Selecting, home, end, and folders in Finder

I am a Mac OS X newbie, and there are a few things that bug me about it (otherwise I love it, though):
- When I select multiple files using arrow keys, when I hit the down key and then the up key, instead of selecting one less, I select one more, and I have to start the selection over.
- I really miss the Home and End keyboard buttons.
- Finder sorts folders among files. I'd rather it kept folders on top, and files below them.
Is there any way to fix these behaviors and have them act as Windows equivalents?
Thanks.

Finder sorts folders among files. I'd rather it kept folders on top, and files below them.
Check out the last few posts in the thread Showing Folders first in Finder sort ??? for a simple (& so far harmless hack) that puts folders first when sorted by the kind column.
I tried it out on my iMac running 10.5.2 & it has worked fine since then, including after the latest round of security, Safari, etc. updates.

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AppleScript : modify labels for multiple selection of files and folders in Finder ?

As an experienced programmer in Pascal, Excel VBA, ... I am trying to find my way in AppleScript (first steps).
I am trying to build a small script that will run on a keyboard shortcut, and that will toggle the label of selected files and folders (multiple selection ?) in Finder between "purple" and "no label".
Based on a recorded action, I was trying something along the lines of
tell application "Finder"
          Activate
          repeat with oneItem in selection
                         set label index of oneItem to 3
          end repeat
end tell
I am not clear on how to make the script understand that in a multiple selection I want to apply the requested command to each item. In addition, when testing it on one single item, it appears that I can't set the label index property of "selection" ...
Can someone please advise what the correct way is of (a) setting the property of a selected item in the Finder and (b) looping through a multiple selection ?
Thanks in advance.
Philip
P.S. Running Mac OSX 10.8.2 on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and MacMini

Thanks alot, Softwater. In fact, I have been playing around with that and found that the "get" statement in your script suggestion is not even necessary. The script I saved as a Finder Service is now :
tell application "Finder"
          repeat with oneItem in selection as list
                         if label index of oneItem = 0 then
                                        set label index of oneItem to 5
                         else
                                        set label index of oneItem to 0
                         end if
          end repeat
end tell
By assigning a shortcut key to this one, I can now toggle labels.
Additional trick I did is to restrict the applicability of the script to only movie-files (I am using this to change the labels of movies / TV shows on my computer which I still want to see versus the ones that I don't want to see anymore). I noticed during testing that the script would also color folders and drives selected in other finder windows than the one I was working in, so now it only works on movie files which is more what I want.
Great tool, the AppleScript Editor and the Automator. Only a little bit a pitty that finding out about object structure and properties is not very straightforward in the AppleScript Editor (comparing to e.g. the VBA in MS Excel, which has an almost perfect help system and built-in reference). I am not a Microsoft fan in general, but when it comes to MS Excel VBA, I have not seen any built-in help system yet that approaches its usefulness ...
I guess I will be "seeing" you again on this forum ... I am getting the taste of scripting again :-D

Moving files and folders in Finder: any options to simply cut & paste?

My apologies if this has been asked before: I did a search but couldn't find a straight answer.
I'm a new PC-to-Mac convert, but I'm having trouble rearranging files and folders using the drag and drop method. Back in the windows world, I could select multiple files and folders, <ctrl> X to cut, then <ctrl> V to paste in a new location.
Is there any similar method in Finder, other than copying, pasting then deleting the originals?
tia for any advice!

I have the same question as at the top of this thread, and I want to make sure I understand the answer independent of the discussion of cut/paste nomenclature.
I have a file or files somewhere on my harddrive. I would like to move them to some other location on my harddrive using the Finder without touching the mouse. Basically I want the Finder equivalent of the UNIX mv command. As far as I can tell from playing with files and from this thread, the way to do this in Finder is the following:
1. Highlight the file or files you want to move.
2. Type command-C.
3. Navigate to the destination folder.
4. Type command-V.
5. Navigate back to the original folder from step 1.
6. Highlight the files from step 1 again.
7. Type command-delete.
Steps 5-7 seem so needlessly clunky that I feel like there must be a better way to do it that I'm overlooking. As far as I can tell you have to do it this way. (You can't, for instance, type command-delete right after doing the copy in step 2, because this removes the files from the clipboard.) For my money, Microsoft Explorer does have the better user scenario for the keyboard-only-file-move task, regardless of whether you dislike the reuse of the "cut" metaphor.
But Apple vs. Microsoft religious wars are beside the point here. I just want to make sure that I've understood the design of Finder correctly. Is there an easier way to move files in the Finder without touching the mouse, or do I have to install 3rd party software like the kind mentioned upthread?

Home, End and Delete key behavior modification-10.4.7

I'm using a PC keybord on my Mini but I share it via a KVM switch with my Dell laptop for work. Toggling between the Widoze machine and the Mac causes me issues because the Home, End and Delete key have different behaviors. How can I modify them in the Mac? Because I have to keep them the same in the laptop.
Home - Move to the beginning of the current line
End - Move to the end of the current line
Delete - Used mostly in Thunderbird to delete emails without opening or needing the mouse. It's useless now.
Lastly, in windows Firefox, when I click in the URL window, it immediately highlights the entire URL in there so I can just start typing a new one. In OS X firefox, I click right into the middle of the URL. I would like it to behave like the Windows version. This problem is made worse by the Home/End key situation. If there was an easy way to highlight the entire URL (i.e. Shift End in Windows),that would work too. But I'd prefer that it immeidately highlight everything upon clicking in there.
Thanks all!

Hi mthhurley!
I'm a new Mac user and found myself running into the same problems. I don't know if this will help but I started using the arrow keys instead of the end/home keys as the down arrow key will take me to the end of the line I am currently typing as long as it is the last line in the document. The up arrow key behaves the same way.
As for highlighting text in the URL address window, if you click three times fast it will highlight the whole string for you.
As I said I'm a very new Mac user so I'm certain there are more experienced users out there with a better answer for you but this is a solution I have found to satisfy myself and I hope it helps you.
X
iMac Mac OS X (10.4.7) 2ghz Intel Core Duo, 1GB DDR2 SDRAM
iMac Mac OS X (10.4.7) 2ghz Intel Core Duo, 1GB DDR2 SDRAM

Firefox 4 does not start up to my selected home page, and 'work offline' is always checked. I have gone into general tab, start up and ensured that my home page is selected. It is, but problem hasn't changed. I can't do a complicated fix.

Since upgrading Firefox 4, at start up I receive a 'problem loading page' message, which states I have 'Working Offline' checked. (I didn't check it) I go to menu and uncheck it, there are 3 tabs loaded, all the Monzilla welcome pages (congrats you have upgraded etc etc), and NOT my home page. If I hit home icon it takes me to my home page, but this is a pain in the neck. I am not tech savvy so please do NOT suggest a complicated fix. I would prefer to go back to 3.6 if possible, unless there is a simple solution to this problem

I fixed it!!! Following advice from similar posts, I searched the hard drive for "sessionrestore.js" in my Firefox Profiles folder (you'll need to enable viewing of hidden files in Windows Explorer (Tools > Folder Options > View (then select Hidden files option) then Apply to all folders) to do this). I then shut down Firefox, deleted the file and restarted - my home page was correct and it didn't try to open my old session! Some other posts suggested deleting everything called "sessionrestore" in that folder, but I didn't need to.

HAVE AOL AS HOME PAGE AND SAYS CANNOT FIND SERVER

I have an older edition of Mozilla b/cause of issues with lab info. I have had aol as my home page for 3 years and now is telling me cannot find the server. When I go to internet explorer it tells me the same thing. NOT my internet conncection, because it is working fine, lab is internet based. Please help, CAN not switch to a new version of Mozilla

If that page is working in either Firefox or IE, maybe that page is gone?? Or something on that PC is blocking that page from being loaded,by any web browser?
Do you have any problem loading any other web pages with Firefox?

Can time machine be told to selectively backup applications and folders?

I need to perform a backup of the drive so that I can do a complete reinstall, however I cannot see any way to manually backup things like iTunes, it's library and settings, and a selection of installed programs such as say, adium, which has chat transcripts (not limited to that app and probably a bad example)
A reinstall through time machine is not an option, since from what I can see the basic install takes a disk image so the problems I currently have would be restored (self inflicted, deliberately, too long to explain but part of learning thingy)
If it's not possible in Time machine is there an alternative program or even a way to do this manually? I don't mind a little work.
Thanks!

It doesn't have an option to easily select only specific directories or files. It only has the option to exclude files & directories. (It's function is to backup everything initially, then backup anything that has changed since it's previous backup.)
However, unless your self-inflicted problem is in an issue with something in your user accounts folders, you can bypass restoring it you do a re-install followed by a Time Machine restore.
When you install Snow Leopard, you'll see the "out of the box experience" (the welcome video, followed by the country selection, owner registration questions, etc..) Part of the OOTB is the "Setup Assistant" which will ask if you want to migrate from either another Mac, disk, Time Machine backup, Time Capsule, etc.
If you tell it you DO want to migrate/restore from a Time Machine it will selectively offer a few categories of things to restore. These include user accounts (all or nothing... you can't restore one account but ignore others), applications, and system settings.
This means you could do a re-install, then restore your user accounts -- even your applications if you want, without restoring other parts of the OS (for example if you think your system settings are damaged you can choose not to restore those.)
Lastly... you could opt to restore nothing at all and just re-create a user account. If you right-click on the Time Machine icon down in the dock, one of the options is to "Browse Other Time Machine Disks..." By clicking this you can open a backup and individually decide which files to restore -- being as selective as you wish.
Message was edited by: Tim Campbell1

I am a new Mac user. How do I easily move files to new locations and folders in Finder, like I was used to doing with Windows Explorer?

I am a new Mac user, converting from the Windows world. How do I easily transfer files from one folder location to another in Finder, like I was used to doing in Windows Explorer?

You can expand Finder into multi-panes, I am not at my Mac right now to get the exact key strokes so don't want to mislead you. Do so many things on auto-pilot that when someone asks I need the machine so I can get the exact things to click on.
But you can get the multi-pane view and drag and drop from pane to pane.

How do I set Firefox to ALWAYS open with my selected home page, and never show the page trying to reopen a previously opened site?

Frequently when I reopen Firefox, I am greeted with a page that wants to reopen a previously viewed site. I '''never''' want this page to come up when I open Firefox. I only want the home page to open. If I want to revisit a site, I will personally go there the normal way. This is a feature of Firefox that could just as well be permanently removed. How do I change the settings in Foxfire so I always get what I want when I open Foxfire?

Clear the cache and the cookies from sites that cause problems.
"Clear the Cache":
*Firefox/Tools > Options > Advanced > Network > Cached Web Content: "Clear Now"
"Remove Cookies" from sites causing problems:
*Firefox/Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies: "Show Cookies"
You can remove all data stored in Firefox from a specific domain via "Forget About This Site" in the right-click context menu of an history entry ("History > Show All History" or "View > Sidebar > History") or via the about:permissions page.
Using "Forget About This Site" will remove all data stored in Firefox from that domain like bookmarks, cookies, passwords, cache, history, and exceptions, so be cautious and if you have a password or other data from that domain that you do not want to lose then make a note of those passwords and bookmarks.
You can't recover from this 'forget' unless you have a backup of the affected files.
It doesn't have any lasting effect, so if you revisit such a 'forgotten' website then data from that website will be saved once again.

Does "Reset all settings" reset the Home screen and folders?

As per the subject... :-)
NB. I'm on iOS6 but I imagine the answer is the same for 4 & 5 too...
Apologies if this has been asked before, I have searched for the answer but can't find it.
Thanks
Tim

I just did that but now its back to then screen where i have to configure it. I selected restore from back up on itunes but when i connect to itunes, it doesnt take any action as in no response from the phone. what to do now ?

How do I resort files and folders by name in Column View of Finder when Arrange by Name doesn't work?

I was using the arrange by function to select different arrangements of the files and folders in Finder (column view) but now that I want to return to having them arranged by Name, it is not rearranging the files/folders by name. Instead they stay in a totally random, non-alphabetical arrangement. List view sorts without issue by clicking on the column header. It is column view that will not return to arranging by name. Please help me figure out what is wrong.
Thank you!

Repair Disk Permissions in Disk Utility, reboot the computer in Safe Mode then restart normally and test.

Smart Folders to find files with certain priviledges

How do I set up a smart folder to display files that have only read&write privileges within a directory.

You mmight have better success using a standard Finder search. In the Finder press Command-F and then you can apply various filters to isolate files based on kind, name, dates created/modified, and a large number of additional metadata criteria.
If for some reason you can only find files that you have already modified (ie, by searching wiith modification date), then one way to reverse this for a search is to first find these files, then select them all and apply a Finder label to them (ie, "Red") and then perform the search on the same folders again but this time search for all items that are not labeled "Red" and your other items should show up.

Windows Vista Home Version and Adobe Flash Player 10.

I use Windows Vista Home Version and I am finding it difficult to download Adobe Flash Player 10.
It appears to have been downloaded but on examining Control Panel, I discovered that its content is empty (no size is aportioned to it).
Most importantly, I am unable to play videos that require adobe flash player.

I understand Vista is a 32 bit.
IE 8 is what I have but I would consider IE 9 if that would be necessary.
Just a bit more update. I just tried to download Adobe FP 10 again with the following results, again:
The Adobe Download Manager windows shows:
FP 10.3 Status as 100% "Installation Pending".
FP 10.2 Status as 100% " Instatlling Application"
and that will go one forever but never really actually installs anything and just keeps cycling through the "Add to Download" e.g. "Fanbase", "Times Reader"
and "Adobe Air" (none of which I want added to the download), and the download and installation shows as 100%.
Go figure!

Show hidden files and folders

Is there a way to show all the hidden files and folders in Finder? Thanks in advance.

Hi, Jon.
The freeware application TinkerTool will permit you to enable or disable the display of hidden or invisible files.
Be careful when working with hidden and invisible files: they are hidden and invisible for a reason!
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X

I am trying to navigate mail and can't find a slider bar to scroll on a MacBook Air. Also I can't find a Home or End key.

I am trying to navigate mail and can't find a slider bar to scroll on a MacBook Air. Also I can't find a Home or End key.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
The scroll bar only appears when you are scrolling with your trackpad. If you want to make it show always, open System Preferences > General, and mark "Always" next to "Show scroll bars".
Then, Mac keyboards have not got a Home or End key

Selecting, home, end, and folders in Finder

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