Illustrator CS5 - autominimizing when I alt+tab between programs?

[MikePro]

how do I stop Illustrator from minimizing all my projects when I alt+tab to finder/photoshop/etc?

kind of annoying that when I come back into the program, that I have to drag-down the Window toolbar to re-expand the project I am working on.
(never happened to me in CS3, so i'm hoping that there is just a setting that I cannot find to check/uncheck)

 

[Perks]

Looks like if when your goin to switch over to another program like Adobe Bridge from Illustrator then you would minimize illustrator via your mouse or manually. My Internet Explorer is also open. So now Alt / TAB will switch between Bridge and internet.

 

[MikePro]

eww, I don't want to minimize it manually. I use a Mac and Expose/Spaces and LOVE using keyboard-shortcut commands. Simply alt+tab'ing will cycle me between programs, and triggering spaces (mouse button 4, for me) will bring up my multiple desktops that I can also use to jog between programs.

buuuuuut, when I cycle back to Illustrator... all of my working drawings are minimized, and I have to drag-down from the Window menu to bring them back up! too much work, when I have to do it 30+ times a day!

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

Alt+Tab or Command+Tab? Alt+Tab doesn't do anything for me on my Mac. Do you have custom keyboard shortcuts?

I use Command+Tab to switch between programs and it doesn't minimize any of my files.. I don't use the Application Frame either, I just have the old style "floating" interface.

Never had any issues with Expose either. I don't use Spaces so couldn't say if that effects anything.

 

[BPI Color]

I use MACs and PCs at home. That's the first time I've heard of this. You could just hit command m and Illustrator will minimize to your side bar. Then when you want it back, click the Illustrator icon and it should jump back to full screen.

 

[MikePro]

Alt+Tab or Command+Tab?

oops, my bad... command+tab
that's just my old PC-self seeping out.

i think I figured it out... when I think it's minimizing my projects, I'm actually just trying to cmd+tab to Illustrator while in another Space in my mac. Navigating to the space I was working in brings my project back up to the main screen.

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

Have you tried using the Application Frame (Window>Application Frame)? It groups all your open Illustrator documents into the application similar to how Illustrator works on Windows.

I personally don't care for it, but it might solve your problem.

 

[MikePro]

application frame helps, i guess. now, at least, if I navigate to Illustrator from a different Space (where I see toolbars/menus, but no drawings) then all I have to do is hit Tab twice and it brings everything back up to the front.

 

[ForgeInc]

Personally I hate the command tab app switcher shortcut. In case you want to turn it off I'm pretty sure the way is to download this: http://unsanity.com/haxies/ape/

along with this: http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/pulltab/

(These are mac only I believe)

When the mac OS implemented that functionality it would drive me nuts, because I had always gotten into the work flow of hitting "Command-Tab" to switch between solid pointer tool and hollow pointer tool in Illustrator, which was an old time .ai shortcut. I bet I use this shortcut literally a hundred times a day, so when I go to another computer that still has the "comman-tab" app switcher enabled it drives me nuts.

 

[ForgeInc]

Edit to the above - not sure if these work with the recent versions of mac OS as pull tab hasn't been updated. My shortcuts are so second nature I realized I have since switched my "command/tab" selection shortcut to "command/F1" so I don't think you can turn off that app switcher shortcut anymore...wish ya could!