10.5: Build your own keyboard-based app launcher
Apr 29, '08 07:30:02AM
Contributed by: fabioromeu
I used to call Spotlight to open my apps, but since i have a slow hard drive, I started to look for faster options. I didn't want to install Quicksilver or Launchbar or any other program for that. I had two goals:
- I should rely only on what OS X could offer me.
- I wanted fast access using only the keyboard.
So here's what I did: I dragged the Applications folder to the dock, creating a Stack. It was set to Display as folder and View contents as list. In System Preferences » Keyboard & Mouse » Keyboard Shortcuts, under the 'Keyboard Navigation' section, I checked the Move focus to the Dock box and used Control-Command-D as my shortcut. That's all it took.
Here's how it works: Hitting the shortcut keys brings the Dock to the front (or shows it if it's hidden), so you can navigate through the items with the arrow keys. Instead of the arrow keys, however, you can simply type app, and the highlight will jump directly to the Applications folder entry on the right side of the Dock. Then press the Space Bar to show the folder's contents, then type the name of the one you want to open and press Enter. So, when I want to launch Mail, the sequence of the keys goes:
Control-Command-D » app » [Space Bar] » mail » [Enter]
It's a lot faster than waiting for Spotlight to show the results, and without the need for additional software. The downside is that applications in sub-folders may require a bit more work to get to.
[robg adds: I've found 10.5's Spotlight speed for app location to be quite fast, and Spotlight has the advantage of knowing about all programs on your machine, not just those in Applications. The methods described in this hint, however, are useful as general guidelines for quickly accessing items in docked folders.]
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Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20080426202635701