Have you ever found your eight year old's Kid Pix files mixed in with last year's financial reports? Did you upgrade Microsoft Word and later realize you'd thrown half your files away because they were saved in the same folder as the old version of Word? Are you tired of delving through folder after folder to open the file you were working on yesterday? Did you mistype a file name in the Save As... dialog and then have to search for 5 minutes to find the file and correct the name?
If these sound familiar, Default Folder can save you time and aggravation. Default Folder is a control panel that makes it easier to manage files on your Macintosh by enhancing the Mac's standard Open and Save dialog boxes, like the one shown below.
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Default Folder's time-saving features allow you to:
窶｢ Set up a default folder for any or all applications.
For any or all of your applications, you can set a default folder which will be displayed when an Open or Save dialog comes up for the first time after you launch an application. This ensures that novice users won't save files in random places. It also saves time for experienced users by eliminating the need to navigate through many folders to open or save a specific file.
窶｢ Switch among folders quickly and easily.
When you move your mouse over the disk name, Default Folder displays the three pop-up menus labeled in the picture above. They let you quickly switch to other disks, go back to folders you have used recently, or switch to the default folder that you have set up for an application. You can also add new default folders or assign a new folder to the menu.
窶｢ Quickly create folders, get information, and move items to the Trash.
Default Folder lets you create new folders, move things to the Trash, and get information about a file or folder without leaving the Open or Save dialog. You can even rename files and folders and change a file's type and creator from within a file dialog.
窶｢ Click on a Finder window to show it in an Open or Save dialog.
If there is a window open in the Finder, you can switch the Open or Save dialog to it simply by clicking on the window. If it's behind the file dialog, simply drag the dialog out of the way by grabbing one of its sides.
窶｢ Open the displayed folder in the Finder.
If you have a folder displayed in an Open or Save dialog, you can tell Default Folder to open that folder in the Finder. This lets you easily get to files and folders when you want to reorganize or copy items in the Finder.
窶｢ "Rebound" back to the last file you used.
When you re-enter the Open dialog box, Default Folder's convenient "Rebound" feature will automatically highlight the last file you opened.
窶｢ Make "Replace" the default option instead of "Cancel".
When saving a file with the same name as an existing file, you are asked whether you are sure you want to replace the old copy. Normally, hitting the return key answers "Cancel". Default Folder allows you to make the return key press the "Replace" button instead.
窶｢ Speed up the display of Open and Save dialogs.
Users of Systems 7.1 through 7.6 can speed up file dialogs by using "generic" icons rather than the color icons that are displayed in the file list.
The primary reason for Default Folder's existence is to make you more productive. To this end, it keeps its memory and processor usage to a minimum, and does not attempt to accomplish things that might risk incompatibility with your applications or system. Some commercial utilities provide more features, but exact their penalty in memory, processing time, or compatibility. We obviously think Default Folder's approach is better, and by distributing it as shareware, we invite you to try it for yourself and then pay for it when you choose to keep it.
