File & Folder Virtual Desktop - Sidedesk Mac App Help

Sidedesk App Icon

Sidedesk for macOS Help

Ever needed a quick way to organize your Desktop? Or find a buried shortcut? Introducing Sidedesk! A revolutionary new way to access your files. Sidedesk uses intelligent mechanisms to link to the files you want, as well as provide numerous filtering possibilities to get you to your stuff with fewest steps possible. An innovative list menu also provides easy access to your linked items. Sidedesk will vastly improve your workflow, so you can focus on more important things.

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General Info for Sidedesk

Sidedesk is a virtual desktop for macOS operating system. It can be downloaded via Apple's Mac App Store. Below is some basic information regarding the app.

Create Customized Nav Item for Sidedesk

Sidedesk uses a Main Navigation view for displaying links to access main user content. You can easily create new Navigation Items by clicking the + icon. A new view will pop-up and display options for entering Nav Item details, like Name and Icon.

Create Generic Nav Item for Sidedesk

A Navigation Item can also just be a generic item adjusting just the Nav Item Name and leaving the Icon default.

Reorder Nav Items for Sidedesk

To Reorder Navigation Items, right-click any Nav Item and choose 'Reorder'. When the Reorder view shows, simply drag items over/under each other to reorder the Navigation hierarchy.

Edit Nav Items for Sidedesk

To Edit a Navigation Item, right-click a Nav Item and choose 'Edit'. Update Nav Item fields appropriately and click 'Edit' button when finished to save changes.

Add Files for Sidedesk

Adding Files is a great way to provide quick and easy access to your most used files. Click 'Add File' to add a File/Files to Sidedesk.

Remove Element for Sidedesk

Sometimes you want to remove some items to make space for others, or you mistakenly added the wrong content. Use the 'Remove' function to clean-up undesired Elements.

Element Drop Location for Sidedesk

Sidedesk uses an intelligent Element Drop Location function to allow user configurable options in terms of where Elements are placed on the Main View. The Element Drop Location UI element can be shown/hidden by clicking the Gray/Blue icon. Additionally the icon that appears on the Main View can be moved around to another desired location by click-dragging.

Canvas Panning for Sidedesk

Sidedesk uses a near-infinite canvas to populate Elements. click-dragging the background of the canvas will all you to move all content at once (panning).

Reset View Drop Location for Sidedesk

Sometimes you may need to reset your View or the Drop Location. This can be easily completed by right-clicking a Nav Item and choosing 'Reset View' and/or 'Reset Drop Location'.

Add Folder for Sidedesk

Folders are a great way to access your content. You can add multiple Folders to Sidedesk by clicking 'Add Folder' button. After a Folder has been placed on the Main View. You can double-click the Folder to launch Finder with the Folder's contents displayed.

Add Website for Sidedesk

Sidedesk supports adding Website links to the Main View. Click the 'Add Website' to receive the add website pop-up. Enter in a website Name and an appropriate URL.

Add Frame for Sidedesk

Sometimes you need to divide your Elements in a manner where items are grouped in a specific area. Frames does just that - click 'Add Frame' to drop a new bounding box like Element to the Main View. Use the rectangular nubs in the corners to drag and position the Frame where you need it.

Add List View for Sidedesk

ListViews offers the best way to quickly populate an element with useful file/folder access, in a ready to go visual format.

Add Grid View for Sidedesk

GridView offers a great way to quickly populate an element with useful file/folder access, in a ready to go visual format.

Element Size Options for Sidedesk

You can adjust your Element size for ListView, GridView, Frame, Text, and Image. Before adding an Element, set the desired size, then click the appropriate 'Add _' button to add an Element with the chosen size.

Highlight Items for Sidedesk

There is a built-in selection highlight option called 'Highlight Items'. You can use this to toggle selection visibility. ListViews act differently and are not affected by this property.

Add Text for Sidedesk

The Text Element is an excellent way to display text information embedded in the Main View. Click the 'Add Text' button to drop a Text Element to the screen. This can be moved by click-dragging the Text Element icon.

Add Image for Sidedesk

Sidedesk can drop Images onto the Main View. Click 'Add Image' and select an image file. You can also adjust the image size by setting the Element Size Option prior to selecting an image.

Element Expand/Collapse for Sidedesk

A nice feature to free up some visual noise or see more info is the Expand/Collapse function. Right-click an Element and choose 'Expand/Collapse' to shift the Element into either a collapsed state or an expanded state.

Bring to Front for Sidedesk

Sidedesk has a layering structure using a z-index value. To change an Elements z-index to the most-front layer, right-click an Element and choose 'Bring to Front'.

Reset Position for Sidedesk

You may inadvertantly place an Elment offscreen on the canvas in an undesirable location that you can't remember where. If you need to reposition an Element back to the Element Drop Location, right-click an Element and choose 'Reset Position'. If done from the Main View, the Element will be instantly repositioned to the Element Drop Location position. If performed via the 'Filter' right-click menu, keep in mind you'll need to reload your Main View by clicking either on another Navigation Item, or clicking in the Navigation area's blank space.

Rename Element for Sidedesk

If needed, you can easily Rename an Element by right-clicking the Element and choosing 'Rename'. Keep in mind, this renames the Element and not the source file/folder.

Filtering for Sidedesk

Sidedesk has a powerful Filter function. You can use this to filter both the Filter List and the Main View simultaneously.