Learning how to make and use aliases is a tremendous asset; aliases can help you manage file and folder information, they can save you time, and they generally make your whole computing experience easier. So how can you use this little gem of computing nirvana?

First, you should probably understand what an alias is. An alias is simply an icon that represents some other file. Once you have created an alias (they take up virtually no disk space), you can put it wherever you want on your computer... but when you double-click on the alias, your Macintosh will find the original file and open it. This allows you to put icons in places where you have easy access to them without breaking the bonds between your application and its supporting files.

Now that you know a little about what aliases are and what they do for you, let's see about implementation.

Let's say you always open PageMaker right after you boot your computer. However, you hate digging through folder after folder to find that darn program. The best thing to do is create an alias of PageMaker and place it on your desktop!

First, you have to find the PageMaker application. Then, single-click on it to select the icon. Now, go to the File menu and select Make Alias. Right away, an icon looking just like the PageMaker icon appears, and will probably say Aldus PageMaker alias in italics. You're done!

You can put your new alias wherever you want to, you can change its name (I usually get rid of the word alias just because it makes the name too long), and you can make as many aliases as you want. Now, whenever you want to load up PageMaker, all you have to do is double-click that alias and voila! Nirvana...