Recent files question

[kevs]

Any downside making the recently used file list large?
Thanks


OS 10.4.7
Office 2004

 

[CyberTaz]

Since the only way to make it list more than 9 files is to use VBA, let me
say this...

Once that list gets to a certain length it becomes just as tough to find
what you need as it would if you simply organize your files well in folders
& navigate as necessary to get the ones you need when you need them,

There are other options available in Word as well as OS X that might be more
useful & more manageable, and finally

I'm a firm believer in the power of VBA and that arbitrarily invoking it for
something this unproductive is an abuse of that power.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Ditto to CyberTaz, more or less.

In Word, the Work menu is an excellent place for specific files that you use
regularly, but that get pushed off the Recent Items list. Just use Work |
Add to Work Menu when a particular document is open. The Work menu *can*
hold more than 9 items, and since the items move only when you add new ones,
can still be somewhat efficient at a larger number (since you can remember
roughly where on the list they are, rather than having to browse for them
every time).

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Daiya -

That's included in the "other options" I mentioned

Personally I prefer to have a folder in the Finder Sidebar that contains
Aliases to other frequent files & folders. No matter what app I'm working in
all I need do is go to the Open dialog, select that folder & open any of the
content. By having those files available there it's even more convenient
because it isn't application-specific the way the Work menu is.

--
Regards |:>)
Bob J.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

That's what I do too. A Favorites folder in the sidebar, Finder windows set
to open on Favorites, and a script to easily add aliases to Favorites.

But the Work menu is still most useful for certain things--usually things
that I am not currently working on but need for reference or add to only
occasionally--e.g., my syllabi for the current term, my lists of complaints
about various software.

 

[kevs]

Thanks I use Drag Things which is great.

Why is there a limit of 9?

Thanks for the work menu tip, did not know of it

Kevs

That's what I do too. A Favorites folder in the sidebar, Finder windows set
to open on Favorites, and a script to easily add aliases to Favorites.

But the Work menu is still most useful for certain things--usually things
that I am not currently working on but need for reference or add to only
occasionally--e.g., my syllabi for the current term, my lists of complaints
about various software.

OS 10.4.7
Office 2004

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

Hi Kevs:

The list is "9" because they never thought of increasing it, I think. It's
a very ancient part of the Word code base. The PC (where this code comes
from...) has a "Recent Documents" collection maintained by Windows, so
they've never bothered doing anything about this one...

As has been mentioned by someone else, that's too much of a good thing. I
can never find anything in the System list, so I never bother to use it

There's no penalty to increasing it: I routinely turn it to 9 and leave it
that way.

Cheers

Thanks I use Drag Things which is great.

Why is there a limit of 9?

Thanks for the work menu tip, did not know of it

Kevs










OS 10.4.7
Office 2004

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[Jim Gordon]

Hi Kevs,

I use the Project Gallery for recently used files. They are ordered
alphabetically or by date. You can show previews.

However, nothing beats a well-organized file structure. I drag the uber
container of my files to the dock and navigate the tree.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

 

[kevs]

Thanks Jim:
Does that preview really work? It's just a tiny thumbnail, generic really.

Anyway to expand that project gallery box so I can see the really long file
names? Thanks!

Kevs

Hi Kevs,

I use the Project Gallery for recently used files. They are ordered
alphabetically or by date. You can show previews.

However, nothing beats a well-organized file structure. I drag the uber
container of my files to the dock and navigate the tree.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

OS 10.4.7
Office 2004