If you are unfamiliar with the basics of using a Mac computer, this is a quick guide.  Don't forget to add tips for others as you explore the MacBook!

 

Syntax:  For keyboard shortcuts, the plus sign is used to indicate keys pressed at the same time.  For examle, + tab means that you would press the command key () and the tab key at the same time.

 

 

The Touch Pad

 

The touch pad works much like that of a PC laptop, except that you have only one click button.  If you need to do a

"right click," as you would on a PC, hold down "control" while you click.  You can also hold two fingers on the touch pad and click the button.  If you want to use the touch pad for scrolling, move two fingers together up and down the touch pad.

 

If you want to bring in an external mouse, it should work without any problem.  No school-owned external mice are available for use with the MacBook at this time.

 

 

The Finder

 

 

 

Look for this icon on the dock (the line of icons on the bottom of your screen).  This is like "my computer" on  a PC, but the folders (AKA directories) and files display using a different layout.  I prefer the three-column layout.  You can click a button with three columns on it in the top of the window to activate this.  Use the finder to navigate the hard drive or the network for applications or files.  If you need to move a file by dragging it from one directory to another, you can open a new Finder window by going to File>new finder window (or by pressing + N).

 

 

The Dock

 

The dock is a line of icons on the bottom of your screen.  Most of these represent applications you can launch.  To add an application to your dock, drag it from the finder to the dock.  To remove an app. from the dock, drag it upward into empty space.  You can also find the trash bin on the dock.  The blue oval beneath an icon indicates the application is running.  To quit an application when it is open, hit + Q.  If you want a bit of extra real-estate for the screen, you can configure the Dock to hide automatically when the mouse isn't over it (available through System Preferences / Dock).

 

 

 

Web Browsers

 

We'll be using Firefox, primarily, for web browsing.  This is a free, open source web browser.   You may also use Safari from time to time, which is Apple's browser.  In both of these browsers, you will probably find it useful to use tabs.  When you open a new tab, you open a new web page without having to open an entirely separate browser window.  Note the tabs just at the top of the browser window.  To open a new tab in either of these browsers, hit + t.  To create a shortcut to a web site in the top of the browser window, drag the url from the address bar to the gray bar just below it.  I recommend that you create a shortcut for the PB Wiki.  Some shortcuts will already appear; to delete one, right click and choose delete.

 

To zoom in on the content on a web page, hit and the plus sign (+).  To zoom back out, do the same with the minus sign.  Not all elements of the page will actually zoom (images generally stay the same size.

 

Spaces

 

Spaces is a great way to organize your workspace, when you have several applications running at once.  Let's say you have a browser window open with this wiki, a project open in Garageband, and Photoshop open for editing a photo.  You can use spaces to organize your workspace.  To activate spaces, go to system preferences by clicking on the apple in the upper left corner of your screen.  Click on "Expose and Spaces."  Click the "spaces tab."   Check the circle next to "enable spaces."  Now click on the Expose tab.  Make sure that "Spaces" is selected for one of your four corners.  Now you can exit out of preferences.  When you move the pointer to the upper left corner, you should see the screen divided into 4 boxes.  If you have more than one application window open, you can drag each window into a separate box.  Now click on a box and see what happens.  To get to one of your other windows, move the pointer back to the left corner, and you'll see your spaces again.  Click on the window you wish to see.

 

 

 

Navigating Among Applications

 

If more than one application is open, a quick way to switch between them is to use the + tab keyboard combination; hold down the key (on either side of the spacebar) and, while continuing to hold it down, press the tab key.  A shaded window will apear with an icon for each running application.  Press the tab key until the desired application is selected, then release the key.

 

 

Switching Among Windows Within an Application

 

Some applications use more than one window.  For example, when using iTunes, you might have a window for the playlist and a window for the iTunes store.  The previous tip about navigating between applications won't help here, since that only selects the application, not a specific window of the application.  To switch between windows within an application, hold down the key and then press the single quote key immediate above the tab key.  This works just like the application switching tip; hold the key down while pressing the ` key until the desired window pops to the top.

 

Ejecting

 

When you plug a flash drive or other external drive (such as a card reader) into your Mac, it must be ejected before you unplug it from the computer.  To eject, drag the icon representing the device (should be on desktop) to the trash.  You can eject a CD by dragging to the trash or by using the eject button on the upper right corner of your keyboard. 

 

Killing a Malfunctioning Application

 

Sometimes, things go wrong.  If you have an application that is not responding and that appears to be having problems, you can kill it by pressing + option + esc (that's 3 keys -- the key, the option key right next to it, and the esc key in the upper left corner of the keyboard).  A Force Quit Applications window will apear, with all running applications listed.  Select the problem app and then click the Force Quit button.  Another way to force quit is to right click on the application's icon on the dock.  If the application is unresponsive, you will see "force quit" as an option on the menu that pops up. 

 

If the Macbook won't seem to turn on

 

It may have lost power.  Grab a power cord from the cart.  If it doesn't come right on with a quick press of power button, It's probably gone to sleep.  Hold down the power button for 20 seconds.

 

Screen Grab

 

This is where you create an image from a part of your screen.  You can grab an image of a dialog box, a toolbar, or some other part of an application if you are creating a tutorial document.  + shift + 4 to activate screen grab.  Then select around the area.  When you let go, grab is complete.  Image should appear on the desktop.