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Exposé (Mac OS X)
Encyclopedia
Exposé is a feature of the Mac OS X
operating system
. First previewed on 23 June 2003 at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a feature of the then forthcoming Mac OS X v10.3
, Exposé allows a user to quickly locate an open window, or to hide all windows and show the desktop without the need to click through many windows to find a specific target. It has been replaced in Mac OS X 10.7 by Mission Control
Exposé includes three separate features for organizing windows:
All windows : Shows all open and unhidden windows, shrinking their appearance so they all fit on a single screen. By default, this can be activated on older keyboards using the F9
key or by pressing F3
key on the newer Apple aluminum keyboards and the MacBook
/MacBook Pro
keyboard.
Application windows : Shows all open and unhidden windows for the currently active application. Again, the windows shrink to appear on the screen together, but generally they shrink less because there are fewer windows in a single application compared to the system as a whole. During this mode, the user can cycle through windows of different applications by pressing the tab key. In the default preferences, this can be activated using the F10 key on older keyboards or by pressing Control F3
on newer Apple aluminum keyboards and the Macbook keyboard. On Mac OS X 10.6, it can be activated by clicking and holding the application icon in the dock.
Desktop : Moves all windows off the screen, with just the edges of the windows visible at the side of the screen, giving the user clear access to the desktop
. In the default preferences, this can be activated using the F11 key or by pressing Command
F3
on newer Apple aluminum keyboards and the Macbook keyboard.
Mission Control : Replaces the "All windows" features in Mac OS X Lion
. It gives an overview of all running applications just like "All windows" but groups windows from the same application. At the top of the screen it gives quick access to the Dashboard, Spaces
, and running full screen applications
In the first two cases, after Exposé is activated, the user can select any window by clicking
on it or selecting it with arrow keys and pressing Enter. Exposé then deactivates, leaving the selected window in the foreground. Using Apple Mighty Mouse
, it is possible to select a window using the Scroll Ball, by scrolling in the direction of that window.
The key used for activating Exposé can be customized to be any of the function keys, the shift, control, option or command key, the fn key
on Mac laptops, or even a mouse button on multiple-button mice
(including Apple Mighty Mouse).
Exposé can also be activated by moving the mouse to a corner of the desktop using a feature called Active Screen Corners (which is off by default). It can also be activated with a four-finger gesture on the trackpad (only on the current-generation Macbook and Macbook Pro, or by using Apple Magic Trackpad
.)
Exposé also works with Spaces
, a new feature in Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, so that a user could see the windows in each desktop scaled down while looking at a scaled down version of each space.
The Exposé shortcut keys were moved to the F3 key to make room for the "rewind", "play/pause" and "fast forward" keys. On Mac keyboards made after 2004, Exposé can be activated by using the F3 key or in combination with the command key, or on the trackpad of Macbooks supporting multi-touch interface. (However, F9, F10 and F11 can still be used for controlling Exposé with the function modifier key
, or by enabling the "Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" setting.)
On Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), Exposé featured a new organized grid view and allowed users to activate Exposé from the Dock.
Another undocumented feature of Exposé is for the show desktop function. It places all the open windows in a small box on the screen that can be moved to anywhere on the screen. This function has some bugs, after exiting the show desktop mode, the foremost window will not have a shadow and the user will not be able to move the window. However, this is easily fixed by using the show all function. It also had another bug that causes an area of screen the width of the minimised preview to become unresponsive to mouse clicks requiring the windowserver to be restarted.
Using the Shift key
, Exposé can be activated in slow motion
, as can Front Row, Dashboard, the minimise effect and several other animations. This is the same effect that was demonstrated by Steve Jobs
during the unveiling of Exposé during the 2003 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Compiz
and KWin
are compositing window managers for systems using the X Window System
. Both include plugins similar to Exposé - the scale plugin in Compiz and the present windows effect in KWin. Skippy
also performs similar functions to Exposé.
Microsoft Windows
Vista provides a feature called Windows Flip 3D, which has a vaguely similar purpose. Flip 3D allows a user to flip through all open windows in a manner similar to how the application switcher works (alt+tab). A downside to this method is that the frontmost window covers a significant portion of the other windows, unlike Exposé. On the other hand, this allows the user to see the contents of the frontmost window, while this can be difficult in Exposé, especially if the user has a large number of windows open. However, Vista's Desktop Window Manager
exposes a public API that allows any application to access the same thumbnail representations that Flip3D uses, and so there are a number of third party add-ons that are able to provide Exposé-like functionality in Vista.
A freeware
program for Windows Vista
and Windows 7 called Switcher provides similar functionality. It allows all of the currently open windows to display in a grid or dock formation where the user can click the desired window to switch focus.
Microsoft's Intellipoint Software for Microsoft Mice has had a feature somewhat similar to Exposé, but one that works with static images of windows, rather than live representations as Exposé and Flip3D do. Additionally, several freeware Windows applications exist to emulate the functionality of Exposé.
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
. First previewed on 23 June 2003 at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a feature of the then forthcoming Mac OS X v10.3
Mac OS X v10.3
Mac OS X Panther is the fourth major release of Mac OS X, Apple’s desktop and server operating system. It followed Mac OS X v10.2 "Jaguar" and preceded Mac OS X Tiger...
, Exposé allows a user to quickly locate an open window, or to hide all windows and show the desktop without the need to click through many windows to find a specific target. It has been replaced in Mac OS X 10.7 by Mission Control
Usage
All windows : Shows all open and unhidden windows, shrinking their appearance so they all fit on a single screen. By default, this can be activated on older keyboards using the F9
Function key
A function key is a key on a computer or terminal keyboard which can be programmed so as to cause an operating system command interpreter or application program to perform certain actions...
key or by pressing F3
Function key
A function key is a key on a computer or terminal keyboard which can be programmed so as to cause an operating system command interpreter or application program to perform certain actions...
key on the newer Apple aluminum keyboards and the MacBook
MacBook
The MacBook was a brand of Macintosh notebook computers built by Apple Inc. First introduced in May 2006, it replaced the iBook and 12-inch PowerBook series of notebooks as a part of the Apple–Intel transition. Positioned as the low end of the MacBook family, the Apple MacBook was aimed at the...
/MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro is a line of Macintosh portable computers introduced in January 2006 by Apple. It replaced the PowerBook G4 and was the second model, after the iMac, to be announced in the Apple–Intel transition...
keyboard.
Application windows : Shows all open and unhidden windows for the currently active application. Again, the windows shrink to appear on the screen together, but generally they shrink less because there are fewer windows in a single application compared to the system as a whole. During this mode, the user can cycle through windows of different applications by pressing the tab key. In the default preferences, this can be activated using the F10 key on older keyboards or by pressing Control F3
Function key
A function key is a key on a computer or terminal keyboard which can be programmed so as to cause an operating system command interpreter or application program to perform certain actions...
on newer Apple aluminum keyboards and the Macbook keyboard. On Mac OS X 10.6, it can be activated by clicking and holding the application icon in the dock.
Desktop : Moves all windows off the screen, with just the edges of the windows visible at the side of the screen, giving the user clear access to the desktop
Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
. In the default preferences, this can be activated using the F11 key or by pressing Command
Command key
The Command key, also historically known as the Apple key, open-Apple key or meta key is a modifier key present on Apple Keyboards. The Command key's purpose is to allow the user to enter keyboard shortcut commands to GUI applications...
F3
Function key
A function key is a key on a computer or terminal keyboard which can be programmed so as to cause an operating system command interpreter or application program to perform certain actions...
on newer Apple aluminum keyboards and the Macbook keyboard.
Mission Control : Replaces the "All windows" features in Mac OS X Lion
Mac OS X Lion
Mac OS X Lion is the eighth and current major release of Mac OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers....
. It gives an overview of all running applications just like "All windows" but groups windows from the same application. At the top of the screen it gives quick access to the Dashboard, Spaces
Spaces (software)
Spaces was a virtual desktop feature of Mac OS X, introduced in version 10.5 "Leopard". It was announced by Steve Jobs during the opening keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference on August 7, 2006...
, and running full screen applications
In the first two cases, after Exposé is activated, the user can select any window by clicking
Point-and-click
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
on it or selecting it with arrow keys and pressing Enter. Exposé then deactivates, leaving the selected window in the foreground. Using Apple Mighty Mouse
Apple Mighty Mouse
The Apple Mouse is a multi-button USB mouse manufactured and sold by Apple Inc. It was announced and sold for the first time on August 2, 2005, and a Bluetooth version was available from 2006 to 2009...
, it is possible to select a window using the Scroll Ball, by scrolling in the direction of that window.
The key used for activating Exposé can be customized to be any of the function keys, the shift, control, option or command key, the fn key
Fn key
Fn, or 'Function', is a modifier key on many keyboards, especially on laptops, used in a compact layout to combine keys which are usually kept separate. It is typically found on laptops, since a full-sized keyboard would be difficult to fit in a laptop chassis. It is also found in many full-sized...
on Mac laptops, or even a mouse button on multiple-button mice
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
(including Apple Mighty Mouse).
Exposé can also be activated by moving the mouse to a corner of the desktop using a feature called Active Screen Corners (which is off by default). It can also be activated with a four-finger gesture on the trackpad (only on the current-generation Macbook and Macbook Pro, or by using Apple Magic Trackpad
Magic Trackpad
The Magic Trackpad is a multi-touch trackpad produced by Apple Inc. Announced on July 27, 2010, it is similar to the trackpad found on the current MacBook family of laptops, albeit 80% larger...
.)
Exposé also works with Spaces
Spaces (software)
Spaces was a virtual desktop feature of Mac OS X, introduced in version 10.5 "Leopard". It was announced by Steve Jobs during the opening keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference on August 7, 2006...
, a new feature in Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, so that a user could see the windows in each desktop scaled down while looking at a scaled down version of each space.
Changes in Exposé
When Exposé first premiered in 2003, it could be controlled using the F9, F10 and F11 keys.The Exposé shortcut keys were moved to the F3 key to make room for the "rewind", "play/pause" and "fast forward" keys. On Mac keyboards made after 2004, Exposé can be activated by using the F3 key or in combination with the command key, or on the trackpad of Macbooks supporting multi-touch interface. (However, F9, F10 and F11 can still be used for controlling Exposé with the function modifier key
Fn key
Fn, or 'Function', is a modifier key on many keyboards, especially on laptops, used in a compact layout to combine keys which are usually kept separate. It is typically found on laptops, since a full-sized keyboard would be difficult to fit in a laptop chassis. It is also found in many full-sized...
, or by enabling the "Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" setting.)
On Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), Exposé featured a new organized grid view and allowed users to activate Exposé from the Dock.
Undocumented features
The "blob" is a hidden and undocumented interface to Exposé that was discovered by a member of the MacNN forums. When clicked, it enables the "Application Windows" mode. When Option+clicked, it enables the "All Windows" mode.Another undocumented feature of Exposé is for the show desktop function. It places all the open windows in a small box on the screen that can be moved to anywhere on the screen. This function has some bugs, after exiting the show desktop mode, the foremost window will not have a shadow and the user will not be able to move the window. However, this is easily fixed by using the show all function. It also had another bug that causes an area of screen the width of the minimised preview to become unresponsive to mouse clicks requiring the windowserver to be restarted.
Using the Shift key
Shift key
The shift key is a modifier key on a keyboard, used to type capital letters and other alternate "upper" characters. There are typically two shift keys, on the left and right sides of the row below the home row...
, Exposé can be activated in slow motion
Slow motion
Slow motion is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger....
, as can Front Row, Dashboard, the minimise effect and several other animations. This is the same effect that was demonstrated by Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
during the unveiling of Exposé during the 2003 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Similar applications
Similar effects are used on other operating systems.Compiz
Compiz
Compiz is one of the first compositing window managers for the X Window System that uses 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing desktop effects for window management. The effects, such as a minimization effect and a cube workspace are implemented as loadable plugins...
and KWin
KWin
KWin is a window manager for the X Window System. It is an integral part of the KDE Software Compilation, although it can be used on its own or with other desktop environments.- History :- Look and feel :...
are compositing window managers for systems using the X Window System
X Window System
The X window system is a computer software system and network protocol that provides a basis for graphical user interfaces and rich input device capability for networked computers...
. Both include plugins similar to Exposé - the scale plugin in Compiz and the present windows effect in KWin. Skippy
Skippy (X)
Skippy is a window management tool for X11 similar to Mac OS X's Exposé feature. It allows a user to quickly see open windows by two different sets of criteria, or to hide all windows and show the desktop without the need to click through many windows to find a specific target.- Usage :Skippy needs...
also performs similar functions to Exposé.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
Vista provides a feature called Windows Flip 3D, which has a vaguely similar purpose. Flip 3D allows a user to flip through all open windows in a manner similar to how the application switcher works (alt+tab). A downside to this method is that the frontmost window covers a significant portion of the other windows, unlike Exposé. On the other hand, this allows the user to see the contents of the frontmost window, while this can be difficult in Exposé, especially if the user has a large number of windows open. However, Vista's Desktop Window Manager
Desktop Window Manager
Desktop Window Manager is the window manager in Windows Vista and Windows 7 that enables the Windows Aero graphical user interface and visual theme. The Desktop Window Manager requires video cards supporting DirectX 9.0 and Shader Model 2.0. DWM is not included with Windows Vista Starter edition...
exposes a public API that allows any application to access the same thumbnail representations that Flip3D uses, and so there are a number of third party add-ons that are able to provide Exposé-like functionality in Vista.
A freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
program for Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
and Windows 7 called Switcher provides similar functionality. It allows all of the currently open windows to display in a grid or dock formation where the user can click the desired window to switch focus.
Microsoft's Intellipoint Software for Microsoft Mice has had a feature somewhat similar to Exposé, but one that works with static images of windows, rather than live representations as Exposé and Flip3D do. Additionally, several freeware Windows applications exist to emulate the functionality of Exposé.
See also
- Dashboard (software)
- TaskbarTaskbarIn computing, a taskbar is a bar displayed on a full edge of a GUI desktop that is used to launch and monitor running applications. Microsoft incorporated a taskbar in Windows 95 and it has been a defining aspect of Microsoft Windows's graphical user interface ever since. Some desktop environments,...
- Zooming user interfaceZooming User InterfaceIn computing, a zooming user interface or zoomable user interface is a graphical environment where users can change the scale of the viewed area in order to see more detail or less, and browse through different documents. A ZUI is a type of graphical user interface...
- Exposé cloneExposé cloneExposé clone refers to computer software which mimics the window switching feature of Mac OS X operating system called Exposé. This type of software excludes the Mac OS X platform and is usually developed for Microsoft Windows or the X Window System...