Mac 101: Pressing F5 in a text field
More Mac 101, TUAW tips for new and returning Mac users. If you're typing in a text field (in Safari, TextEdit, or most any Mac OS X app), you can press F5 while your cursor rests in a particular word to see a list of words that begin with the letters after the last space.
Holding down Option and Pressing Escape works, too.
So, for example, if you type create, you get a list of words including create, created, and creates.
If there are a lot of words in the list, it only shows the first 100 results, sorted alphabetically. The results come from Mac OS X's built-in dictionary.
This trick is useful for when you have a word on the tip of your tongue, need help with possessive apostrophes, or are stuck on a crossword clue.
[Via AppleGroup]
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More Mac 101, TUAW tips for new and returning Mac users. If you're typing in a text field (in Safari, TextEdit, or most any Mac OS X app),...
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This is an awesome hint. Absolutely awesome.
One little detail that would make it so much better is if there was a way (preference? add shift to the key pressed?) for the menu to remain open for the duration of input of the current word, until you hit tab or enter.
For instance: I type 'cab' then hit F5 or Esc or Option+Esc and the menu comes up.
cabbage isn't listed in the current viewable list, nor is any cabb* word.
So if I were to have this option enabled, and hit b again (making 'cabb'), the completion menu remains open, and I can then press enter to auto-fill cabbage.
Mmmmm, cabbage.
Thank you for you hint. It works fine with Safari and TextEdit, however, it doesn't seem to work in Appleworks 6.2.9 ... at least, not on my machine (iMac, using v10.5.4). Any thoughts?
Also, are the words "Holding down Option and" crossed out deliberate so that you're saying that simply pressing Escape works as well? If so, neither works for me. Again, Any thoughts?
AW is an old program and does not support OS X dictionary.
Try Pages.
Old like in Carbon!
The trick only works with Cocoa apps.
this is very useful.
btw whats the keycombo to reverse the last two characters in a word?
It's great, but what I REALLY want to know is if there is a keyboard shortcut which will pull up the list of suggestions when I've misspelled a word, and OS X has graciously underlined in with that wonderful dashed line (in other words, I want the Windows menu key!!!)
August 14 2008 at 4:02 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySorry for the duplicate post...
August 14 2008 at 4:04 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOther than ctrl clicking? Would be quite nice...
August 14 2008 at 4:30 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIt's great, but what I REALLY want to know is if there is a keyboard shortcut which will pull up the list of suggestions when I've misspelled a word, and OS X has graciously underlined in with that wonderful dashed line (in other words, I want the Windows menu key!!!)
August 14 2008 at 4:00 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOption-escape since I set F5 to Show Desktop.
August 14 2008 at 12:38 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyAwesome tip. I am always looking for this sort of thing, and had no idea. thanks!
August 13 2008 at 10:18 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThis appeared on digg.com
http://digg.com/apple/F5_The_Hidden_access_to_the_Mac_OS_X_lexicon/
Apple should update it. It's cool but it's nothing like the iphone's and it doesn't suggest words you type more often or that are contained in your address book.
August 13 2008 at 5:14 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNo, it does not work with out escape in safari.
August 13 2008 at 4:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot Apps on TUAW
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