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General discussion

open program + click on desktop = window disapears... why?

Jan 26, 2007 10:11AM PST

Certain programs such as adobe and macromedia products have a peculiar quirk. If the program window is open and you inadvertently click outside of the program and click on the desktop instead... well, the whole darn program window including tool palettes disappears.

This is not so much a problem with a 3:4 ratio monitor but switching over to a wide screen monitor increases the chance of clicking the desktop and saying goodbye to your program. Of course you don't lose your info... you just go down to the dock and click on the program icon to make your workspace reappear.

Is there anyway to make these programs act like native mac programs like Safari... and just go dim if you accidently click on the desktop? Reason why I ask is the constant complaints of my fellow students (those used to windows machines) who cry havoc whenever the workspace disappearing act happens.

Thanks in advance.

grim

Discussion is locked

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(NT) Never mind... I answered my own question just now. ;-)
Jan 26, 2007 10:20AM PST
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OK, you have our attention
Jan 26, 2007 10:16PM PST

what was the problem and fix?


P

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Well, the college class room is much like this forum...
Jan 27, 2007 1:10AM PST

... with a bunch of windows-wunderkids half my age complaining about having to use a mac and how much better it would be if the class room had PCs, yada, yada, yada...

One of the complaints in an online class message board I was reading last night was that the program window would disappear from view if the desktop was accidently clicked. I thought about it briefly and had to admit that in this matter the snot nosed whiners were correct and it was annoying to admit they might have a point so I thought I would ask if there was a work around. Well... I went off half cocked when I posted my question... that is to say that the post pubescent brats were only half right (or would it be "half write" if your arguing via email?) with their complaints.

After I posted, I recreated the problem by opening up both adobe photoshop and macromedia flash on my mac. If either of the programs is open and you click on the desktop then all the tool bars and palettes disappear (which is annoying as heck)! It as if the program never launched and you must go down to the dock to open it again. Do you know how mad you get at yourself when someone convinces you that you are wrong... and then later you realize you were right all along? I opened an existing job in photoshop and then clicked on the desktop. As before, all the tool bars/pallettes disappeared........................ but the job window stayed open. It was then that I realized that for all the griping the windows-wunderkids had done all week long about the unfairness of the world forcing them to work on a mac, the little whiners had never actually had a job open. Light Bulb time! If you just have the program open? Yeah... the menu bar and tools do indeed disappear when you click on the desktop but if you have a job open then the job window stays open but simply grays out like any other window on a mac desktop.

Thus, I answered my own question.

Don't you hate it when someone convinces you there is a problem when there really isn't?

grim