click to expand...

Why do you hope that i'm not a GUI designer... because in fact i am, but for both windows and embedded platforms. But my sensibilities as a developer probably come from my work which is 90% military applications where having fading and scrolling menus and "genie effect" windows will get you a severe talking to about "unnecessary system usage".

To me, expose hot spots are little more than a convenience for the home user and the extreme multitasker. I'll take having to press 2 keys simultaneously when i wan't rather than accidently touching a hotspot everytime i don't mean to any day...

but different strokes for different folks i guess...
 
I'm a rather efficient multi-tasker, if I may say so myself, and Exposé is an a lot better tool for it than any "equivalent" I've found. A large reason it is so efficient is the fact that it's animated. It helps you locate the windows faster. If there was no animation and the windows just popped to where they were heading, you'd have to look longer. Trust me, it's less efficient. I've tried it without the animation as well. :)

And Windows + D is less consistent in its behaviour. In Windows, there is just a "minimize window." There is no "hide application." The behaviour when you minimize varies from application to application. There are many applications where a multi-window interface wouldn't make sense, where minimizing it will put it in the 'sidebar' or whatever it's called, on the right side in the activity bar. Hitting Windows + D will put windows there, but hitting it again won't bring them back up. That sort of thing annoys me to no end.
 
Sorry :D

Anyway, to get back on topic, I've been searching around a bit. I've found tons of contextual menu plugins, but nothing that allows you to put such things in the Dock contextual menu. I think they're pretty much a completely different entity. It's really quite unfortunate.
 
You can also hide windows, via command-H or command-option-H. Expose is nicer though.
 
westrock2000 said:
When using Safari or Finder, I would really like to add a way to open a new window by right clicking the respective icons in the Dock. Now I just cmd-N, which is fine, but it seems like this OS is so flexible in so many intricate ways that maybe it was a possibility. Now when I right click the icons it just says like Force Quit, or lists open windows and few other options.


Also is there a way to downsize all windows at once? Sometime I need to get to the desktop and I might have 5 or 6 windows open that are scattered all over the place. Something like the "Show Desktop" icon in Windows would be awsome.
Click to expand...

you know safari has tabbed browsing, right? check the preferences.
 
Brett13 said:
You can also hide windows, via command-H or command-option-H. Expose is nicer though.
Click to expand...
You cannot hide windows with command-h. You can hide applications. There is a difference.
 
OK, I just noticed this. I upgraded to Tiger last week and Ta-Da "New Window" in the Safari Dock icon......its like Apple actually knows what I need as a computer user :eek:

Oh. and when I went to Tiger I tried Expose, and ya it works great for the other problem I had.....I've got to get over the leariness Windows gave me and just trust Apple.
 
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