FinderHelper provides the following enhancements for the Mac OS 8.6 Finder:
• Command-I. The usual Get Info command is now enhanced so that if the selected icon is an application, the Info window opens to the Memory panel. If the selected icon is a folder, and file sharing is on, the Info window opens to the Sharing panel.
• Command-Shift-Delete. Deletes the current selection without putting it in the Trash. Even locked files are deleted—only files that can't be deleted because they're busy are spared. At the end of the process, any files that couldn't be deleted are listed.
• Shift-Up and Shift-Down. If the frontmost window is a Finder list view, you can use the Shift key with the up and down arrow keys to "extend" the selection like in other Mac programs.
• Non-contiguous selection. FinderHelper maintains a list of selected files separately from the Finder. You can add and remove selected items from this list, and set the Finder selection to the memorized list or vice versa. This lets you select any group of files using only the keyboard. The following keys can be used in any Finder view:
Shift-Right. Adds the selected icon(s) to the memorized selection.
Shift-Left. Removes the selected icon(s) from the memorized selection.
Shift-Return. Sets the Finder selection to the memorized selection.
Shift-Space. Sets the memorized selection to the Finder selection.
Shift-Delete. Clears the memorized selection and the Finder selection. (Changing windows also clears the memorized selection.)
• Sherlock helper. Command-F now goes directly from the Finder to the Find panel of Sherlock, even if another Sherlock window or panel is active. Command-G goes directly to Find by Content and Command-H goes directly to the Search Internet panel. These are the same keys you use in Sherlock itself, but they have now been extended to the Finder.
Installing FinderHelper
FinderHelper is a OneClick application.
1) Install OneClick.I have received permission from WestCode Software to include OneClick 2.0 Preview 3 on the MacHack CD-ROM. It expires at the end of October, 1999. If you don't have the CD-ROM, check the WestCode Software Web site at <http://www.westcodesoft.com/> to download a trial version of OneClick 2.0. A trial version will run for 30 days.
If you have the MacHack CD-ROM, just drag the control panel into the Control Panels folder and the OneClick folder into the Preferences folder, then restart. Otherwise use the installer provided by WestCode software.
2) Make sure you're in the Finder. Open the OneClick editor from the pull-down menu in the menu bar (it should be a square with a downward-pointing arrow on it). Click the Palette tab. Click "Import Palette" then select the "FinderHelper Palette" file and cilck Select. DO NOT mark the "Import as Global Palette" checkbox.
3) Close the palette and the OneClick editor. You can now use the command keys above.
FindePaste 1.0b1
I've also included a copy of FinderPaste 1.0b1. This palette lets you cut, copy, and paste files from one window to another. It should be installed as above, only you SHOULD mark the "Import as Golbal Palette" checkbox.
There are some known bugs in FinderPaste 1.0b1. Right now, when you Cut files, it behaves in the Windows 95 fashion -- the files remain in place until you paste them elsewhere. I want to have Cut files go to the Trash instead. Also, it doesn't handle the possibility that files on the desktop might be from different volumes. There may be other bugs, of course.
I received word that someone else was doing a similar hack for the Hack Contest, so I decided to focus on FinderHelper. But here it is if you want to try it. I will probably fix it up after MacHack and post it on my Web site. Check <http://www.manual.com/freebies.html> for my other Mac stuff.
