Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!pprg.unm.edu!hc!lll-winken!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!nicky
From: nicky@cup.portal.com (nick john pilch)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Folder hierarchies in dialog boxes
Message-ID: <16556@cup.portal.com>
Date: 1 Apr 89 19:15:30 GMT
References: <686@salgado.stan.UUCP> <89490@felix.UUCP>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 38


 
>Someone here wants to use a key command to get to the previous folder 
>(we got him an extended keyboard and he quickly developed macro-mania).
>I thought I read or heard about a key that let you step back up the folder
>hierarchy in a dialog box, but couldn't find it. Anyone know of such a
>critter?

As of system 6.0, this is the behaivior I can see for all Standard File
dialog boxes:

Return or enter key will simulate a hit on the Open or Save button.
Command-period will hit the Cancel button.
Command-up arrow will move up a folder.
Command-down arrow will move down into a folder.
Tab will hit the Drive button.
And of course the up and down arrow keys will move you up and down the
file list.  Typing the name of the file you want will bring you to that
file in the Open File Standard File Dialog.

It interesting that some of the most basic parts of the built-in Mac
interface don't conform to Apple's user-interface guidelines.  None
of the above keys will hilight the button they are attached to (i.e.
flash it to give you visual feedback)  and the default button (Save or
Open) is not hilighted with the typical wide border.  After all these
years you'd think...

The programmer's have to do this themselves and it's a small pain.  There
is no mention in the programmer's documentation either that this might
be a good thing to do.  Most programmer's don't bother to implement the
correct behaivior possibly because users are so used to the wrong way.
For an example of the correct default button behaivior see THINK C's
Standard File Dialogs.

Nick Pilch
Mountain Lake Software
nicky@cup.portal.com
AppleLink: D1036