The Option key is a modifier key present on Apple keyboards. On most Apple keyboards, it’s located next to the Space Bar between the Control key and Command key. Mac desktop keyboards typically have two Option keys, while notebooks usually only have one. The Option key is stamped with the word Option, along with the word “alt”, and thus serves as the Alt key with Windows programs (and under Boot Camp).
As a modifier key, Option has many hidden abilities:
* Perhaps most usefully, the Option key allows you to type accents over letters, along with non-letter characters such as the trademark, copyright, all-rights-reserved symbols, and other characters including bullets, hearts, and specialized math symbols. Note that this works in most applications.
* To type the trademark symbol, hold down the option key and the number 2 key at the same time (option-2). To type the copyright symbol, press Option-g at the same time. To type the all rights reserved symbol, press Option-r.
* In many applications, the Option key dynamically changes the menu bar at the top of the screen. For example, in Safari, when you open the Window menu, the “Minimize” link dynamically changes to “Minimize All” while holding down the option key. Try this in Safari, Mail, iChat, etc.
* Holding down the Option key can instantly close all open Finder windows scattered about your desktop. Simply hold down the Option key while closing a single Finder window, and the rest will all close as well.
* In Safari, clicking a link while holding down the Option key will download the linked file to your Mac’s desktop or downloads file (depending how you have the preference set in Safari.) This is an effective way to download linked PDFs.
* In iTunes, hold down the Option key while pressing “delete” to move any song (or batch of songs) from an iTunes playlist directly into your Mac’s trash. Normally (without using the Option key), when you delete a song from a playlist in iTunes, the song is only removed from the playlist and NOT the iTunes library. Used in conjunction with Smart Playlists, this is a great way to clean up your library.
* Also in iTunes, hold down the Option key – the Create Playlist button switches to a Create Smart Playlist button.
* In iPhoto, holding down the option key toggles the rotate button between “rotate right” and a “rotate left.
“Apple has good instructions for typing a symbol over a letter.”:http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/type_european.html (note that the following accents won’t render correctly in the plaintext version of this email; see the newsletter in a browser to see the accents, or try the tip in Mail, Pages, TextEdit, etc.)
To type “café” with the right-leaning acute accent over the e, type c, a, f, then press Option-E), then the final e. It’s the same for résumé, fiancée, or blasé.
In most of these combinations, the acute accent key command is linked to the letter most likely to need the symbol in question — in this case, the letter e. But if you need to type the Italian limóne, say, you press Option-E, then o. For Spanish está, it’s Option-E, then a. Read about this in detail “by clicking here.”:http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/type_european.html
Here are a few I use; please send in any you use, and we will include them in Kibbles next week!
