batguebi01: Launch bookmarks and history items from the Help menu

Thursday, 21 July 2011

Launch bookmarks and history items from the Help menu

The shortcut combination Command+?, which works out to Command+Shift+/ opens the Help search box from any application in OS X. I have found that this can be a convenient way to run menu commands without having to navigate the sometimes complicated labyrinth of nested menus and ambiguious function locations in various applications.

After invoking the shortcut, simply type a portion of the menu command that you would like to execute and search results will be displayed, which you can navigate with the arrow keys, and then hit Return to execute.

This function is documented, but has an extended use because it works for the dynamic contents of menus, such as bookmarks and history items in any browser, and the contents of the File » Open Recent submenu in other applications, allowing quick, Spotlight-esque access to recent files and boomarks from within any application.

For instance, I have hundreds of bookmarks in my Bookmark menu in Safari. E ...