Jun 1 2010

QuicKeys Shortcut: Automatically Close Selected Finder Windows

You know how you often open folders and they start to crowd your desktop. Well, this QuicKeys macro workflow automatically closes designated windows when they are no the front most window for five minutes (150 seconds.) You can duplicate this workflow for each designated window you want automatically closed by QuicKeys. Here’s how to set it up:

Step 1

Select All Applications as your scope. Select App event as your trigger and then select Finder as the Application. Select Event: Ends Front, Even Delay 150 seconds (or whatever amount of time you prefer.)

Step 2

Do a Add Step search for Chick Window Exist step. Add it. Where it says, Window Name is, type the exact name of the window you want automatically closed after a certain period of time that it’s not front most. Make sure all the other drop down tabs apply to the type of window you’re basing the macro on.

Step 3

Search and add the Close window step. Where it says Identify by Name Is, type in the name of the window as you did above.

If you want to quickly test out this macro, change the Event Delay time to say 5 seconds to make sure it works. Be sure to close the macro before you test it. After it works, change the time back to what you want it to be.

Apr 18 2010

QuicKeys Demo: Resize and Move Windows

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “QuicKeys Demo: Resize and Move Windows“, posted with vodpod

The above demo is based on an application called MercuryMover, which allows you to resize and move windows on your desktop using assigned hot keys.

Since I have two monitors, I developed a set of QuicKeys shortcuts that move the front most window of an application, usually Safari, to different parts of my second monitor. As you can see, one of the shortcuts moves the window to the button-left of the second monitor. Another one moves a window to the upper right; a third one moves a window front and center. The last shortcut resizes and puts all open Safari windows side-by-side in horizontal position. There used to be an application called StickyWindows that did this perfectly, but since the Snow Leopard Update, StickyWindows hasn’t been updated.

I put my window shortcuts in a QuicKeys toolbar (and borrowed the arrow button icons from MercuryMover) because I didn’t want to hassle with hot keys, which are of course, an option in QuicKeys automations.

MercuryMover probably does even more than what I’ve developed in these shortcuts, but for now what I have is sufficient, and it will help me deal with the constant problem of crowded desktops.