Can you make programs Quit by clicking the X

[c073186]

I have noticed that by default, certain applications (Calculator, System Preferences (not an application but still) will actually quit when you click the X in the upper left. Others, like Safari, do not quit, they just close that window. Is that a setting that can be changed? So that I could hit the X on, say, Quicktime or Mail and it would actually quit?

 

[edesignuk]

Nope, can't be changed.

 

[davidjearly]

I have noticed that by default, certain applications (Calculator, System Preferences (not an application but still) will actually quit when you click the X in the upper left. Others, like Safari, do not quit, they just close that window. Is that a setting that can be changed? So that I could hit the X on, say, Quicktime or Mail and it would actually quit?

Afraid not. This is actually a feature of OS X.

 

[TheSpaz]

They're called "Applications"... PC users use the word "Programs"... just pointing that out.

 

[iCeFuSiOn]

When you click on the close button in Mac OS X, it simply closes the window, leaving the application open in case you need to use it again in the near future. To quit an application quickly, just use the Command+Q keyboard shortcut. 🙂

 

[PlaceofDis]

They're called "Applications"... PC users use the word "Programs"... just pointing that out.

same thing. doesn't really matter.

When you click on the close button in Mac OS X, it simply closes the window, leaving the application open in case you need to use it again in the near future. To quit an application quickly, just use the Command+Q keyboard shortcut. 🙂

this depends.
the general rule is that any single window application (like iphoto or system prefs) quit when closing the window, whereas multi windowed applications just close the window and remain open.

command + Q though will always quite the app, yes.

 

[kolax]

Makes sense. CMD+W closes the Window. CMD+Q quits the program.

Applications like Safari, Word Documents etc can display multiple windows. If clicking the X caused all windows to be quit, this would be very annoying.

I don't really click on the traffic lights - I use keyboard shortcuts.

 

[iCeFuSiOn]

same thing. doesn't really matter.



this depends.
the general rule is that any single window application (like iphoto or system prefs) quit when closing the window, whereas multi windowed applications just close the window and remain open.

command + Q though will always quite the app, yes.

Hm yes this is true, I didn't think about iPhoto, GarageBand, etc. I was thinking more along the lines of Safari, Adium, Address Book, Mail, and what-not.

 

[TheSpaz]

Hm yes this is true, I didn't think about iPhoto, GarageBand, etc. I was thinking more along the lines of Safari, Adium, Address Book, Mail, and what-not.

That would be terrible. If you had your main browser window open in Safari and you closed a pop-up add (that somehow bypassed the Block Popups feature) would you want Safari to quit?

 

[iCeFuSiOn]

That would be terrible. If you had your main browser window open in Safari and you closed a pop-up add (that somehow bypassed the Block Popups feature) would you want Safari to quit?

Hell no. As it has already been stated, Command-Q is for quitting the entire application, Command-W closes the window. The original poster wanted the X button on applications to do the same thing as in Windows essentially, which is end the process entirely.

 

[theman]

i think what the OP wants is for an application to quit when you close the LAST window of a program, not if there are other windows. but still, i see it as a plus for it not to quit. if you want to open another window again shortly, it will open much faster. it makes quitting an application more of a final thing, when you're sure you're done with it.

 

[Whorehay]

Apple+Q and Apple+W are conveniently next to each other! I've used these two since the beginning of time 🙂

 

[c073186]

I see what you guys are saying about multi-window apps. I get that. But what I was wondering is why certain applications, like Dictionary and System Preferences close with the X and others that are also single window apps (Address Book, iCal) do not close with the X. In any case it does not make a big difference ... command + Q is not much extra work; I was just curious.

 

[Tom B.]

I see what you guys are saying about multi-window apps. I get that. But what I was wondering is why certain applications, like Dictionary and System Preferences close with the X and others that are also single window apps (Address Book, iCal) do not close with the X. In any case it does not make a big difference ... command + Q is not much extra work; I was just curious.

I think the idea is that single-windowed applications that are still of use while they have no windows open will not quit when you close the window, but application of no use when no windows are open will quit. Hopefully you understand what I mean as I did not explain that too well. Maybe someone else an help me

 

[ScoobyMcDoo]

From the Apple human interface guidelines:

Closing Windows

Users can close windows by:

*

Choosing Close from the File menu
*

Pressing Command-W
*

Clicking the close button

When a user closes a document window, your application should:

*

Decide what to do with unsaved data (see “Dialogs for Saving, Closing, and Quitting”)
*

Store the window’s onscreen position and size (so they can be used when the window is reopened)

In most cases, applications that are not document-based should quit when the main window is closed. For Example, System Preferences quits if the user closes the window. If an application continues to perform some function when the main window is closed, however, it may be appropriate to leave it running when the main window is closed. For example, iTunes continues to play when the user closes the main window.