Issue keystrokes while using Command-Tab switcher

Oct 20, '04 09:41:00AM

Contributed by: smorr

I was using drag and drop to copy text from a webpage to TextEdit by using Command-Tab to switch to TextEdit. When I switched to TextEdit, I realized that I didn't have an open document. Rather than cancelling the drag, I tried to create a new document by hitting command-N mid-drag. Amazingly, it worked ... and I dropped my text into the new blank document. Then I started to play around with this feature...

When drag and dropping using the app switcher and Exposé (but not between windows or with the dock), you can issue key commands to the current frontmost application (such as command-N to open a new document, command-W to close a document etc) you can also use command-` to cycle through open document windows, and the arrow keys or page keys to navigate the open document before you drop.

In fact, you can also type into the destination document before you drop (for example, start a text drag, command tab to switch to TextEdit, type a few keystrokes and they appear in the document, then drop the text drag.)

Combined with Butler (or LaunchBar or QuickSilver, etc.), you have something very cool. With TextEdit not open, start a text drag. Hit Control-Space to bring up Butler, type in the abbreviation for TextEdit, and return to launch it. Hit Command-Tab, switch to TextEdit, and drop your text.

This seems to work in all Carbon and Cocoa apps.

[robg adds: I thought we'd published something about this before, but I can't find it in the database. If someone finds that this is a dupe, please let me know...]

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