Mac 101: Preview Media with Column View

Column view is absolutely awesome. It's by far the fastest navigation of hierarchical data (such as the file system) I've ever used. Arrow keys work great, and type-ahead works too once you figure out the quirks in which column has the focus (and the esc key!). A switcher friend of mine found column mode pretty fast, and he's amazingly fast using it, much faster than I am.

When I need sorting (which isn't *that* often), I'll just cmd-double click the folder and do list view on it in its own window.

I hope this isn't too opportunistic, but here's a Path Finder tip: you can sort in Path Finder's columns! Just right / control-click on the column's header and you will get a menu that allows you to sort by a bunch of different criteria.

Here's a screenshot:

http://www.cocoatech.com/stuff/column-sort.png

I'm a big fan of column view, but after seeing "PathFinder", I'm thinking I know a product Apple needs to buy/integrate into OS X :)

I never use anything but column view. I really miss the functionality in list view that OS9 used to have and the column view makes a better replacement than does the current 'list'. Back in the old days when i learned to navigate a hard drive on windows 95 the explorer worked somewhat similarly. I tried Pathfinder for a bit but ended up using it like twice before the demo expired, column view serves my needs very well.

If you guys are curious about what she looks like, here you go

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/au/1796

Rogeriogal--arrow keys are OK, but I press letters on the keyboard to quickly jump to the folder I want, and column view makes it tough to tell which column has focus, so the behavior is a pain, especially since it's so volatile--a couple wrong presses and you've got to re-navigate to where you were.

BTW, you can expand and collapse folders in list view (which I call 'useful view') with left- and right-arrows. That plus letters makes for fast and easy navigation. I only use icon view for showing pics and column view for movies like I described--EVERYTHING else is done in 'useful view.' (With 'new folders open in new windows' turned on.) Now if only the green button did something more useful than "changes the size of the window." Occasionally useful to "right-size" a small folder, but am I alone in wishing Macs had true "Maximize"?

Also, +1 for wondering what pics she's hiding. :-)

Eh, the Finder debate. column view is great for quickly running back and forth in the hierarchy, and for these previews. As for PathFinder - it is a great browser when all you want to do is browse, but it does not do spacial layout at all, nor does it remember window-specific view or layout preferences. Sometimes you need lots of minimally adorned windows with the icons staying in place where you put them. Other times you need one big honkin browser window with all the gizmos at your command.

This is my default view for Finder windows. It is extremelly easy, and fast, to navigate using only the arrows. I prefer this method to double clicking on Æ’s to open them, especially if you go into a Æ’ you did not intend to, just press the left arrow and you're up one directory. I never use icons anymore. I prefer to use the keyboard than the mouse.

I've used Macs my entire life, and I still don't like this view mode. For the same reasons as brian, lack of sorting really gets me in this view. Meh!

Erica, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one with 116CANON type folders laying around my drive :)

I'm not gonna lie, i'm REALLY curious what's in Erica's Pictures folder!

;)