Moving focus using the keyboard?

[guru_ck]

Hey Guys - Hope you can answer this question for me...

If I have a dialog box on screen with multiple options such as "Yes" and "No" and "No" is the default option selected (it's blue) but I want to select "Yes" without using my mouse how would I do that? Tapping the left and right arrow keys does not move the focus like it does in Windows.

Thanks!

[robbieduncan]

Do you have "Full keyboard access" turned on in the Keyboard Shortcuts tab in the Keyboard & Mouse preference pane is System Preferences?

[gr8tfly]

Try Full Keyboard Access.

In System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts, enable Full Keyboard Access for All controls.

You should be able to tab to the button you want.

Also, check out the keyboard shortcuts under "Keyboard Navigation". For instance, ^F2 moves focus to the menu bar where you can select each menu and its items using the arrow keys.

By default, though, "return" will activate the glowing button, and cmd-period will cancel the dialog.

[guru_ck]

Try Full Keyboard Access.

In System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts, enable Full Keyboard Access for All controls.

You should be able to tab to the button you want.

Also, check out the keyboard shortcuts under "Keyboard Navigation". For instance, ^F2 moves focus to the menu bar where you can select each menu and it's items using the arrow keys.

By default, though, "return" will activate the glowing button, and cmd-period will cancel the dialog.

Awesome, very informative post. Looks like it's doing what I want it to now but thats annoying how you can't just move focus to cancel and press return. Oh well I guess i'll just have to adapt to command-period. Thanks!

[gr8tfly]

Awesome, very informative post. Looks like it's doing what I want it to now but thats annoying how you can't just move focus to cancel and press return. Oh well I guess i'll just have to adapt to command-period. Thanks!

Glad it helped.

As for the Cancel button (and, others), use "space". I think that'll do what you want.

[Sean046]

As a Mac noob myself, I needed this info too. The local Apple store were unable to answer my question. As I was leaving, one of the sales guys who'd been trying to get an answer tried this:

In 'some' applications (I've only tried MS Word and Excel so far - no flames please, I need them for Uni, and they were free:)), just press the letter of the first word on the button ie for 'Don't Save' on an Office programme like Word or Excel, just press the 'D'.

I can't seem to replicate this outside of Word and Excel though; I'd love to be able to...

Edit:
...By default, though, "return" will activate the glowing button...
On my MBP, the "Return" key is accepting the default chosen button, not the one that's been tabbed-to. The space bar is pressing the tabbed-to button. Mac OS X 10.6.04 if that's any help.