Open and Save dialogue boxes are useless

I also converted from Windows to Mac and I can tell you that I am glad I did.

I was were you are at now and I can tell you that OS X is not Windows and your Windows "habits" will need to change if you want to have success.

If you have the "this is how I used to do it in Windows" mindset then your frustrations will continue. OS X certainly isn't for everyone.

Now that you have a very expensive MacBook, you have a few options:

• Compensate with apps like you have been
• Change your workflow
• Run Windows on your Mac via VM (Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion, etc...) or natively via Bootcamp

This may help also: Mac Basics - Switching PC Habits - Apple Support

As Axeman1020 noted, the Mac OS is not Windows. Things are not going to be exactly the same. It's no different than if you went from Windows to Linux. So expect a month or so of getting used to a different OS. Once muscle memory gets used to the different keyboard commands, and just where things are in general and how they behave, it'll seem just as easy as Windows.

To answer some of your statements or questions:

It seems such a simple thing but you cannot rename files from within mac open and save dialogue boxes.

Renaming items in the Open or Save dialogue boxes are not what those are for. I know Windows allows it, but why? That's a function for the desktop so you can't accidentally change a file or folder name in a dialogue box that has nothing to do with opening a file or saving one. If opening a file, that's all you're doing. If saving, only the name of the file you're saving can be modified. That's what those dialogue boxes are for - nothing else.

Yes, you can give a file you're saving any name you like. You can even click on any name shown in the save dialogue box to give it that name if you want. You can also highlight the default name and change it.

If you right click on a mac you can create a new folder but it defaults to the name 'untitled folder' and you then can't change it's name.

Of course you can. Either highlight the folder and press Enter, or slowly click on the name twice. Either action will make the name editable.

When I showed them the problem they weren't even aware of it and pointed out I should just use Finder. But that is not convenient if you want to rename a new folder to then have to come out of the open save relocate in finder and change from there.

You're crossing over two different things. I believe you mean renaming a folder from the Save dialogue box. When you click the New Folder button, you have the opportunity to give the new folder any name you want before clicking Create.

If you type the wrong name, then yes, you have to finish the save before you can rename the folder. So either be sure you type the name in correctly before clicking Create, or change the misspelling afterwards. You're not saving any time fixing a typo within the Open dialogue box. It will take the same amount of extra time to do it there as opposed to fixing it on the desktop after you complete the save.

I know there is the new folder button down to the left hand side and you can rename the folder as soon as you create it using that but sometimes you may make a mistake and want to change it. Same with file names.

You are again trying to force a Windows feature into an OS that is not Windows. The Mac does some things that I wish Windows could do, and visa versa. However, you can't force any OS to do something it simply isn't designed to do. Expecting it to change by sheer willpower is only going to drive you crazy. You need to let go of what you want the OS to do as opposed to what it will do.

Considering I was promised so much in terms of better efficiency with work flow and ease of use overall there is still a lot that's left to be desired.

I find the Mac OS to be incredibly efficient. This from a person who has used Windows for many more years overall than the Mac OS. Yes, it took time to get used to how the Mac OS behaved. But rather than fighting it (which is pointless), I simply took the time to learn how to use it as it's designed.

Well said Kurt Lang...as usual 🙂

You need to study OS X a bit

Here's a new folder, with the name I chose for it.

Something I forgot to add.

I know a lot of Windows users right click to create a new folder because part of the default behavior is to automatically make the name field active. The Mac OS, as you discovered, doesn't do that from a right click folder creation. Couldn't tell you why (because it sure would be nice if it did), but it doesn't.

It would be better to change your standard procedure of creating a new folder. And that's to ignore the mouse. Use the mouse only as a means to click on the desktop, or an open folder window to select the location you want the folder created in. After that, move to the keyboard. Press Command+Shift+N. A new folder will be created with the difference being the name field is active.

A person may say, "Isn't the mouse easier for creating a new folder?". No, not really. You have to take your hand off the mouse anyway to type the name you want the folder to have, so there's no time difference between right clicking the desktop and choosing to create a new folder, or pressing Command+Shift+N. The latter then saves you the extra step of highlighting the newly created folder and pressing enter before you can give it the name you want.

Kurt Lang wrote:

Something I forgot to add.

I know a lot of Windows users right click to create a new folder because part of the default behavior is to automatically make the name field active. The Mac OS, as you discovered, doesn't do that from a right click folder creation. Couldn't tell you why (because it sure would be nice if it did), but it doesn't.

That is odd, because OS X does make the name field active for me, right-click, choose New Folder, folder appears with name field active (in blue), can't remember it any way else?

You are right, it does! I tried it just a while ago, and the folder came up stuck without a chance a way to name it right away. Though I did just now discover the difference.

If you are in the Finder and right click for a new folder, the name field is active.

If another app is in the foreground, and you right click somewhere behind that app to create a new folder, then the name is stuck at "untitled folder" without a chance to give it a different name until you go back to it.

I think some of you are misunderstanding what otmaxo is saying. When you are in the save file dialogue box, you can press the "new folder" button, and then create a new folder which you can name whatever you want. No problem with that.

However, when right clicking in the save dialogue box and choosing "new folder" from the menu that pops out, a new folder is created, but you are not able to name it! That is very frustrating, and it must be a mistake in the OS. Either you should be able to name your folder when you create it, or the option to create a folder through the right click menu should not be there.

I think that suggesting "you're doing it wrong" is quite arrogant, when he is actually using a function built into the OS. Mac is said to be efficient, but when you use the built-in function to make a folder in the save dialogue, and then have to navigate through Finder to name it afterwards, that is about as non-efficient as it gets.

eightpointone wrote:

However, when right clicking in the save dialogue box and choosing "new folder" from the menu that pops out, a new folder is created, but you are not able to name it! That is very frustrating, and it must be a mistake in the OS. Either you should be able to name your folder when you create it, or the option to create a folder through the right click menu should not be there.

That is incorrect, I just followed your directions above and got this: a new folder with the name field active ready to be edited.

otmaxo wrote:

Thank you @eightpointone that is exactly what I am saying! Makes no sense at all right? Why have a feature where you can create a new folder a certain way (by right clicking) and then not be able to rename that folder. You should be able to do it both ways IMO.

You can, read my post.

Strange. As said, when I right click and make a new folder (only from within the save dialogue) the name field is just blue and says "untitled folder", but I can not change its name. It might be something program specific, though, as I see that many of my programs actually don't have the option for right-clicking and creating folder within the save dialogue.

Using the latest update of Yosemite, by the way.

That's a folder not a file, note where it says untitled folder (highlighted for editing in blue)