single click shut down?

[Xd]

I would like any tips on how to create a single click shut down button I can place on my desktop? Any help would be great.

[bramley]

The following AS when saved as an app will start the usual shutdown process. You could add your own custom icon if you want to replace the AS one. You can put an alias to the script either on your desktop or drag the app into the dock.

tell application "Finder"
	activate
end tell
tell application "System Events"
	tell process "Finder"
		tell menu bar 1
			tell menu bar item "Apple"
				tell menu "Apple"
					click menu item 17
				end tell
			end tell
		end tell
	end tell
end tell

The "cleaner" alternative is to save the following AS as an app.

tell application "Finder"
	shut down
end tell

but this script has no "idiot-proofing". You could add some commands to generate an alert window but it wouldn't look like the usual one, or be as good.

[cudaboy_71]

i did just what bramley did (example 2) a long time ago for my mom. i even gave it a cute-widdle sleepy finder icon.

if you want it, grab shutdown.sit from my .mac sharing folder here and stick it in your dock.

[foreverfadesx]

how can i make a display an alert when i click the 2nd action script?

[cudaboy_71]

tell application "Finder"
	display dialog "Shutting Down" buttons {"OK", "Cancel"} default button "OK"
	shut down
end tell

[edit] removed variable--not needed.

[Xd]

Cudaboy_71 that is totally cool you offer that, I have it on my dock as we speak and it works PERFECT. Thx for that dude, seriously.

[chabig]

What's so hard about selecting Shut Down from the Apple menu?

[Xd]

Its select apple, scroll down then select shutdown then roll over to the middle of the screen and choose shutdown or cancel. So the obvious answer to your question is its not that hard, it just saves a little Xtra time accomplishing those steps with 1 click instead of 3.

[chabig]

OK. Thanks. Did you know you can hold down the option key when you select Restart, Shut Down, or Log Out and you won't get the confirmation alert? That simplifies it a lot.

[Xd]

didnt know that, thx for the tip.

[bramley]

Quote: Originally Posted by chabig What's so hard about selecting Shut Down from the Apple menu?

Well, if your sight's not good, arthritis is setting in, you suffer from Parkinson's, or you're at the age where you don't remember things too well ... mice & menus can be a bit hard to use.

And if you can't even turn your computer on/off that kicks your confidence a bit, and make you less likely to use a computer.

So I think threads like this one do address a need even if it's not immediately apparent to those "sound of mind and body."

[Xd]

Whatever floats your boat dude. I have a very limited mouse at the moment, if you must know.

[amarillo]

Control + Alt + Command + Eject on a standard Mac keyboard shuts the computer down without a confirmation box.

[osxpounder]

I have plenty of reasons for preferring a keyboard to the mouse, including:

Mousing takes longer [usability tests prove this]
Mousing is less healthy for my injured hands and wrists [injured by years of computer use]
Mousing requires more attention

There are others; I think that list is good enough. I don't suggest eliminating the mouse, but some of us would like to do without it as much as possible.

[hayne]

Quote: Originally Posted by osxpounder Mousing takes longer [usability tests prove this]

Although I have not actually seen the details, Apple claimed to have done research that showed the reverse of what you claim. I.e. that accessing an item from a menu at the top of the screen is actually faster (in most cases)
than using keyboard commands. This was reported in a book "Tog on Interface" by Bruce Tognazzini (http://www.asktog.com/books/toi_detail.html).

He said that people who like using keyboard shortcuts persistently claim that they are faster, but that experiments proved that was an illusion. Of course, some keyboard shortcuts are faster - those that you use all the time. But for general commands, menu items are better. This statement does rely on the menu being at the top of the screen where it is at a fixed position and effectively infinitely high (so that you don't have to slow down to position the mouse on the menubar).

[Xd]

I like the single click button and if you dont, why post anything? Like I am going to decide since you, A total stranger says I must be this or that to want this feature. Who cares what you think. I dont need approval from anyone to know what I want. Its a cool enhancement to me.

[osxpounder]

Yes, mousing is faster for users who either are new to the app in question, or new to computers, but when "power users" get accustomed to working for hours and days in an app, they begin to appreciate, and use, keyboard commands for quicker and more convenient access. Even experienced users can find the mouse to be more convenient and quick when they use an unfamiliar app, but many things common to almost all apps can be made quicker and more convenient with a keystroke. A great example is Cmd-S to Save.

Also, mousing puts wear and tear on my hands and wrists, which my main reason for preferring keys -- your experience may well be different. Ultimately, as Xd points out, what matters most is the user's personal preference -- since computers *can* offer the choice, I say that they *should* ... that's a controversial opinion among usability experts, but I'm sure it's what I prefer. I don't mind having the preferences tucked away, deep within the app, but I do really want the preference available to me.

I often see reference to Tog's book in other sources; I need to get that book!

[gsparks]

Quote: Originally Posted by bramley So I think threads like this one do address a need even if it's not immediately apparent to those "sound of mind and body."

Exactly. Let's keep this thread to being helpful... the original poster asked politely for a solution, and it's not necessary for anyone else to criticize or lambast him because they don't happen to see the logic or understand his desire for the solution. Xd didn't start off by insulting your intelligence, so let's not insult his...