Aliases
Aliases are shortcuts that point to an original item.
Generally, used for application programs, aliases can be for any
type of item such as folders, images, documents, and more. Why
do you want to use aliases? A common way is for launching
applications.
Let's take Internet Explorer for example. If you haven't
deleted any icons from your desktop, you should have an Internet
Explorer icon already on your desktop. It might be labeled
"Browse the Internet" or called "Internet Explorer". That icon
is actually an alias as it's pointing to the original
application, Internet Explorer, located on your Macintosh
HD>Internet>Internet Applications>Internet Explorer 5.
That's a long way to have to go every time you want to use
Internet Explorer. Instead, an alias has been created for the
program. The alias has been placed on the desktop for your
convenience. An alias can be deleted without effecting the main
application. This is why it's not a good idea to install
programs to your desktop for fear they might accidentally be
deleted or partially deleted.
Aliases are not programs or even copies of programs. They are
a shortcuts to the original program. Use aliases with the
Launcher for faster access to your programs.
Step 1. Create an alias of an application. Locate an
application you frequently by browsing your hard drive. In this
example, I'm going to make an alias of Transmit, an FTP program
I frequently use.
In this example, the Transmit folder is in my Utilities
Folder on my Macintosh HD.
Step 2. Open the application folder to view the program.
Double click the Transmit folder to open it.
Step 3. Select the application program for Transmit. With the
item selected, create an alias 1 of 3 ways:
Go up to File>Make Alias
or
Click Command-M
or
Control-Click on the application program. Choose Make Alias
from the dropdown menu.
This immediately creates the alias. The alias icon will have
a small, black arrow in the bottom left hand corner. This is
indicates the icon is "pointing" to the original icon. The
alias's name also appears in italics.
An
alias's name does NOT need the word "alias" in it. You can
delete that if you like.
Step 4. Drag the icon to it's new location. Go ahead and drag
the icon to the desktop. Can you also notice the other alias I
have on my Desktop??
You can also drag the icon to the
Launcher.
Step 5. Find an alias's original file. To find the original
file for an alias, select the alias and go up to File>Show
Original. This will open the folder the original item is in. |
