Keyboard modifier to open a perspective in new window instead of new tab in MacOS Sierra?

OmniFocus OmniFocus for Mac
#1

Before upgrading to MacOS Sierra, holding Alt while switching to another perspective from Perspectives menu opened it a new window.

Now it’s always open in a new tab within current window, and I can’t find a way to keep opening it a new tab. Am I missing something?

#2

This is a setting in macOS that was introduced in Sierra. If you prefer a new Window, go to System Preferences, then Dock, and under Prefer Tabs when Opening Documents, pick “Manually”.

#3

It didn’t change the Alt-click on perspective behaviour; restarting OF after that didn’t help either.

#4

Sorry! I think I made an assumption that you had your perspective already set to open in a new view.

If you go into the Perspectives menu to Show Perspectives, and check the “Open in a new view” box, when you pick that perspective it will open a new window by default instead of a tab. When I tested it, alt+click also opened in a new window instead of a tab, but only if you have the perspective set to open in a new view and you also have the macOS dock settings to “prefer tabs” set to manually.

#5

So currently there is no way to open a perspective in a new window instead of a new tab in Sierra, except making settings for the perspective to open in a new window first?

#6

I believe the change was to macOS and not to OmniFocus. When I use alt+click for default perspectives (which do not have that checkbox), I am getting them to open in a new window, which is not true with just clicking the perspective with no modifier, so the key command does still work with all default perspectives, it is only custom perspectives that allow you to specify the setting with a checkbox.

For custom perspectives you can choose which behavior you want to use by either using the checkbox or not using it for a new view, and the way that the new view is handled will be based on your dock setting in macOS.

#7

When I use alt+click for default perspectives (which do not have that checkbox), I am getting them to open in a new window, which is not true with just clicking the perspective with no modifier, so the key command does still work with all default perspectives

Can’t make it work even for built-in perspectives (after modifying System Preferences, of course). What can be possibly wrong?

I have 2.10 test (v113.12 r288248).

#8

Could you please take a screen shot of your Dock settings? I should make sure they are set the same. Also, which version of Sierra? Let me make sure that matches as well, and that it hasn’t changed recently.

#9

Thanks @yurkennis! We’ve confirmed that this behavior is different from pre-10.12 and have filed a bug for investigation. As @lanettetest indicated, it’s not something that was changed explicitly on our end, just fallout from Sierra’s new tab-y behavior. Thanks for the heads up!

If you bump into other issues or have questions, please feel free to reach out to our [Support Humans] (mailto:support@omnigroup.com) via email.

#10

Thanks for filing the bug, Steve. Do you have any target release for this issue? Like, chances it will happen before the year ends?

#11

Hey @yurkennis — I just checked against a macOS High Sierra beta and the behavior remains unchanged. The good news is that I’ve tracked down a combination that seems to do what you want, even in the current Sierra release. Try the following:

  • Set ‘System Preferences ‣ Dock ‣ Prefer tabs when opening documents:’ to Always
  • Use the Perspectives menu in OmniFocus and hold ⇧⌥ (shift-option) when clicking a perspective

This should open whatever perspective you click in a new window. I hope that does it!

As for the bug, I’ve added these notes, but now that it appears there is a way to do what you want, there may not be any action taken there.