In OSX Lion Apple dispensed with the simple and effective 2D spaces grids many people loved and relied on.
In its place, there is the more dynamic concept of ‘Desktops’, which can be created by the system on the fly, for instance when running a full screen app. Also, the system can re-order the desktops according to your use.
These dynamic features are of little use to power users, who know where their apps and windows are, and like to navigate fast between them. A common layout is a 3×3 grid – then from the central space you can reach 4 others with just one keypress. Very useful for flicking between your code editor, and the browser, and perhaps mail, or iTunes for instance.
To solve the problem, we must check a few settings, configure the correct number of desktops for a grid, and install this app which maps 4 directional hotkeys to move to the correct desktop as if there really were a grid.
In Lion you can turn off the feature ‘Automatically rearrange spaces based on the most recent use’ in the Mission Control system preferences pane, and I recommend this. You must also make sure you have the right number of spaces (e.g. 9 for a 3×3 grid) by adding desktops using the left hand side + button when in Mission Control.
With 9 desktops set up and fixed, you can then assign your applications to them by dragging them to the right desktop and right clicking on the icon in the task bar, and choosing Options→Assign to this desktop.
Then the only problem remaining is how to navigate between the desktops as if they were in a grid, using the cursor keys.
This app attempts to solve that problem.
It is not entirely easy, because Mission Control is not scriptable. However, there is still a way to change between spaces, and to identify which space you are currently on.
Download the app, and drag it into your Applications folder.
BEFORE YOU LAUNCH THE APP make sure you have the right number of desktops set up (eg 9 if you wish to have a 3×3 grid).
When you first start the app, the preferences window will show. You should select the kind of grid you wish to have (eg 3×3)
When the app is set up you can safely add it to your login items so it starts every time your mac does.
Download the latest version from here
Change Space has a preferences window, and here you should select the kind of grid you use.
3×3 is the default, but if you use another setting you must of course have the correct total number of desktops set up.
The default keys to change spaces are ctrl-shift arrow keys. You can configure the keys that will be used in the preferences panel.
NOTE: DO NOT BE SURPRISED when your machine starts to cycle through every desktop. This is normal, and it is because the app is working out the numeric identity of each of the desktops. It only has to do this once.
Change Space cannot change to desktop 1 without sending ctrl-1 to the system. Unfortunately this doesn’t work when if you are holding the shift key down at the time. So sometimes if you do not release the shift key quickly this does not work. This only affects desktop 1, I recommend you seldom use this one for this reason.
If you change the key mappings of Change Space to ctrl-arrows, please be sure to change the mappings for mission control (in System Preferences→Keyboard→Mission Control) so they do not use the same keys. You will likely get inconsistent behaviour when moving around the horizontal ends of your grid if they are the same.
I have seen the mapping getting mixed up, and it cycling through the desktops on every space change. If this happens, try deleting ~/Library/Preferences/net.sdsykes.Change-Space.plist and restart the app. At any rate, please report issues like this in github issues.
Stephen Sykes
Twitter: @sdsykes
Thanks to LaC, see stack overflow for the space id and part of the move space code.
Thanks to Dachaz for the hi-res icons.
© Stephen Sykes 2011
Non-Profit Open Software License 3.0 (NPOSL-3.0)
See LICENCE.txt