Administrative Assistant / Secretary: Using Apple Macintosh

Overview of the Apple Macintosh
While many Apple Macintosh computers can run Microsoft Windows in a dual operating system mode, they also feature Apple’s own operating system, OS X. Regardless of which operating system is used, Apple Macintosh computers can run the most common business applications including Microsoft Windows.

Navigating with Mac OS X
There are multiple options for finding files and programs in OS X, including the Dock, the Finder, and the Apple Menu.
The Dock is a bar across the bottom of the screen that stores icons for frequently used programs. You can open a program by clicking its icon on the Dock, and when you are working with several open programs at the same time, you can easily switch between them by clicking their Dock icons. You can add a program to the Dock simply by dragging its icon to the Dock.
The Finder is a navigational tool that allows you to locate files and programs stored on the Macintosh. You can access the Finder on either the Dock or the Apple menu.
The Apple Menu can be accessed by clicking the small apple icon in the top left corner of the screen. This menu includes access to the system preferences as well as shutting down the Mac; however, it also includes a list of recently accessed items that makes it easy to open the programs or files that you use the most often.
A shortcut to a program or file called an alias can be created and moved to the desktop for easy access. Many Macintosh computers have an alias that represents the computer’s hard drive that is positioned in the top right corner of the screen. You can double-click the hard drive icon to find files and programs

Opening and Closing Programs
Mac OS X programs can be found on the Dock, in folders on the hard drive, or on the desktop. Programs are represented as icons.
To open a program from the Dock, single-click the icon. To open a program from its icon on the desktop, double-click the icon.

Apple Mac OS X.


The normal location for installed programs is the Applications folder on the hard drive. You can access the programs by double-clicking the hard drive icon on the desktop, and then click APPLICATIONS. A window will open displaying icons for all the installed programs. Double-clicking any of the program icons will open the program.
After working with a program, it is best to close the program before you shut down the computer. First, make sure you save your work before closing a program. Each program will have a menu item with the program’s name, in addition to typical menus like File, Edit, View, and so forth. To close a program, click the program menu, and then click QUIT. You can also close a program using the keyboard combination command + Q.

Working with Files
It is a good practice to make a backup copy of your work files and then store the backup copy on some type of external storage, such as a network drive, a CD or DVD, or a flash drive. If something should happen to the original file, you can access your work on the backup copy.
To copy a file, first select the file. Then, select the File Menu and click DUPLICATE. The copy will appear in the same location as the original with the word “copy” added to the name.
You can also copy a file by dragging and dropping it onto a different drive. Just open the target drive’s window on your desktop, and drag the file you want to copy to the drive window and release the mouse. If the new location where you want to store the copy is on the same drive as the original, you must hold down the option key while you drag and drop.
Dragging and dropping a file from one folder to another without holding the option key is how you move files in order to organize your work. It is a good idea to follow the procedures for organizing your computer files as described in Chapter 8, Keeping Accurate Records.
You can name your files almost anything you want; however, there is a 32-character limit including spacing and punctuation. If your files will eventually be used by you or someone else on a Windows-based machine, it is a good idea to keep the file names short.
To rename a file, select the file, and then click the name a second time. A shaded box will appear around the file name. You can then type the new name. When you are finished, click anywhere else on the screen.
From time to time you should delete old, unnecessary files in order to free up space on your drives. To delete a file, you can drag and drop it on the trash can icon on the Dock. An alternative is to select the file, and then click the File Menu followed by MOVE TO TRASH.
Files that are moved to the trash can stay in the trash until it is emptied. That way if you delete something by mistake, you can click the trash can icon to see a window with icons of all the deleted files. To undelete a file, just drag it back out of the trash can.
When you are certain that the files in the trash should indeed be deleted, in the Finder Menu, click EMPTY TRASH. A dialog box will inform you that the files will be deleted permanently if you proceed. To empty the trash, click OK.
In your role as an administrative assistant, you should organize the files you create in folders. You can create a new folder by clicking the File Menu and then selecting NEW FOLDER. Name your folders the way you would name the file folders in your filing cabinet. You can rename a folder the same way you rename a file. Click the name and a highlight box will appear around the file name. Then type the new name. You can organize your files by dragging and dropping them into the appropriate folders.
There are several options for viewing the files stored within a folder. The View options allow you to select whether you want to view the files as icons, in lists, or in columns. The toolbar on any folder window provides three icons for changing the view of the files. When you view your files as a list, you will see the file name and size, the date it was last modified, and what kind of file it is. When you view your files in columns, the columns will show the hierarchical structure of files and folders, which makes it easy to navigate. You can also arrange you files so they sort according to name, date modified, date created, size, or kind. Clicking the column header will cause the files to sort by the particular header you pick.
Rather than having to click and drag a group of files one by one, you can select multiple files by pressing and holding the command key as you click. After you’ve made all your selections, release the command key and then drag and drop the group of files.
If you share your files with coworkers but need to prevent their being changed, you should change the permissions on the file. To do this, select the file, and then click the File Menu. From the File Menu, click GET INFO. Click the arrow next to OWNERSHIP & PERMISSIONS. On the Ownership & Permissions dialog box, click the Access dropdown list and select either READ ONLY access, NO ACCESS, or READ & WRITE ACCESS.

Creating an Alias
An alias is a shortcut that can be used to open files, folders, or programs. Rather than having to navigate using the Finder, you can create an alias and put it on the desktop.
To create an alias of a file, folder, or program, click the item, and then from the File Menu click MAKE ALIAS. The alias will appear next to the original. You can then rename the alias just like any other file and then drag and drop it on your desktop.
If you decide you don’t need the alias any longer, you can delete it from your desktop without harming the original file, folder, or program.

Saving Files
Saving files that you create using an Apple Macintosh OS X is almost the same as saving files created in Microsoft Windows. Click the File Menu for the application, and then click SAVE. The Save dialog box is used to add the file name and to select the location where the file will be saved.
To save an existing file with a new name, select the File Menu and click SAVE AS. You can then give the file a new name on the Save As dialog box.

Copy, Cut, and Paste
With an Apple Macintosh, you can easily copy, cut, and paste text or graphics from one place within a document to another or from one document to another. You can perform these tasks using either mouse commands or keyboard commands.
To copy with the mouse, select the text or graphic to be copied, then from the Edit Menu, click COPY. To do the same thing with your keyboard, after selecting the item, press command + C.
To cut something out with your mouse, select the text or graphic to be cut, then from the Edit Menu, click CUT. You can do the same thing on your keyboard by pressing command + X.
To paste something that you have copied to the clipboard, place your cursor where you want the item pasted, and from the Edit Menu, click PASTE. The keyboard equivalent is command + V.
The same process works whether you are copying and pasting within a document or between documents. In fact, you can usually copy and paste items between different Mac applications. Just follow the previous steps to copy the item, then switch to the new document or application, and follow the steps outlined above to paste.

Printing
You can print documents in Mac OS X by clicking the File Menu and then selecting PRINT. The Print dialog box will allow you to select the printer, the number of copies desired, and which page numbers to print. After adjusting the settings, click the PRINT button.
To add a printer to the list, from the Print dialog box, click the printer drop-down list and select EDIT PRINTER LIST. The Printer List dialog box will display. On the toolbar, click Add. From the Printers Menu, select ADD PRINTER. Using the lists, select the printer you want to use, then click ADD. You have the option at this point to make this your default printer by clicking MAKE DEFAULT.

Mouse and Keyboard Commands
One difference between an Apple Macintosh OS X and a Microsoft Windows computer is that the Mac mouse has only one button. In order to perform some of the features typically performed in Windows using a right-mouse click, the Mac uses a combination of mouse and keyboard commands.
The Open Apple or Command key is used in combination with other keys or the mouse to perform shortcuts that you would normally do by accessing a series of menu options. For example, to print a document you can follow the steps described in the previous topic, or you can press Command + P. Most Mac applications use the same keyboard combinations for common shortcuts.
In order to access the right-mouse click menus, holding down the CTRL key while clicking an item, will cause the Quick Menu to appear for that item. You can use the mouse to scroll through the menu a select a Quick Menu option.

Spotlight Functions
One of the most useful features available in Mac OS X is the spotlight feature. Spotlight is an indexing search that catalogs every program and every word of every document on your computer. You can use Spotlight to quickly locate anything on your computer in just a matter of seconds, rather than navigating through folders and trying to find a particular document. To access Spotlight, click the blue magnifying glass in the top right corner of the screen, then start typing the first few letters of the program or file you’re looking for, and the results start coming up instantaneously. You can also access Spotlight using the keyboard combination Command + Space.

Print to PDF
It is easy to create Adobe Acrobat PDF files with Mac OS X. Within any program, once you select the Print function, a Print dialog box will display. In the bottom left corner of the dialog box is a PDF button, which allows you to save your file as a PDF file.

Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts typically use the Command key along with another key to perform actions that could be accomplished with a series of mouse clicks. The following table shows a list of common Mac keyboard shortcuts.

Apple Macintosh Keyboard Shortcuts