Open Spaces 1.2 is a System 7 extension which makes navigating file systems easier to do with the keyboard: hitting the space bar in the Finder opens the selected file, as long as you're not renaming something. You can download the binhex file directly from here, or try the usual ftp sites: I recommend mac.archive.umich.edu or one of its mirrors, in the directory /mac/system.extensions/init. You can also view the documentation, including a known conflict, acknowledgements, and the version history.

Documentation

 Open Spaces is a System 7 extension I wrote because I was annoyed that I could move through folders with the arrow keys in System 7, but needed two hands to open a file (I don't have an extended keyboard, so neither command-O nor command-down-arrow is particularly convenient). With Open Spaces active, hitting the space bar in the Finder when you are not renaming a file will open the selected file or folder. When you are renaming, space acts normally.

Option-space works like option-opening: it opens the selected file or folder and then closes the window containing it. If shift is held down, Open Spaces does nothing; this way shift-space can do what space used to do (select the item in a folder which comes first alphabetically).

Open Spaces is freeware, though not public domain. Copyright 1993 Samuel Kutin. All rights reserved. Open Spaces may be freely distributed, provided it is accompanied by this documentation. It may not be altered in any way without the express written permission of the author. No fee (other than standard downloading fees) may be charged for the distribution of Open Spaces; it may not be distributed on disk for profit without the express permission of the author.

Known Conflict

Open Spaces does not work when WindowWizard 1.1 is active. This is due to a minor error in WindowWizard, which the author has said will be corrected in future releases.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Paul Philipsen, Robert Cunningham, and Jim Walker for their help in tracking down problems with version 1.1, and to Eric de la Musse for helping me work out the conflict with his program WindowWizard.

Version History