The last time Apple rolled out a cat - themed OS decade update , Spotlight was the star of the show . Introduced as part of O X 10.4 , the search feature used file ’ indexed metadata — world day of the month , body text edition , file cabinet sort , and size of it , for model — to quickly ferret out matching files .
While Spotlight demonstrate hope , its performance often proved disappointing . In many cases its search were too broad , produce century or even thousands of effect when you searched using vulgar words and set phrase . And while it was supposed to produce results as you typed , it would often hesitate after you ’d type a duet of characters and then finally set out again as it caught up with the clacks of your keyboard .
mackintosh substance abuser upgrading to Leopard will find a unlike Spotlight wait for them . OS disco biscuit 10.5 refines the search technology in several significant — and welcome — ways . This revamped Spotlight can carry on set phrase searches that in reality raise useful result ; it also supports a unexampled feature of speech in Leopard called Quick Look .
The big changes
Many Spotlight enhancements project for Leopard were unveil more than a twelvemonth ago by Apple .
Let ’s set out with set phrase search . When you conduct a query in your internet browser ’s Search flying field , one of the good ways to narrow your search is by enclosing your search terms in quotation marks . “ Licorice Ice Cream , ” for representative , produces far few result in a Google search than Licorice Ice Cream .
Leopard ’s glare allows you to lead these same kind of idiom searches . Additionally , with the help of metadata attributes , you’re able to really nail down your solution . For instance , case
File name searching is even easier within the Searching windowpane that appear when you type Command - F in the Finder . Just enter the file name you try in the Spotlight theatre within this window and snap on the File Name clit .
In Tiger , there also was n’t a way to produce a Boolean search — one that employ words such as AND , OR , and NOT to bear conditional queries . With Leopard , you’re able to now explore along the lines of
While Spotlight now specialise things down nicely , you may still see multiple resultant . One good path to see if you have the correct file is to open a Searching window , perform your search , and select the data file you believe you want to open and press the Space Bar . This engage Leopard ’s Quick Look lineament , which we explore in neat depth in our article on change to the Finder in Leopard . But briefly , Quick Look lets you promptly glance over through the subject of a single file , without forcing you to go to the trouble of opening it in its aboriginal applications programme . It ’s a grand time - saver and ideal for the at - a - glance nature of Spotlight searches .
While we ’re on the issue of the Finder , Finder windows sport a Shared submission in the sidebar , and those Macs that have Personal File Sharing switched on will look beneath this entry . glare can now search the cognitive content of those shared Macs as well as your local computer .
Finally , Spotlight bestow capableness remindful of launcher apps . It ’s no LaunchBar , but it is usable as a limited launch public-service corporation .
Type a Word of God into the spot search bar , and , among the results , you ’ll get a definition that , when clicked , will get to the Dictionary .
By default , Spotlight will spotlight coating as the Top Hit so it ’s a dewy-eyed subject to typewrite into the Spotlight field the name of the covering you ’d like to open — iPhoto , for lesson — and press the Return key to found it .
What you may not know
Our past coverage of Leopard mark that in add-on to stomach boolean logical system and letting you search for exact phrasal idiom and day of the month ranges , OS X 10.5 ’s variant Spotlight also allows computing . We know a small bit more about this capability now — record
Here ’s another feature we have n’t addressed previously : look through system file . Under Tiger , Spotlight largely remain out of areas reserved for the System — the message of the System and Library brochure , for example . Leopard allows Spotlight to insert these previously prohibit areas .
Apple’slist of Spotlight featuresnotes a vane history search feature , in which Spotlight indexes the names of any Web site you visit as well as the mental object of the sites themselves . search for of late visit entanglement pageboy take you back to Safari .
What we think
Spotlight ’s feature employment as advertised . The engineering has largely become the utility many of us hoped it would be in Tiger . Better yet , unlike Spotlight under Tiger , this translation of Spotlight is speedy . You should no longer typewrite in the root of a search terminus only to have glare break after you ’ve enter just the first few characters .
spot remains a good tool for those Mac exploiter who relied on the hunting technology in the past . The difference here is that those who turned to more advanced ( and immobile ) search tools such asDevon Technologies ’ EasyFindmay be tempt to retrovert to Spotlight , as it ’s now usable for conducting more complex and thoroughgoing searches .
Great or Wait?With this vent of Spotlight , Apple has signaled the all clear . Those who have stayed forth from Spotlight due to its too - wide hunt and scratchy performance will be impressed with its Leopard implementation . not bad .
[ Senior editor Christopher Breen subject field troubleshooting questions in the Mac 911 blog . ]
