On Aug 20, 2012, at 3:35 PM, Jens Alfke wrote: On Aug 19, 2012, at 5:29 PM, Alex Zavatone < email@hidden> wrote: - Start memorizing command keys for tasks you do all the time.
Within reason. Looking up keyboard shortcuts from memory can be slower than moving the mouse to the menu and selecting the item (this is classic UI research going back to Bruce Tognazzini's days at Apple in the 1980s. The thing is, it feels faster even though it's slower, because you don't notice the time your brain is active on the task of remembering the keystroke, where as you do notice the time spent moving the mouse.)
- Turn off all GUI animation that doesn't serve to help you do your job faster - Kill the insipid bouncing text view of the code editor if you use a magic mouse. defaults write -g NSScrollViewRubberbanding -bool no
I understand you have an aesthetic hatred of this feature for some reason, but it doesn't actually slow down the UI.
When I press a key, and sit and wait for animation to finish, it doesn't matter if it really does slow down the UI at all or not. The perception is that it does.
However, I turned the time delay for a sheet to appear in open and save dialogs to .001 (whatever units). The windows sure do open instantly now. I don't know how you get that they don't slow down the GUI.
I've also notices that in 4.2, breakpoints, when edited popped open like alerts on iOS. I don't know if I've turned something off on Lion, but they open instantly now.
On my external thunderbolt monitor, I watch the storyboard draw as if it's trying to shrink as it zooms in. It's simply bad. Yes, there aesthetic issues, but when I'm trying to fly through the interface, the last thing I want is a pretty, helpful graphic that makes me wait - even for a little bit - while I wait for it to finish.
Don't know how I can explain it any better than that. - Turn off automatic termination of apps just in case if I happen to close a project and click away from Xcode. defaults write -g NSDisableAutomaticTermination -bool yes
I have never once noticed Xcode quitting just because I switched away from it. Are you sure this actually happens?
Yep. Not sure which version between 4.2 and the current, but I tested it on Lion, closed all docs, clicked in the Finder, tried to command tab back, Xcode wasn't in the Application Switcher. - For the code editor, learn shortcuts for keyboard selection and for moving through text and controlling the text selection and insertion point. Insertion point to end of line ⌘ → Insertion point to start of line ⌘ ← Move insertion point by word ⌥ and → or ← To extend or create a selection hold shift (⇧) while using the keys above
No offense, but these are basic universal keystrokes that have been around since the earliest Macs, and I hope everyone already knows them.
That is why I mentioned them. I didn't want to assume people did. Lesser-known universal shortcuts: Option-Delete deletes the last word Ctrl-Delete deletes the last "syllable" of a CamelCase word (back through the last uppercase letter) Ctrl-left/right arrow will move by "syllables" (I don't use these myself because I've mapped those keys to switch screen spaces.)
I use Use Selection For Find/Replace (Cmd-E, Cmd-Shift-E) a lot, in conjunction with Replace And Find Next. This way you can make a change once and then quickly make it over and over again without having to go through the Find UI. - Use Description methods on classes to allow po to actually output the class's values. (Hopefully, 4.4 will make this no longer needed).
Yeah, -description is extremely useful. I make a practice to override it in most classes I write. What do you mean about Xcode 4.4?
Well, it irks me that we have to write our own description methods to expose class variables in a modern development tool. I seem to remember reading or watching on Friday that 4.4 has eliminated the need for writing your own methods. Here's hoping this is the case.
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