Jump Between Two Workspaces

To go with the recent Tip Shortcut to Change Workspaces, here's another keyboard shortcut for jumping between two Workspaces, along with some more information about how to take advantage of it.

Let's say that you're using your BeOS system to do web site work, creating your HTML files using the excellent Eddie text editor, viewing them in NetPositive, and hosting them on your web site running on the PoorMan web server.

To do all this, you want Eddie windows open with your HTML text files, NetPositive windows open to see the pages on the web, and PoorMan needs to be running and put its window somewhere. And you only have a 15" monitor. Things get cramped quickly!

The way to stretch out your screen real estate in the BeOS is to use Workspaces. A BeOS Workspace is like a virtual screen, almost a second monitor. You can read the BeOS User's Guide for more details about setting up and using Workspaces.

Set yourself up by opening your Eddie documents in one Workspace, switch to another, and open up NetPositive and PoorMan, viewing and serving the pages you're editing in the other Workspace.

Now you're ready for the Tip. To switch back and forth between the two Workspaces (like you would switch between two channels on your TV with the Jump or A/B button), simply:

1. Press Alt-` (or Command-`) on your keyboard
   (that's the "forward quotation mark" key, usually on the top-left of your keyboard; it probably has a tilde (~) on it, too).

To jump back to the previous Workspace, hit the keyboard shortcut again.

This keyboard shortcut will let you jump back and forth between your two most recently used Workspaces with ease. If both of your Workspaces are set to the same screen depth, resolution, and refresh rate, the switch is almost instantaneous, which makes it almost as good as having a second monitor.