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Author Topic: Services Menu I  (Read 8391 times)

Offline Gregg

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Services Menu I
« on: November 13, 2008, 12:24:18 PM »
If you've read the December Macworld, perhaps you caught the "Secrets" article, OS X's Most Underused Shortcut. It's all about the Services menu, thus the topic title. (more on that in a minute) The article calls the Services menu a "little known and even more rarely used feature".

You find it in the application's menu; Safari or Firefox, etc. I don't know if it appears in other browsers, and the article reveals that Office won't let you use the Services selections.

It's pretty cool. Select some text, then go to Safari/Firefox/ Services and pick from the options there. You can look up the word in Dictionary, open Stickies and create one with the selected text automagically, search Google for the selected word(s), etc.

I couldn't get the Chinese Text Converter to do anything, but I assume that's because I don't have the necessary font installed. Another puzzle is the Speech option. Start Speaking Text didn't work for me either. I tried to find some setting that needed to be switched on, but never got it to work. I'll have to play with it some more this weekend or sometime.

Check it out! And check out the Services Menu II topic....

oops.gif I meant to put both topics in the Technical forum!
« Last Edit: November 13, 2008, 12:29:13 PM by Gregg »
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Offline RNKIII

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« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2008, 12:45:54 PM »
Move done!!


Bob K  rnkiii
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Offline Gregg

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« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2008, 12:48:59 PM »
QUOTE(RNKIII @ Nov 13 2008, 12:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Move done!!

That was fast! Before my lunch hour ends/ended, even!
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2008, 05:26:13 PM »
Isn't that so nice of M$! Some developers even add items to that menu!! What a cocept, use what Apple provides instead of reinventing the wheel! Evenake yuor app more useful!

In most any app, just place the cusor I over a word at press cntrl-d. That should automatically open Dictionery with you word inserted. If that didn't work try Option-d, I'm not at my Mac, so I can't confirm. NOTE: There is no need to actually select/highlight the word, just 'hover' over it.

Of course, if you don't like using the keyboard, you can 'right-click' and get the special menu thing.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2008, 02:32:07 AM by Highmac »
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Offline Gregg

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« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2008, 08:28:07 PM »
QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Nov 13 2008, 05:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
In most any app, just place the cusor I over a word at press cntrl-d. That should automatically open Dictionery with you word inserted.

That didn't work in Safari, Word, or Excel.
However, Command-D in Word opens the Format/Font dialog box. That does not work in Excel, as I wish it would.

Apparently the Services menu isn't as big of a secret as Macworld makes it out to be. I had never explored it before.... in case that wasn't obvious.
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Offline krissel

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« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2008, 05:12:42 AM »
Speak text works for me under Camino as did a zillion other things that showed up in the drop down. I found a whole bunch of applications I didn't even know I had installed. rolleyes.gif

To make snippets of text I just highlight and drag to the desktop. That is the one feature that you can't do in Opera which keeps me from using that browser.  dry.gif
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Offline Gregg

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« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2008, 06:52:55 AM »
QUOTE(krissel @ Nov 14 2008, 05:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I found a whole bunch of applications I didn't even know I had installed.


Sorry. or... You're welcome! (depending on your point of view)

I, OTOH, have an application installed that I cannot find. laugh.gif
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2008, 04:05:26 PM »
My bad! Try cntrl-command-d with the cursor over a word. I know it works in Safari and Mail. Probably only Cocoa or just Apple Apps. Sorry. Sekund mizteaks uf tha yeer! wallbash.gif
« Last Edit: November 14, 2008, 04:06:03 PM by Xairbusdriver »
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THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
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And the United States = The Banana system
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Offline kimmer

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« Reply #8 on: November 14, 2008, 10:11:11 PM »
Services ... love it but mostly hate it.

"Search with Google" works in many aps that I have ... but every time it launches Safari instead of my default browser (FF). I find this really annoying and so I have stopped using Services because I can't seem to customize the features I'd like to use.
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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« Reply #9 on: November 15, 2008, 01:41:57 PM »
QUOTE
every time it launches Safari instead of my default browser (FF)
Maybe that's because in Safari's Prefs, you still have Safari set as the Default browser?
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THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system
CAUTION! Childhood vaccinations cause adults! :yes:

Offline kimmer

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« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2008, 02:18:52 PM »
QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Nov 15 2008, 11:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE
every time it launches Safari instead of my default browser (FF)
Maybe that's because in Safari's Prefs, you still have Safari set as the Default browser?

Hmmm ... good point.

Okay, just looked and it shows FF as my default browser.

I think it's an Apple feature, not a bug. wink.gif
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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« Reply #11 on: November 15, 2008, 04:53:19 PM »
It may very well be that the 'service' is hard wired/coded to open Safari, when available. dntknw.gif I used to have an app/Prefernce Panel that allowed one to set whatever app one wanted to handle any file suffix. It was also used to designate 'default' apps. I don't seem to find it now and it may not have worked on Leopard and I trashed it (so I didn't have to 'look back!'). biggrin.gif When the computer doesn't do what I tell it or something that frustrates me pc.gif, I find it helps to let out a short, primal scream. Hurt.gif It may upset your cat and I don't recommend it in a library. blush2.gif
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THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system
CAUTION! Childhood vaccinations cause adults! :yes:

Offline RHPConsult

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« Reply #12 on: November 15, 2008, 10:09:47 PM »
I really enjoy MacWorld's weekly "hints" by e-mail, with active links to its web site.

Since I'm now ALL Leopard – better late than never – I've been learning a lot about the Tiger/Leopard distinctions, in practice.

Pogue's Missing Manual on Leopard is truly fascinating. I was telling George and RNKIII today about cleaning up my Dock, while preserving therein both frequently-used and less-used but "favorite" apps.

As follows . . .[list=1]
  • Open a New Folder on your DT
  • Name it FavApps, er sumthin'
  • Open your Application Folder; look at your present Dock
  • Choose (1 at a time) the apps that are in your Dock that are not the most frequent you open, but are still useful to have in the Dock
  • Highlight those apps in the Apps Folder (1 at a time) and then  APPLE/L (ell) to make an alias in the Apps Folder
  • Drag each alias, in turn, to the FavApps Folder
  • Drag the completed FavApps Folder to the Dock
  • Click and hold to choose/decide on how you want the Folder's contents to emerge from the Dock . . . fan, grid, or list.


Others, over the years in these posts have recommended 3d party apps to set up quick access to various applications.

As here .. .
[attachment=1105:FavApps.jpg]


This seems to me to be a neat (OEM) one.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2008, 02:52:07 PM by kbeartx »
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Offline kimmer

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« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2008, 03:31:19 AM »
QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Nov 15 2008, 02:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I used to have an app/Prefernce Panel that allowed one to set whatever app one wanted to handle any file suffix. It was also used to designate 'default' apps. I don't seem to find it now and it may not have worked on Leopard and I trashed it (so I didn't have to 'look back!'). biggrin.gif

That would have been Application Enhancer. I know because you got me to use it to solve some prob I was having a few years ago. It now works under 10.5, but I don't know if it runs on an IntelMac.

QUOTE(RHPConsult @ Nov 15 2008, 08:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Pogue's Missing Manual on Leopard is truly fascinating.

Now wait just a minute. You mean Pogue gets paid to put this idea in his book? Not fair! He *OWES* me moola. I've been doing this for years. Made my own "favorites" folder back when we could first make aliases. Moved my "favorites" to my dock when I first went all fancy with OSX. So, it was my intellectual property before he sold it. Boy, oh, boy. What's this world coming to, anyhow. wink.gif  toothgrin.gif
« Last Edit: November 16, 2008, 02:53:45 PM by kbeartx »
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Offline RHPConsult

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« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2008, 08:44:40 AM »
But, Kimmer, was it this fast, this colorful, this f-a-n-c-y ?
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