view the desktop

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Classic Mac OS
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#1

I am looking for a lightning fast way to hide all visible applications and collapse all finder window to be able to view the desktop in one stroke. Any suggestions? :idea:

:?: Does anyone know of any shareware that does this without using applescript?

Thanks :smiley:

#2

I don’t think that this is the right place to ask :slight_smile:

It’s like asking on an apple list how to install windows on a machine :o

However here is an idea of code (untested)


tell application "FInder" to set visible of {every application, every window} to false

Jean-Baptiste LE STANG

#3

Don’t know of any shareware - but this simple script should do what you need.
I don’t know how you plan to have the user trigger this but you could assign it to an Fkey if you have a newer OS or some sort of 3rd party app. Or just put it in the apple menu items folder.

--save  this script as an application and name it whatever you want.
--::But make sure you replace "Hide All" in the script with whatever you name it as

tell application "Finder"
	close every window --close every Finder window currently open 
	set visible of every application process whose name is not equal to "Hide All" and visible = true to false --hide every visible app except for the one hiding everything 
	activate --optionally bring the finder to the front
end tell

It’s not lightnin’ fast but it is faster than manually hiding everything. And to cover all my bases you can do the above manually by:

Hide all non-Finder windows
with the Finder the non-active app option click anywhere you see the desktop.
rinse & repeat with every other application or select Hide Others from the Application
menu.

Close all Finder windows
(with the Finder active) Press {command-option-“w”}

Sorry if you already knew that, just wanted to be thorough.

Warmest regards

#4

Hi :slight_smile:

Here my small contribution…
This script can hide each window and application at the first launching, and, at the second launching, it can show each window and application which it had hidden at the first stage.

property LstW : {}
property LstA : {}
property DftBtn : 3

tell application "Finder"
	try
		activate
		set BtnDlg to button returned of (display dialog ÂŹ
			"What do you want ?

- Hide every window and applications
- Show every window and application 
    in memory" buttons {"Cancel", "Show", "Hide"} default button DftBtn ÂŹ
			with icon 1)
		if (BtnDlg is "Hide") then
			set DftBtn to 2
			set LstA to name of (every process ÂŹ
				whose file type is "APPL" and visible is true)
			set LstW to (container of windows) as alias list
			set visible of (every process ÂŹ
				whose file type is "APPL" and visible is true) to false
			close windows
		else if (BtnDlg is "Show") then
			set DftBtn to 3
			open LstW
			set visible of (every process whose name is in LstA) to true
			set {LstW, LstA} to {{}, {}}
		else
			error number -128
		end if
	end try
end tell

:wink:

#5

:lol: Big thanks to everybody for their help! I found a couple of tips here and there and I’m finally able to do what I want, and using OSA Menu the script is lighting fast. Thanks! :smiley:

#6

I am using Mac OS 8.6 and have found a control panel “ApplWindows 2.0.2” which is very useful in doing “I think” just what you want to do. It is available on the “net” at
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/5878
and is freeware by Hiro Yamamoto.

Hope this is helpful ! :smiley: