how to switch between buttons using keyboard?

[amitface]

I'm a Mac convert. Just got my MBP yesterday. I have one question. When I shutdown, it asks me whether I want to sleep, cancel, restart, or shutdown. I was wondering if there is any way to select between these using my keyboard. I feel like I've tried everything. It's a small thing, I know, but it's something I've been doing on Windows forever using arrows or tab.

Not only shutdown windows, but any dialog box, such as on web browsers and junk.

Thanks.

 

[robbieduncan]

You need to turn on full keyboard access at the bottom of the Keyboard Shortcuts tab in Keyboard & Mouse in System Preferences

 

[amitface]

ok, now tab changes focus of the buttons. but i still can't select them. Shutdown is always blue while the other buttons get a blue outline when I tab. Pressing enter just keeps shutting the computer down.

Please forgive my silly questions

 

[elbirth]

try hitting the space bar instead of enter

 

[heySparky]

I know that if you get the dialog box then press the "S" key, the computer will sleep. I don't know what other keystrokes will work.

 

[amitface]

try hitting the space bar instead of enter

ah, that'll do it. Thank you very much

 

[sfisher]

Along the same lines... a lot of dialogs have two default buttons selected: the one that is outlined in blue is activated by pressing the space bar and the one that is filled in solid blue is activated with the enter/return key

 

[infz]

You need to turn on full keyboard access at the bottom of the Keyboard Shortcuts tab in Keyboard & Mouse in System Preferences

Or hit Fn-Ctrl-F7. I've gotten very used to that keystroke because without full keyboard access it's a pain to traverse webforms. And with full keyboard access, it's a pain to use a lot of Apple's software (like tagging song info in iTunes). I hate hate hate that I have to keep switching between these options. There's something braindamaged about this system. Anyone else feel similarly?

 

[infz]

Along the same lines... a lot of dialogs have two default buttons selected: the one that is outlined in blue is activated by pressing the space bar and the one that is filled in solid blue is activated with the enter/return key

Another MacOS annoyance I have. I find the blue outline really faint so it's difficult to tell at-a-glance what will happen when I hit spacebar, especially since the blue conflicts so much with the wholly-blue button, whatever it happens to be.

I usually see this type of dialog when I go to change the extension on a file. I wish I could turn off that annoying dialog box -- when I change the file extension, I know what I'm doing. Anyone else have that problem?

Man, I guess it's my rant-about-MacOS day or something... sorry

 

[AdamL]

The blue button is the default and will be selected when you press enter. The highlighted button will be selected when you press the space bar. I've had my MBP since January and I finally figured that out about two months ago! lol It was really frustrating me and I never thought to ask anyone so I just hit random buttons to find out.

 

[utezduyar]

robbieduncan is the MAN!

robbieduncan, I have been looking for that so long. I did it before on another mac and I was sure that it is somewhere but I never found it until I read your email. Thanks a lot.

 

[The General]

You have a MacBook Pro?

Here's what you do:

CLOSE THE LID TO SLEEP.

Otherwise? Press enter to shutdown. Or use the mouse, not that hard.

Why would anyone ever use the sleep button from the menu?

 

[snowangel]

Thank you!

Turning on full keyboard access and using the tab key to switch field / spacebar to select works wonderfully for me. I am a 6 year mac user (PC convert) and admit that this has driven me nuts since day one. I recall looking for a solution back then and not finding anything. So glad I stumbled upon this thread!

Cheers!