Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How Can I Set Up Keyboard Shortcut for "Spaces?"

HappyDude20

HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
3,688
1,479
Los Angeles, Ca
It wasn't until I got my new MPB that I realized how much I use Spaces on a daily basis, when I had my whitebook.

I've set up Spaces on my new uMBP but can't find a way to "view all my spaces." You know, the overview look of spaces, when you can see all your spaces at a glance and click to switch on whichever space you wanna enter.

Well, I can't for the life of my figure out how to set up a keyboard shortcut for this. Back on my whitebook it was always set to F10, but looking at the new layout of buttons on the top row of the keyboard, there are some buttons I'd like to leaver untouched.

F1+F2: Screen brightness controls I'd like to leave untouch since they're obviously useful.

F3: This is Expose right? Giving me a view of all open windows. Well, can't I just do this already by moving 4 fingers downward on the trackpad? If that's the case, which I think it is I wouldn't mind assigning F3 a different shortcut, like Spaces. But how?

F4: Dashboard. On the whitebook it was always F12, guess it'll just take some getting used to.

F5+F6: Backlit keyboard dimmers, i'm fine leaving thouse as is.

F7-F12: Controls media with the back, play/pause, next button which I love & the sound controls which I don't mind.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In System Prefs. in Spaces I'll set "Activate Spaces" to F3 but still F3 will do Expose. I'm not sure how to change this.

& I have no idea what secondary mouse click or middle mouse button is...i'm guessing this has to do with mighty mouse? Me no have one, just using the trackpad..
 
Excuse my ignorance, but have you told Expose not to activate with F3?

I don't have a uMBP, but on my MB I can choose which key activates Expose, and which key activates Spaces. (Expose defaults to F9)

I can set Expose to '-', and Spaces to 'F9' and it works fine.
 
t22design said:
Excuse my ignorance, but have you told Expose not to activate with F3?

I don't have a uMBP, but on my MB I can choose which key activates Expose, and which key activates Spaces. (Expose defaults to F9)

I can set Expose to '-', and Spaces to 'F9' and it works fine.
Click to expand...


I can't get this to work, hopefully the photos will explain my confusion on the matter.
 

Attachments

  • Picture 1.png
    Picture 1.png
    83 KB · Views: 56
  • Picture 2.png
    Picture 2.png
    74.8 KB · Views: 63
Hold down the fn key while you hit F3, and your Spaces will open up. It's annoying, but it's the only way I've seen to do it.
 
Cinder6 said:
Hold down the fn key while you hit F3, and your Spaces will open up. It's annoying, but it's the only way I've seen to do it.
Click to expand...

Oh man, you're right, it's really annoying. fn & F3 are so far away from each other.

Looks like the best option I have is fn+F1, which still kinda sucks.

I guess my other option would be to devote a corner to spaces in expose...

..but who the hell uses expose?

I've never met a mac user that does...but, iono. Seems really easy to accidentally open up an expose corner when surfing the web and overall just using the computer.
 
HappyDude20 said:
Oh man, you're right, it's really annoying. fn & F3 are so far away from each other.

Looks like the best option I have is fn+F1, which still kinda sucks.

I guess my other option would be to devote a corner to spaces in expose...

..but who the hell uses expose?

I've never met a mac user that does...but, iono. Seems really easy to accidentally open up an expose corner when surfing the web and overall just using the computer.
Click to expand...

what about choosing F3 as your spaces key, and following the directions here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8763.html

no idea if that'll work, but worth a shot maybe? it basically switches what you need to hold down Fn for...

and I do use Expose every day... I have hot corners for Dashboard, Desktop (Expose), All Windows (Expose), and Spaces
 
smartalic34 said:
what about choosing F3 as your spaces key, and following the directions here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8763.html

no idea if that'll work, but worth a shot maybe? it basically switches what you need to hold down Fn for...

and I do use Expose every day... I have hot corners for Dashboard, Desktop (Expose), All Windows (Expose), and Spaces
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, I just tried out what it suggested and though it does switch the settings so all defaults now work with the addition of pressing "fn", it still does not activate new settings, such as setting Spaces to open just using "F3" or so.

In regards to using Expose, my concern would be that it might be annoying accidentally going to a corner. Perhaps Expose is something that takes time to get used to, but anytime i've used it I notice during the middle of my workflow i'll accidentally go to a certain corner and "Desktop, All Windows, or Spaces will come up, right in the middle, annoying me. But again, may take getting used to.
 
You could always put Spaces on another function key. I have mine set to F8, like it was on the white Macbooks. This way, it's a two-handed input, which is much easier than the hand-contorting one you'd have to do for fn+F3.
 
Cinder6 said:
You could always put Spaces on another function key. I have mine set to F8, like it was on the white Macbooks. This way, it's a two-handed input, which is much easier than the hand-contorting one you'd have to do for fn+F3.
Click to expand...

So you mean setting it to F8, yet still needing to push on "fn" utilizing 2 hands?

Not bad, but I really miss what I had going on my old whitebook, simply pushing F8. Honestly I don't care what "F#" I gotta push as long as it's only that one F# button.
 
I agree it's not ideal, but I think we're stuck with it. At least, by keeping the function key used on the right, you don't have to torque your hand around quite so uncomfortably.
 
Cinder6 said:
I agree it's not ideal, but I think we're stuck with it. At least, by keeping the function key used on the right, you don't have to torque your hand around quite so uncomfortably.
Click to expand...

I agree. I've just changed the setting for fn+F12. Oh well.

The new buttonless/muiti-touch trackpad is def. different from the whitebook i was used to. I guess it just takes some time to get used to.
 
Chris.L said:
I simply use F8. I have got tick box for 'Use F1, F2 etc. keys as standard function keys'
Click to expand...

Right, but unchecked, that box does it for all Function keys, and the OP want's to leave the other keys as special function keys.
 
what about setting up a multitouch gesture with multicluch that preforms the fn+f12 combo for you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back