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Mac OS X Leopard: File name Fix

THE DOUBLE-CLICK FILENAME FIX

If you’re working in a

window set to Column

view, you’re going to

run into this all the

time—when a file’s

name is longer than

the width of the column, the middle part of the filename is replaced with dots to make it shorter. That’s not usually a problem, but if you have one fi le named “Grandma Ford Final Portrait” and another named “Grandma Ford Un-retouched Portrait,” then  everything between “Grandma Ford” and “Portrait” is cut out. Luckily, there’s a quick fi x—just double-click the column resize button (the two little lines) at the bottom of the vertical column divider bar, and the column will expand just enough so you can see even the longest fi lename of any fi le in that column. It works the opposite way as well: if you have a column that is way too wide, double-click the resize button and the column will shrink to the perfect size. Pretty darn sweet!

SEE A LONG FILENAME WITHOUT WIDENING THE COLUMN

The previous tip showed how you can resize a

column with a double-click to be able to read

long filenames. If you just need to read one

name and don’t want to bother resizing the

entire column, just hold your cursor over the

file’s truncated name for a few seconds and

eventually its full name will pop up. So what’s the problem? The “few seconds” part.  Instead, press-and-hold the Option key, then put your cursor over the file’s name, and its  full name will appear instantly.