Window Only Moveable From The Top

[Rafael Montserrat]

W 2004
OS 10.4.6
IbookG4

HI,

I recall that in previous versions of word a window could be moved by
putting the cursor on any of the four edges of the window. Now it seems
that there is only the top of the window accessable for moving. Am I
missing something?

What often happens to me is that the top of the window ends up completely
covered at the top by my toolbars, leaving no way for me to access the top
of the window when I want to move it. I have to move a toolbar down and out
of the way to access the window. Did Microsoft really drop the handy four
sides moving ability? It seemed like a totally logical design.

How can I move the window from all it's sides?

Thanks,

Rafael

 

[WJ Shack]

I recall that in previous versions of word a window could be moved by
putting the cursor on any of the four edges of the window. Now it seems
that there is only the top of the window accessable for moving. Am I
missing something?

There is a way to get around this for most apps:

WindowDragon was created because it is often inconvenient to click on a
window's title bar or resize button to move and resize windows. WindowDragon
allows a window's entire structure to be used as move or resize zone. In
other words, WindowDragon makes it possible to move or resize a window by
clicking anywhere within that window. Additionally, WindowDragon allows you
to resize a window in any direction, and it allows you to drag all of an
application's windows in tandem.


Unfortunately it doesn't work for Word (but it does for Excel).

 

[Elliott Roper]

W 2004
OS 10.4.6
IbookG4

HI,

I recall that in previous versions of word a window could be moved by
putting the cursor on any of the four edges of the window. Now it seems
that there is only the top of the window accessable for moving. Am I
missing something?

Nope. That change came with OS X. For all windows, not just Word ones.
Some applications, such as Finder and iTunes have optional 'brushed
metal'. The extra 'metal' edges are draggable.

What often happens to me is that the top of the window ends up completely
covered at the top by my toolbars, leaving no way for me to access the top
of the window when I want to move it. I have to move a toolbar down and out
of the way to access the window. Did Microsoft really drop the handy four
sides moving ability? It seemed like a totally logical design.

Blame OS X not Microsoft.

How can I move the window from all it's sides?

See WJ Shack's suggestion. I have not tried it, and he says it won't
work for Word.

My solution is not for everybody. I run with no toolbars. I can't stand
that tellytubby tonkatoy way of working. If I can't get to it from a
menu, or a keyboard shortcut, then I write a macro and assign that to a
keyboard shortcut.
Toolbars are OK when you are learning. But you should turn them off
after a week.

 

[WJ Shack]

My solution is not for everybody. I run with no toolbars. I can't stand
that tellytubby tonkatoy way of working. If I can't get to it from a
menu, or a keyboard shortcut, then I write a macro and assign that to a
keyboard shortcut.

Hmm! I hate menus and use keystrokes/macros or toolbars. I have 4 toolbars
stacked on the screen. My solution to the hidden window bar is a macro

Sub ShiftWindow()
WordBasic.DocMove 3, 1
WordBasic.DocWindowHeight 975

End Sub


This one is creaky old from Word 6 and WordBasic, but works fine. Assign to
a keystroke ---or a toolbar button. Adjust height (975) to suit.

 

[Elliott Roper]

Hmm! I hate menus and use keystrokes/macros or toolbars. I have 4 toolbars
stacked on the screen. My solution to the hidden window bar is a macro

Sub ShiftWindow()
WordBasic.DocMove 3, 1
WordBasic.DocWindowHeight 975

End Sub


This one is creaky old from Word 6 and WordBasic, but works fine. Assign to
a keystroke ---or a toolbar button. Adjust height (975) to suit.

It is one of the good things about Word being a pile of bloat. There
are so many ways to do the same thing. It sucks you in, and relieves
boredom. I think that famous pigeon-training psychologist B F Skinner
is compulsory reading in the Word development group. Hand out little
rewards for success, but not all the time.

I forgot to add that I never touch the mouse to navigate round Word's
or anybody else's menus, it is all done from the keyboard. Some days,
when something really needs a mouse, I have to go hunting all over my
desk and through giant piles of paper and manuals to find the damn
thing.

 

[Rafael Montserrat]

A week!

Tellytubby tonkatoy!

No sides/bottom draggable edges!

OS X, with it's plethora of amazing and userfriendly features?

I'm floored.

 

[Clive Huggan]

It is one of the good things about Word being a pile of bloat. There
are so many ways to do the same thing. It sucks you in, and relieves
boredom. I think that famous pigeon-training psychologist B F Skinner
is compulsory reading in the Word development group. Hand out little
rewards for success, but not all the time.

I forgot to add that I never touch the mouse to navigate round Word's
or anybody else's menus, it is all done from the keyboard. Some days,
when something really needs a mouse, I have to go hunting all over my
desk and through giant piles of paper and manuals to find the damn
thing.

On my desk, Elliott, there is so much paper that if I found a mouse it would
be a dead [non-manufactured] one. No mice for me!

.... I use a trackball (Kensington TurboMouse, the type with a billiard ball
in the top). Doesn't get lost, doesn't need to be moved around so can fit
more paper on desk. Have two of them actually, one either side; I alternate
between them every few days to make my arms, including their extremities,
last longer. ;-)

And just to be different, I use lots of keyboard shortcuts but I do have one
row of toolbars, all customized, top and bottom, for commands that I
sometimes don't feel like keying, say when the moon is full ...

I wonder why the ability to move windows by dragging the side was removed
when OS X was developed? Maybe too hard early in OS X's development, and now
forgotten. It certainly is a nuisance. <Hmm, I can remember the euphoria
when it was introduced, back in OS [<7]. What useless information swills
around my cerebrum...>

Cheers,
Clive
======

 

[Elliott Roper]

A week!

Tellytubby tonkatoy!

No sides/bottom draggable edges!

OS X, with it's plethora of amazing and userfriendly features?

I'm floored.

I did say "not for everybody" ;-)

Seriously, why drag anything anywhere while working in Word? cmd-~ and
cmd-shift-~ cycles forward and backward through your open windows. Or
ctrl-m w down arrow, + number of window from list containing document
names.
Similarly, ctrl-w cycles through every window, or cmd-tab once or twice
to start looking at the windows in the other application you want to
use..

I suppose, once in a while, if you are looking at two documents side by
side, you would want to place them just so..

About the only time I find myself dragging windows about is in the
finder when I want to do some fancy file copying/moving.

Picking up the mouse, and finding it under all the mess, is just too
slow. But it is nice to have for reassurance.

PS. ctrl-m and ctrl-w shortcuts are Elliott specials. I hopped into
system preferences » keyboard, and changed the defaults for something
more memorable for putting keyboard focus on the menu bar and for
cycling round all windows. I have done a few more, but you don't want
to know that do you?

(One day I'll write an essay on mouseless Word. Do you think Beth would
be interested?)

One thing that *is* right about windows with only tops draggable is
that as long as you can see a juicy bit of title bar, it is easy to hit
there, and not too much space has been wasted elsewhere on your crowded
screen. But, I do admit, missing a scroll bar lobs you into another
window when you least expect it. (Guess who turns off scroll bars in
Word?)
I'm not sure I want to defend His Holiness St Steven Jobs frameless
windows. I think he is a bit embarrassed by them too, or there would be
no brushed metal.

Everyone has their own way of working. Mine is crazier than most. Put
it down to my bad upbringing on green screen minicomputers, back when
the world was new and all, and meeces were but a gleam in Doug
Englelbart's eye. eek! Google says he made the first one in 1968! I was
hardwiring discrete logic then. I did not use a computer keyboard for
another year after that, and that printed on paper. My first mouse was
in 1984. I think my Mac was one of the first few to arrive in
Australia.

 

[Elliott Roper]

On my desk, Elliott, there is so much paper that if I found a mouse it would
be a dead [non-manufactured] one. No mice for me!

... I use a trackball (Kensington TurboMouse, the type with a billiard ball
in the top). Doesn't get lost, doesn't need to be moved around so can fit
more paper on desk. Have two of them actually, one either side; I alternate
between them every few days to make my arms, including their extremities,
last longer. ;-)

That's a neat idea, having two. My new machine is coming with a
wireless mighty mouse, complete with nano trackball. I wonder if I can
run two wireless mice at once?

And just to be different, I use lots of keyboard shortcuts but I do have one
row of toolbars, all customized, top and bottom, for commands that I
sometimes don't feel like keying, say when the moon is full ...

Yeah I know. I have climbed all over the template that comes with Bend
Word. ;-)

I wonder why the ability to move windows by dragging the side was removed
when OS X was developed? Maybe too hard early in OS X's development, and now
forgotten. It certainly is a nuisance. <Hmm, I can remember the euphoria
when it was introduced, back in OS [<7]. What useless information swills
around my cerebrum...>

I seem to remember it was it snarled up in the shadows. There was
discussion about whether you would get confused trying to drag a window
by its shadow. Isn't it amazing what you get used to?

 

[Rafael Montserrat]

Thanks for the keystrokes.

Is there a way in word 2004 to get two windows next to each other side by
side without manipulating them into place? There wasn't in w 98.

Rafael

 

[WJ Shack]

Seriously, why drag anything anywhere while working in Word? cmd-~ and
cmd-shift-~ cycles forward and backward through your open windows. Or
ctrl-m w down arrow, + number of window from list containing document
names.
Similarly, ctrl-w cycles through every window, or cmd-tab once or twice
to start looking at the windows in the other application you want to
use..

A very handy tool for window management for keyboard oriented types is Peter
Maurer's Witch. http://www.petermaurer.de/nasi.php?section=witch It is
donation ware.

Witch is highly configurable, but my favorite setting is the have windows
listed by activity order which means even if you have a large number of
windows open, the ones that are being used are very convenient to get to.

 

[Elliott Roper]

Thanks for the keystrokes.

Is there a way in word 2004 to get two windows next to each other side by
side without manipulating them into place? There wasn't in w 98.

Macro or Applescript? Unless you did a lot of it, more trouble than it
is worth.

 

[Elliott Roper]

A very handy tool for window management for keyboard oriented types is Peter
Maurer's Witch. http://www.petermaurer.de/nasi.php?section=witch It is
donation ware.

Witch is highly configurable, but my favorite setting is the have windows
listed by activity order which means even if you have a large number of
windows open, the ones that are being used are very convenient to get to.

That looks useful. Thanks. Trying it now.

Heh! Just came back to this mail via Witch. That is an excellent little
tool.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Macro or Applescript? Unless you did a lot of it, more trouble than it
is worth.

I do quite a lot of it.

JE McGimpsey has a tutorial with the macro here:
http://www.mcgimpsey.com/macoffice/word/verticalwindows.html

You might need to customize the exact sizing to fit your preferred screen
size and resolution. I'm out of town for a week, but someone else can
probably help with that.

 

[Paul Berkowitz]

I wonder why the ability to move windows by dragging the side was removed
when OS X was developed? Maybe too hard early in OS X's development, and now
forgotten. It certainly is a nuisance.

I would have thought it was because the Apple UI designers preferred the
streamlined look of windows without borders - Aqua and all that. OS Classic
is a lot clunkier looking. But you could be right.

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

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PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.

 

[Beth Rosengard]

But of course! ;-)

Beth

 

[Elliott Roper]

But of course! ;-)

Beth

It probably labels me as more insane than Tom Cruise, but OK.

 

[Beth Rosengard]

I'll hold you to that! Both the essay and the "more insane than Tom
Cruise".