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Increase Productivity with Expose and Spaces

by Dan

This generation has grown more and more dependent on the computer that most of our tasks are done. This however creates more conflict and confusion as we work on various things at the same time. Opening different systems, applications, and windows can be very confusing especially when done all at once. Productivity and efficiency is lessened as we clutter our desktops with more and more operations in our desire to multi task. The sad reality is often we do not accomplish more by doing more. Users get lost in the visual clutter leaving tasks half done in less quality and find themselves searching through open windows to find what they were working on last.
Apple designed OS X in a way in which you can visually organize your windows and stay productive. With a more structured desktop, productivity is aimed to be higher and less stressful. This is done through the Expose and Spaces

Expose and Spaces Tutorial

Below are listed features of the Expose and Spaces that may help you maximize your work scenario on your Mac:

Expose

  • Expose shrinks all windows that are in use in the computer. All windows appear in a single screen and you are now able to choose which one you wish to work on since you have a holistic view of all your tasks. This is done through a function key shortcut (often f3 on newer macs).
    • Expose.png
  • With Expose, even as the various windows are shrunk, all applications are running and moving. This shows you live progress of several windows at once enabling easier task management. Test it out by starting a video and then pressing the expose key. You’ll notice the video will continue to play as expose shows you your desktop.
  • Expose allows the user to classify windows according to application if the user chooses to work on the current running application first. An example of this is multiple excel files grouped together. Check your Expose settings to see which keyboard shortcut calls this action, but on Macs with the extended keyboard it is F14.
    • Expose-Single-App.png

Spaces

  • Spaces allows you to create virtually more than one desktop in order to manage your opened applications. Unlike Expose wherein all windows are shrunk into one screen, spaces on the other hand works like several boxes in which you can group your opened windows. This can help you manage your tasks according to various categories like School, Work, and leisure.
  • To easily utilize Spaces you can start the feature with the keyboard shortcut set for it in System Preferences or you can add the icon for it to your Doc. The Spaces App can be found in the Application >> Utilities folder. Just drag the Spaces icon and drop it on the Doc.
    Dock - Spaces.png
  • You can also move windows into different spaces by simply dragging it over to another space and holding for quite some time. Once dropped, you can now work on that window in a different space. This makes it more functional to multi-task.
    • Spaces.png

    Arranging your visual management of the things you are working on not only clears the clutter of your work but also of your mind. Mac enables a more user friendly and user efficient way to work on various applications because it understands the need to meet today’s technological demand. Increase your productivity and effectiveness with Expose and Spaces.

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Launch Windows in its Own Space

by Dan

images.jpegOne of Apple’s major announcements over the past few years was their move from PowerPC processors to Intel X86 based processors. This was such a huge announcement because it essentially meant that there was very little that was keeping people from running Windows on their Apple computers.

But who really wants to buy a Mac just to run Windows on it? Very few people. On the other hand, there is a significantly large number of people that want to run a Windows application or two at times.

Shortly after the announcement of the change in hardware, Parallels released software that allowed you to quickly launch virtual machines inside of OS X. Essentially, users now had the ability to get to their Windows applications quickly and easily on their Mac.

While Parallels allows you to mix and mingle your OS X and Windows applications it may be nice to keep them separated. This is where the 10.5 addition of Spaces makes a great software addition.

How To Launch Windows In Its Own Space

To be able to launch Windows in its own Space the first thing you have to do is download and install Parallels. There is a free 15 day trial available from their website so you can try out the software before putting down any cash.

After you’ve installed Parallels you’ll need to install your Windows software (Either XP or Vista). Doing so in Parallels is quick and easy but you must have an .ISO image or CD for the Windows OS you’ll be using.

Follow the instructions to setup your Virtual Machine and then follow the onscreen instructions for installing Windows. Once Windows has finished installing your Parallels Virtual Machine will boot up into Windows.

Next we need to setup Parallels so it always opens in its own space. To do so follow the same steps we provided in Setting Up Applications to Launch in Their Own Space:

  1. Click the Apple Icon and Open System Preferences


  2. Select Expose and Spaces and then the Spaces Tab


  3. Click the + Button Below the Application Assignments Table


  4. Select Parallels and then Assign it to the Space you’d like to designate to Windows


When you’ve finished this, your open Parallels Windows Virtual Machine will move to the space you assigned it.

Navigate to that Space with a keyboard shortcut (I assigned to space 3 so cmd+3) and you’ll see your Windows VM. Select View and then Full Screen, and Windows will open to full screen mode.

Parallels DesktopScreenSnapz001.png

At this point you’ve now assigned your Windows Machine to its own Space. It should open in Full Screen mode anytime you go to access it, and now switching to Windows is as easy as a keyboard shortcut.

Move back to a different Space with keyboard shortcuts or select a different open application with Command + Tab.

How are you using Windows in OS X?

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Get the most out of Spaces Part 4: Open Apps New Space

by Dan

Spaces is a great addition to OS X that helps you add order to all your open applications. In previous posts we explained how to get started with Spaces, how to assign an application its own Space, and then how to move from one Space to another with just your mouse.

All of those features make Spaces a great addition to OS X but Part 4 of hints and tips for getting the most of of Spaces will provide the final tip to have ultimate control over what Spaces you want your applications in.

Although you can assign an application its own Space, sometimes you just want to move a few of the open windows you’re working with to their own space. Spaces makes this easy.

We mentioned in previous article that pressing F8 (Or fn + F8 with the new Apple Keyboards) will display all your spaces at once and include an outline of the open Windows in each space.

OpenSpaces.png

To move one of your open application windows to a new space, press F8 and then simply click on one of the windows and drag it to the space that you’d like the window to sit in. You can have multiple windows from the same application open in different windows.

Hit return when you’re finished moving each space to its ideal window and cycle through each space to make sure the windows are where you want them to be.

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Get the most out of Spaces Part 3: Warp!

by Dan

New OSX 10.5 feature Spaces allows users to manage their workspace by dividing application windows any way you want.

We recently mentioned how keyboard shortcuts can help you switch easily between each of your Spaces but there is an even easier way to do this.

Warp, a free download and preference pane, allows to switch between all of their spaces using their mouse instead of the keyboard.

You can setup your Warp preference pane to switch to a new space when you move your mouse to the edge of the screen. Or preview your space before switching to it:

Warp offers the ability to display a live preview of a space when you move the mouse to the edge of the screen, allowing you to see what you have on another space before actually switching to it. Clicking the preview will then warp you to that space.

Once you’ve installed Warp on your system, open System Preferences and you’ll notice the new Warp preference option under Other.

Select it and then customize how you’d like Warp to work on your system. When you’re finished and Warp is active, move your mouse to the edge of your screen and see yourself Warp to the next Space.

If you’re already a fan of Spaces, Warp is a must have addition. If you’re still getting use to Spaces, Warp may just make it that much easier to use.

How do you use Spaces?

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Get the most out of Spaces Part 2: Assign an Application a Space

by Dan

We recently described a new feature in OS X Leopard, Spaces. Spaces allows users to take advantage of multiple desktop areas to help them stay organized and to de-clutter their desktop. and move application windows between each of the different desktop Spaces.

Part 1 of this tutorial explained how to enable Spaces through System Preferences. Next we’ll show you how to assign an application its own Space. Doing so opens applications to their assigned Space on every launch.

Its a great way to keep your internet browsing and media management separate from your work tasks in Microsoft Office or iWork.

Assign An Application A Space

With Spaces enabled, assigning an application a space is quick and easy. The following steps will guide you through the process of assigning an application to a Space:

  1. Click the Apple Icon and open System Preferences
  2. Select Expose and Spaces and then the Spaces Tab
  3. Click the + button Below the Application Assignments table
  4. Select an Application on your computer and then select the Space you’d like to assign that Application to.

Now that you’ve assigned an application to a Space, open the application and switch to its assigned Space to verify that it opened in the correct location. Repeat the process for all the application organization you’d like.

To see all your Spaces and what applications are open in each simply click the function key (fn) + F8. Once you’re viewing all your spaces, click the expose shortcut (F3 on new Apple Computers) to display all open windows in each Space.

Be sure to check back here at Maciverse.com for Part 3 of Getting the most out of Spaces.

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