Master Your Mac Master Your OS X Your Way Master OS X is a lot more than just a pretty face. Sure, the > Turn your Mac into a file or web server basics are easy, but beneath that gorgeous surface > Improve your web experience by creating lie countless powerful features. Safari extensions and using site-specific Your Mac If you want to go beyond the basics, Master browsers Your Mac will take you there. With tips on everything from organizing your workspace to strengthening > Secure your Mac with firmware passwords, your computer’s security, author Matt Cone will firewalls, and FileVault full-disk encryption show you how to tweak, customize, and control your Master Your Mac is packed with tips and add- Mac. And since many of the best tools for unlocking ons to make everything you do with your Mac faster, your Mac’s potential don’t come with OS X, you’ll easier, and better. Make OS X your own. discover the best apps to fix those everyday Apple annoyances and make your computer do things your way. About the Author In Master Your Mac, you’ll find out how to Matt Cone, a freelance writer specializing in Apple change hidden defaults and enable undocumented hardware and software, has been a Mac user for features; repair disk permissions to improve perfor- more than 20 years. A former ghostwriter for some mance and keep things humming along; monitor of Apple’s most notable instructors, Cone founded your system; and even create a bootable USB drive Macinstruct.com in 1999, one of the most popular for emergencies. You’ll also learn how to: online destinations for OS X tutorials. > Automate day-to-day tasks with AppleScript, triggers, and Automator macros > Handle massive amounts of email and media Covers Mountain Lion with synced accounts and spam filters THE FINEST IN GEEK ENTERTAINMENT™ “I LIE FLAT.” This book uses RepKover — a durable binding that won’t snap shut. CONE www.nostarch.com simple ways to tweak, Price: $29.95 ($32.95 CDN) / Shelve in: Operating Systems/Mac customize, and secure os x MATT CONE INDEX Numbers Alfred (application launcher), 58, AppleScript 1-2-3 (Soghoian and 60–67 Cheeseman), 130 1Password, 154, 276, 282–285 for computer control, 66 AppleScript Editor, 123–126 browser extension, 282–284 Dictionary application and, application firewall, 308 integrating with Dropbox, 63–64 application launchers. See also 284–285 for math, 62 Alfred Preferences window, 65 configuring Spotlight as, 59–60 A setting up, 60–63 LaunchBar, 67–76 system commands in, 66 application switcher, opening files abbreviations, in LaunchBar, Alfred Powerpack, 60, 66 with, 31 training in, 70–71 Amazon, 202 application-level keyboard actions. See also files, actions; EC2 cloud computing shortcuts, 4 folders, actions platform, 306 changing and adding, 8–10 AppleScripts as, 153–154 for Tor relay, 327 applications based on Bluetooth proximity AND operator, in Spotlight, 23 AppleScript use with, 126–127 monitor, 133–135 anonymity on Internet, 297, 319–327 automatically starting at login, configuring for Sidekick, 150–152 Apache web server, 246–247 13–18 location-based, 147–154 AppCleaner converting websites to, 219–227 active application removing applications with, crash, and hard disk repair Divvy to resize, 36 43–45 needs, 356 hiding, 5 SmartDelete in, 44 hiding all except active, 5 quitting, 4 appfirewall.log file, viewing, 311 iCloud use with, 231–232 active window, closing or Apple quitting active, 4 minimizing, 5 cloud music service, 190. See quitting for power Activity Monitor, 342, 344–345 also iTunes Match conservation, 382 adapter, for display port, 89 Developer website, 130 receipt for installed, 350 address bars, for site-specific FileVault recovery key removing, 41–46 browsers, 221 storage by, 333 with AppCleaner, 43–45 Adium, 135, 154 Apple ID, 190 with Launchpad, 42–43 Adobe Flash Player (preference linking to iCloud, 230 resuming at login, 16–17 pane), 45 AppleJack, 359 routing data through Tor, advanced alert, from script, 129 AppleScript, 121–130 323–324 AirPort, disabling on laptop, 381 as action, 153–154 saving script as, 130 AirPort Express Base Station, capabilities, 122 switching between, 30–31 255, 256 changing into folder action, 140 with Mission Control, 34–35 AirPort Extreme Base Station, 255 dictionary, 126–127 Applications folder, 57 connecting hard drive to, executing, 66 Apptivate, 12 257–258 for file and folder actions, AppZapper, 46 connecting printer’s USB 137–146 archive file (disk image), 110 cable to, 256 flow-control structures, 127–128 archiving. See also backups connecting USB hub to, 262 In Range script, 133, 134 email with MailSteward, 165–169 passwords, 261 launching, 130 finding messages in alarms, for laptop, 136 learning by example, 125–126 MailSteward archive, Alarms application, 183, 185–187 Out of Range script, 133, 134 168–169 album cover artwork, 197 use with applications, 126–127 folders, 145 alerts user interface for scripts, Areo Snap (Windows 7), 37 Alarms application for 128–130 audio alerts, from Pester, 185 advanced, 185–187 variables, 127 Aurora, 53 creating basic, 184–185 voice commands, creating authentication, after enabling in Pester, 183, 184–185 with, 105 FileVault, 332 from script, 128, 129 writing and running first, 123–124 390 | Index Master Your Mac ©2012, Matt Cone author: search operator Blind Backup Left-to-right synchroni- monitoring, 271–272 (Spotlight), 23 zation option, 268 notifications from, 272 automated backup process, 362 Bluetooth, disabling on laptop, 381 Readiness State pane in, 268 automating tasks. See AppleScript; Bluetooth proximity monitor, selecting synchronization macros 131–136 option, 268–269 Automator performing actions based on, setting up synchronizations, vs. AppleScript, 122 133–135 267–271 for creating folder actions, setting up, 132–133 synchronizing files, 269–270 140–142 Boolean operators, in Spotlight, 23 client-side filtering of spam, vs. macro creation with, 110–114 Bootable Left-to-right synchroniza- server-side, 176–177 Away message, Out of Range script tion option, 268 cloning hard drives, 367 for setting, 135 booting, in single-user mode, 358 closing active window, 5 brightness cloud, 229–236 B automatically adjusting, 48, 49 backup storage on, 370–372 of displays and keyboard storing passwords in, 285 Back to My Mac, 237–244 backlight, 380–381 coconutBattery application, 379 background transfer of data, 317 BusyCal, 188 color of display Backup Left-to-right synchronization Butler, 76 adjusting at night, 51–53 option, 268 settings for, 90–91 backups, 361–376 C color of file label, 140 Dropbox for, 232 COMMAND key, symbol for, 5 excluding files from, 365 Caffeine, 47, 50–51 command line, rebuilding Spotlight of hard disks, 330 calculations index with, 26 of keychain, 281–282 Alfred for, 62 compressing, folders, 145 making exact copy of hard disk, in Spotlight, hiding results, 21 computer, controlling, Alfred for, 66 366–370 Calendar, 188 conditional flow-control plan for, 362–363 scheduling events, in LaunchBar, structures, 128 restoring from, 373–376 73–74 Contacts scheduling, 364–365 synchronizing Alarms accessing from LaunchBar, storing on Internet, 370–372 application with, 186–187 72–73 before synchronization, 269–270 calibrating battery in laptop, synchronizing Alarms Time Machine, 257, 363–366 382–384 application with, 186–187 backward button, for site-specific cascading style sheets (CSS), CONTROL key, symbol for, 5 browsers, 221 overriding for site-specific converting websites, to applica- Bambenek, John, Grep Pocket browsers, 223 tions, 219–227 Reference, 28 categories in Spotlight, disabling, 59 cover art, adding to iTunes, 197 bandwidth central processing unit (CPU), 343 CoverSutra, 193 for CrashPlan, 372, 373 Activity Monitor for checking keyboard shortcuts for, 194 limiting with NoobProof, 313 use, 345 using player, 195 for SOCKS proxy, 299–300 iStat Menus for monitoring, 347 CPU (central processing unit), 343 for Tor relay, 326 certificate, for Safari developers, Activity Monitor for checking Bare Bones Software, 126 208 –211 use, 345 battery in laptop Certificate Signing Request, 210 iStat Menus for monitoring, 347 calibrating, 382–384 character recognition, with CrashPlan, 370–372 energy settings jitouch, 82 configuring network options, 372 configuration, 380 Cheeseman, Bill, restoring from backup, 375–376 maintenance, 377–384 AppleScript 1-2-3, 130 credit card numbers, protecting monitoring status, 379–380 Chrome. See Google Chrome web with Keychain Access, 280 replacing, 384 browser cron, for disk permission repairs, 352 tips for maintaining health, 378 ChronoAgent, 264 CronniX, 353–354 Belkin Zero Stand, 95 ChronoSync, 263–272 crontab, 352 BetterTouchTool, 80, 84–85 connecting computers, 264–267 CSS (cascading style sheets), over- BitTorrent, 327 installing, 264 riding for site-specific blacklisting, 309 mapping accounts for, 266 browsers, 223 Master Your Mac Index | 391 ©2012, Matt Cone custom keyboard shortcuts, displays email, 157–169. See also Mail creating, 10–12 adjusting settings, 89–91 application customizing Mac, 6 color and resolution, 89–90 adding accounts to Gmail, cycling through windows, 31 color at night, 51–53 177–179 positioning, 89–90 archiving, with MailSteward, D brightness of, 380–381 165–169 connecting multiple, 87–95 composing messages, in Dashboard, 31, 32 energy settings, 48–49 LaunchBar, 72–73 Dashboard widgets, removing, 43 menu bar availability on frequency of checks for, 158–159 data packets, encryption layers multiple, 93–94 processing with keystrokes, for, 320 port on Mac for, 88–89 163–165 database-driven website, hosting, DNS, dynamic, 252–253 to send files to Dropbox, 236 247–248 DNS encryption, 306 smart mailbox creation, 160–161 data-sniffing, HTTPS for protection DNSCrypt software, 306 spam, 171–182 against, 293 Dock, 5, 57 tags for categorizing, 161–163 date: search operator (Spotlight), 23 document categories, in emergency USB drive, 385–389 default web browser, setting Spotlight, 21 creating, 387–388 Safari as, 222 documentation, for extension evaluating options, 386 DELETE key, symbol for, 5 creation, 217 using, 388–389 deleting.