Hi i dont have my mac in front of me but i was wondering if it is possible to open a file by a single click in Mac OS X. I have set up Ubuntu to do this on my work computer and i find it very cool
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Single click to open up files ?
- Thread starter GuillaumeB
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There is no such feature that I'm aware of. The only things that require a single click to open are those you've dragged onto your dock.
Wow I can't believe that! Isn't that a requested feature ? This is so convenient it's a shame! Too bad i'm not a develper i would have built something for that 
thanks for your reply
thanks for your reply
well I really find it suprising that this lack of functionnality has not encouraged anyone to make up for it all these years ... let"s cross our fingers for SL
Macs have used double-clicking to open files and launch applications since 1984. Double-clicking works so well that it is second nature to most users. Single-clicking has performs other functions. There is no need to confuse the two functions.
i think what's cool is that instead of clicking on the bottom right to get the right click options on the desktop, or file, or a link
just tap what ever you want with two fingers and it gives you the same affect as clicking on the bottom right
just tap what ever you want with two fingers and it gives you the same affect as clicking on the bottom right
It is subjective, yes, but GUIs have used single-click to select and double-click to open for decades. Windows and Ubuntu are very much the exception, not the rule. Personally I find the single-click to open thing in Windows horribly confusing and I've never used it. It was born out of Microsoft's bizarre efforts to merge the Desktop and the Internet, including selection and clicking behaviour. IMO the computer should not be doing anything - in this case selecting files by hovering over them - unless I tell it to.
If you use PathFinder, it has an option to open a file if you single-click it's icon rather than it's name, but I think only for List View so it still wouldn't be exactly what you want.
I'm guessing you're too young to remember the Launcher or Mac OS 8 then, huh?
Not to mention the Button view.
That was what I was referring to... Although my memory fails me somewhat here: do you recall whether the button view was introduced in System 7 or MacOS 8? I know that Launcher was with 7.1.2P, but I thought that the whole "buttons for any folder" thing was one of the MacOS 8 features...
Wow I can't believe that! Isn't that a requested feature ? This is so convenient it's a shame! Too bad i'm not a develper i would have built something for that
The desire for single clicking applications to open them is subjective. I would find this massively inconvenient, and it's not going to happen anyway. Learn keyboard commands or program something to do it yourself.
Talk about a lack of objectivity. Could you please give one objective, factual reason why such a feature would be undesirable?
Not everyone has the same degree of physical ability. Some people physically can't double click, and can't use keyboard shortcuts. That's the objective truth of the matter. When Apple took this feature out of the Mac OS with OS X, they reduced the usefulness and accessibility of the OS for certain populations. Simple, incontrovertible, objective, fact.
It'd make renaming files much harder. "oops, misclicked once, now photoshop is launching"
No, but then again I don't need to. The onus is on whoever says that single-click-to-open "should" be implemented. Nice try though.
I sympathize with them. Looks like they won't be using OS X. Simple, incontrovertible, objective, fact.
That wasn't my experience in OS 9: Not being disabled myself, I never used the feature, so naturally it had no impact on my dragging, renaming, Getting Info, or any other selection-related operations whatsoever.
So, you're saying that accessibility for the disabled is not a valid reason? Okay...
Do you, now? Correct me if I'm wrong, but your basic premise seems to be, "Look, we could add a feature that would be a great help to people who need it, but have no impact to those who don't. Let's not". Am I misunderstanding you?
Looks like they won't...assuming Apple shares your reasoning.
However, I think that the mere presence of the Universal Access pane shows that Apple is willing to put in features to enhance the platform's appeal to the disabled.
Nope. If I said that, please show me where.
You are wrong. That's like saying that the military occasionally ruins property, so we shouldn't have it at all. There's an issue of greater utility here.
I think Apple's reasoning is something along the lines of "we don't want to re-program our entire user interface to serve the needs of a vast minority of our users."
This feature would be useful
I am helping senior people in my family with computers, and the windows feature "single click to activate" is an asset. On Mac os, they are wondering why and when is it needed to double or single click. For example, the dock is single click. But the apps folder is double click. And clicking in a document in the dock is single clik, but opening the same document in the document folder is double click. If anyone can tell me the logic behind, I would be interested. I don't mean"finder is double click dude", but WHY is the behavior different.
Furthermore, making two clicks at the same exact spot needs training. Single click is almost immediate.
I will check if some automator scripts could solve this. I will post it if I figure out something.
I am helping senior people in my family with computers, and the windows feature "single click to activate" is an asset. On Mac os, they are wondering why and when is it needed to double or single click. For example, the dock is single click. But the apps folder is double click. And clicking in a document in the dock is single clik, but opening the same document in the document folder is double click. If anyone can tell me the logic behind, I would be interested. I don't mean"finder is double click dude", but WHY is the behavior different.
Furthermore, making two clicks at the same exact spot needs training. Single click is almost immediate.
I will check if some automator scripts could solve this. I will post it if I figure out something.
Yes, exactly!
That's my problem: some time ago, not sure when or why, single clicking in the Finder opens the file, and it's driving me nuts. If I want to rename a file, I have to click on it and hold the mouse button for a bit before releasing it, then it's selected. Then I have to, again, click and hold the button for a bit before releasing it so it lets me rename it. It's a real PITA.
I have an iMac running 10.5.4, and I don't remember having changed any settings that might have caused this. I also can't find anywhere to change it to double-click, which is what it used to take to open a file. Help!
Simple Solution
It's a preference whether to single or double click. Using that logic dictates that if (from the numerous threads on the topic) half the users prefer one or the other, than it should be implemented in Preferences.
And is scrolling down to go up feel "natural" to anyone? Seems that is a preference that is toggle-enabled.
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That's what right-click is for. Hmmmm....that's never been mentioned.
It's a preference whether to single or double click. Using that logic dictates that if (from the numerous threads on the topic) half the users prefer one or the other, than it should be implemented in Preferences.
And is scrolling down to go up feel "natural" to anyone? Seems that is a preference that is toggle-enabled.
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That's what right-click is for. Hmmmm....that's never been mentioned.
