How to Use Services? (from the Apple Menu)

pbg4 dudepbg4 dude
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
I have a question that's been bugging me from day one of OS X. How do I use the services menu (under the Apple Menu)? The options are always greyed out. I've tried using Grab, even while Grab is already loaded and running, and it's still greyed out on every program I've tried.



Can someone tell me how to enable / use the services menu?



Your help is greatly appreciated.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    Firstly, it's under the application menu, not the Apple menu



    It depends on the App you are running. Nearly all cocoa apps support services (do any not?), but very few carbon apps do at present.



    Amorya
  • Reply 2 of 7
    code mastercode master Posts: 344member
    And I've never seen the Grab service work
  • Reply 3 of 7
    crazed_ebotcrazed_ebot Posts: 9member
    [quote]Originally posted by Amorya:

    <strong>Firstly, it's under the application menu, not the Apple menu



    It depends on the App you are running. Nearly all cocoa apps support services (do any not?), but very few carbon apps do at present.



    Amorya</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Something struck me the other day while educating a Wintel user in sending an attachment via email.



    They were used to finding the file through windows explorer and right clicking on it - they got a contextual menu with a 'Send' option which launched their default email program, generated a new email and automatically attached the selected file.



    From a UI point of view it's great - applications revolve around the document, not vice versa. Services seem to be Apple's version of this feature ... but it's not even available in the _finder_.



    Amorya, would I be correct in assuming that because the current OS X finder is a carbon app it's therefore 'Services Challenged'?



    Ah well, not much longer now and we can all revel in 10.2



    Another question though - if services _were_ working in the finder, would it be possible to set a classic application like Outlook 2001 be the default email program used in such a process?



    [ 07-25-2002: Message edited by: crazed_ebot ]</p>
  • Reply 4 of 7
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Carbon apps have access to the Service menu in 10.1, but not to most services. I think they have to be told to make use of them, whereas Cocoa apps automatically get access to any new services installed. A service is usually installed by an application it refers to. If a service is of no use to a particular application (that is, it doesn't handle the kind of data that the service needs to work), then the app will not load that service into its Services menu.



    To use them in apps, just select something and go up to the menu.
  • Reply 5 of 7
    hobbeshobbes Posts: 1,252member
    What do y'all think of this UI weenie's <a href="http://forums.macnn.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=46;t=007939"; target="_blank"> fevered notions</a>?
  • Reply 6 of 7
    kedakeda Posts: 722member
    I like the pallet idea, but agree w/the ppl in the macnn thread...looks like a good 3rd party product.



    I would really like to see services in the contx menu.
  • Reply 7 of 7
    hobbeshobbes Posts: 1,252member
    [quote]Originally posted by Keda:

    <strong>I like the pallet idea, but agree w/the ppl in the macnn thread...looks like a good 3rd party product.



    I would really like to see services in the contx menu.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Yeah, I tend to like panels -- though some people seem to have mixed reactions to them.



    I find the Font and Color panels in Cocoa apps a godsend. Especially compared to mousing over to and scrolling down mile-long full-size font menus.



    A Services Panel is an interesting concept (although a little too much work for not quite enough?). The idea of drag and dropping words into Service buttons does seem more Mac-like than the current method.
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