File System Mastery

What You'll Learn

• Selection: range/additive selection, rubber‑band lasso, context actions
• Navigation: two‑finger back/forward, column scrolling
• Preview: Quick Look with trackpad, skimming previews
• Drag & Drop Mastery: Move vs. Copy vs. Alias behaviors
• Modifier Keys: Using ⌘ and ⌥ to force actions
• Spring-Loading: Hovering to open folders while dragging
• Power moves: tags, rename batches, precision placement

Gesture Details

Selection Fundamentals

• Click to select; two‑finger tap for context menu.
• Shift + click → extend a range.
• Command (⌘) + click → add/remove from selection.
• Click‑drag on empty space → rubber‑band (lasso) selection.
• Two‑finger scroll while lassoing → keep extending across long grids.

Navigation & Views

• Two‑finger swipe left/right → Back/Forward in Finder history.
• Two‑finger scroll → Scroll lists; in Column View, each column scrolls independently.
• Pinch in Desktop/Launchpad contexts for quick app/file access (system dependent).

Quick Look & Preview

• Force click a file → Quick Look preview.
• While preview is open, two‑finger swipe to browse previous/next item.

Dragging on Same Volume

• Default Drag: Moves the file.
• Option (⌥) + Drag: Copies the file (green plus icon appears).
• Command (⌘) + Drag: No effect (default is already move).
• Command + Option (⌘⌥) + Drag: Creates an Alias (curved arrow icon).

Dragging Across Volumes (External ↔ Internal)

• Default Drag: Copies the file.
• Command (⌘) + Drag: Moves the file (deletes from source).
• Option (⌥) + Drag: Copies the file (no change from default).
• Command + Option (⌘⌥) + Drag: Creates an Alias.

Dragging Into Special Areas

• Dock Icons: Drop onto Mail to attach, Messages to send, or Finder to open a new window.
• Finder Sidebar: Drop folders here to add them as shortcuts. Behaves like a normal Move/Copy target for files.
• Desktop: Treated as "Same Volume" (Move) for internal files, or "Copy" for external files.

Spring-Loaded Folders

• Hover & Wait: Drag a file over a folder and wait (don't drop yet). The folder will flash and open.
• Spacebar Speed-Up: Press Space while hovering to open the folder instantly.
• Note: Works with folders on Desktop, in Finder windows, and even in the Sidebar.
• With Three‑Finger Drag enabled, glide files without pressing down.

Tags, Rename, and Batch Work

• Select items → two‑finger tap → apply Tags.
• Select multiple → two‑finger tap → Rename for batch rename.
• Force‑click sliders/handles in some dialogs for fine adjustments (where supported).

Modifier-Key Summary Table

Dojo Practice Ideas

• Selection Kata: build a set with Shift‑click ranges and ⌘‑click toggles.
• Drag Kata: move vs copy vs alias using ⌥, ⌘, and ⌘⌥ while dragging.
• Navigation Kata: two‑finger back/forward through a folder hierarchy.
• Quick Look Kata: force‑click preview and swipe through a gallery.

Specific Challenges

1. Drag a file from Desktop to Documents. Notice it Moves. Now hold Option (⌥) to Copy it instead.
2. Find a file on an external drive (or a disk image). Drag it to Desktop. Notice it Copies. Now hold Command (⌘) to Move it.
3. Create an Alias of your Applications folder on your Desktop using Command + Option (⌘⌥) while dragging.
4. Spring-Load: Drag a file over your "Documents" folder in the Sidebar, wait for it to open, then drop it into a subfolder.
5. Turbo Spring-Load: Drag a file over a folder and tap Spacebar to open it immediately.
6. Drag an image file directly onto the Preview app icon in your Dock to open it.
7. Select 3 files. Drag them all at once and hold Option (⌥) to duplicate them in the same folder.
8. Drag a folder into the Sidebar (under Favorites) to create a shortcut.
9. Mission Control Drop: Drag a file, swipe up with 3 fingers (Mission Control), hover over a different Desktop space, and drop the file there.

Practice Setup Download

Download the ready-made practice pack and unzip it. Open it in Finder to practice selection, Quick Look, drag & drop, aliases, tags (labels), and nested navigation.