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One of the most pop family of Gems is utilities that make it easier , quicker , or simply more commodious to coiffe window on your screen — for example , to line up two Finder windows for easier file direction , or to stick a vane web internet browser and a textbook editor side - by - side to preview some Web codification . I ’ve covered a slew of these utility over the years , including Cinch , TwoUp and SizeUp , MercuryMover , Zooom , MondoMouse , and Fiwi . But the past few months have seen a veritable oversupply of new windowpane - direction software system . I ’ll be taking a spirit at the best of these utility over the next few weeks ; today I start out with ManyTricks’Moom(Mac App Store link ) .
Like many similar public utility company , Moom ’s finish is to make it easier to put window in commonly used configurations — specifically , taking up just half or a quarter of the screen , or zoomed to fill the integral screen . But Moom ’s standout feature is that it uses Mac OS X ’s own interface for soar upwards window : the green “ zoom ” button in the upper - left corner of every windowpane .
Moom ’s rapid climb - push display lets you chop-chop resize and position window ( left ) ; once you ’ve done so , you may easily revert back to the window ’s original sizing and location ( right ) .
Moom’s zoom-button display lets you quickly resize and position windows (left); once you’ve done so, you can easily revert back to the window’s original size and location (right).
Move the mouse pointer over this piffling light-green Mexican valium , and after a light delay—1/10 of a second base by nonpayment , but you could make the delay shorter or longer — a little row of iconic buttons appears , each illustrating one of Moom ’s standard windowpane layouts : full - screen , or filling on the nose one-half of the screen on the left , right , top , or bottom . dawn the clit with the hope window layout and , like magic , the window is moved and resized appropriately . If only the soar buttonreallyworked this mode .
But there are a couple not - so - obvious options here , as well . dog - dragone of Moom ’s half - screen door buttons , and its icon changes ever so somewhat to argue that you may reposition the windowpane to fill aquarterof the screen door . you may opt either of the corners contained in a button ’s half of the screen . So , for example , the “ top one-half ” release gives you option to put the windowpane in the top - remaining or top - right turning point .
Similarly , if you ’ve got multiple displays , click - drag a button towards a unlike presentation give you the alternative of whizz the current windowpane to a half- or quarter - sieve sizing and a especial screen locating , but on theotherdisplay .
You can also zoom a window to fill a particular corner of a screen, and even move the window to a different display.
you could also zoom a window to make full a finicky corner of a screenland , and even move the window to a different display .
If you ’ve antecedently used Moom to whizz along a window , that window ’s Moom pop - up panel is slimly different . The ikon indicating the current window position is foreground , and a Modern Undo ( left - face arrow ) button appear . Click this button , and Moom reconstruct the windowpane to its original locating and dimensions . Unfortunately , if you manually move or resize a windowafterusing Moom to zoom it , Moom wo n’t be able-bodied to regenerate it to its original location . This limitation can be thwarting if you accidentallyclickthe standard zoom button instead of hovering over it — do that , and Moom forgets the original position . It would be great if Moom tender an option to deactivate the standard zoom functionality completely , specially considering that you ’re unlikely to habituate that button if Moom is operate .
But what about those of us who prefer to practice the keyboard whenever possible ? Moom provides keyboard mastery , as well . In fact , you get a duo extra pick when using the keyboard . Press Moom ’s keyboard shortcut , which you define , and a Moom overlayer ( bezel ) appears on your screen . Using the arrow keys — alone or modified with Command , Option , or Control — you’re able to then do a bit of action mechanism : move the current windowpane , at its current size of it , in 50 - pixel increment ( hold Shift to move in 1 - pixel increments ) ; move the windowpane to another display ; or resize the window to fill half of the current screen — up pointer for the top one-half , leave pointer for the odd side , and so on .
Moom’s keyboard options
Once you ’ve used Moom to make a window fulfil half the projection screen , you could bear on to use the pointer keys to “ wince down ” the windowpane to fill just a quarter . For lesson , if you press the down - pointer tonality to make a window replete the bottom one-half of the screen , you may then immediately compact the odd - pointer samara to shrink that window to replete just the lower - leave quarter .
Moom ’s keyboard options
In improver , you may configure the Return , Space , and Tab key to perform actions whenever the Moom overlay is displayed . The selection for each include zooming the current windowpane to make full the screen ; act the windowpane , at its current size , to the center of its current video display ; or reverting the window to its original size and localization .
While Moom does n’t declare oneself as many options for keyboard command of windows as MercuryMover , which also lets you configure presets for specific locations and sizes , Mercury Mover does n’t offer Moom ’s half - screen door features . And overall , Moom ’s keyboard features work well , although it take some trial and error to get the knack of switching between half - CRT screen and quarter - screen sizes .
If you prefer to employ only one of Moom ’s control methods — mouse or keyboard — you may stop the other entirely . you’re able to also choose to run Moom as a traditional software ( its icon appear in the Dock and it has traditional menu - stripe menu ) ; a menu - taproom utility ( you get at configurations via a systemwide carte ) ; or a faceless coating ( you access configurations by doubly - clack the Moom software picture in the Finder ) .
Moom ’s biggest limitation is built-in in its pattern : In gild to keep it utter - simple to expend , Many Tricks has restricted Moom to resizing and moving windows to one-half or a quarter of the screen . But if those window positions are enough for you , Moom is mighty appealing .
[ If you ’d wish to try Moom before purchasing it , ManyTricks offer a trial interlingual rendition fordownload from the company ’s Website . ]
( Disclosure : Former Macworld editor program Rob Griffiths is now an employee of Many Tricks , the developer of Moom . )
