Submit Hint Search The Forums LinksStatsPollsHeadlinesRSS
14,000 hints and counting!


Click here to return to the 'Use the title bar's document icon to save file, etc.' hint
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Use the title bar's document icon to save file, etc.
Authored by: osxpounder on Feb 22, '07 12:44:16PM

In my experience, dragging the proxy icon to a folder copies the file to that location, rather than moving it -- or at least, it does that sometimes, and maybe it happens often to me because I use so many drives and mounted disk images.

So, to help ensure that the file goes where I want it, and only there, I just got into the habit of using the standard modifier keys every time I drag a proxy icon:

1. Unless I want to copy or make an alias, I hold down CMD before dropping a file. That ensures the file is moved, not copied or aliased. Since it's a habit, I don't have to waste time checking where the file was, or is. I started doing this because I made aliases too often when I meant to move or copy the file.

2. If I want a copy, I hold down Option before dropping, even if I happen to be dragging to some place that already triggers a copy. Again, it's about me knowing what happens without having to check. The Option-drop always copies.

3. If I want an alias, I hold down CMD and Option before dropping.

In other words, I prefer to ignore the fact that Apple's OSes assume "copy" in some cases, "move" in others, because ultimately I found that this helpful feature, though perfectly logical, wasn't helping me, it was hurting me. For me, it's better to assume I must always choose move, copy or alias, since it's just an added key or two.



[ Reply to This | # ]