Macworldsent in a team of specially check spy to uncover Tiger ’s deep , benighted secret . Our second installment good deal with Spotlight . From lost files to smart folder , our experts show you how to get the most out of OS X 10.4 ’s stiff search tool .
Reveal the file path in Spotlight
When you select a search result in the Spotlight computer menu , the filing cabinet opens in its default app . But what if you just want to see where a data file is enshroud , without actually opening it ? but hover your shiner over a selection in the Spotlight menu , and a pocket-size corner show the file path will seem . To jump-start to the file in the Finder , pick out it in the public eye menu and press program line - getting even . Note that this cutoff works only in the Spotlight card ; if you have the Spotlight windowpane open , restraint - dawn on the entry and take Reveal In Finder from the menu that appears.—Kirk McElhearn
Easily create additional Smart Folders
Tiger lease you preserve a public eye search question as a smart pamphlet , which dynamically updates to let in any files that match the hunting criteria . For lesson , you’re able to make a smart folder that contains all the images you ’ve give in the past week ( from the Finder , go to File : New Smart Folder , and correct the first row of menu to Kind : Images and the second row to Last Opened : This calendar week ; then snap on the Save release ) .
If you later resolve that you ’d like another hunting that further restricts the results to only gravid images — those larger than 2 MB , for example — practice this crosscut : Rather than creating another smart pamphlet from scratch , just open up the already - create smart folder and press the Edit button . Add your new hunting standard ( size of it : Greater Than : 2 MB ) , and then press and concur the option key — the Save push will vary to carry through As . you may then give your modified smart pamphlet a new name so it wo n’t overwrite the original one.—Rob Griffiths
Find Smart Folders in a flash
Once you ’ve created a bunch of smart pamphlet , give them a special Spotlight comment so you may access them quickly from the Spotlight bill of fare . In the Finder , control - tap the smart folder and choose Get Info from the contextual menu . In the lead Info window , tap the arrow next to Spotlight Comments to reveal the white Spotlight Comments theatre of operations ( see screenshot ) . Add your tradition keywords here . I enter
Revert to the previous Find window
Do you dislike Tiger ’s nonpayment feel windowpane ? You want to explore for a Indian file name , so you press Command - F , only to be faced with the Kind : Any and Last Opened : Any Date hunt fields , forcing you to manually tally the Name : bear setting . If you miss the old way of doing things , here ’s how to move around back the clock .
First , create a raw fresh booklet . Delete the second hunt mise en scene ( Last Opened : Any Date ) by clicking on the negative sign ( - ) to its right . Then use the pull - down menus to convert the variety : Any setting to Name : Contains . In the data file - name boxwood , type something short that you acknowledge wo n’t appear elsewhere — for example , use three upright bars (
in the end , drag your newfangled nonpayment _ smart.plist leaflet into the Resources pamphlet . The Finder will take for your admin password and will inquire you to confirm that you want to overwrite the existing file . Once you ’ve replaced the filing cabinet , conclude the windowpane .
To see your changes in activity , re-start the Finder . The well-to-do way to do this is to option - press the Finder icon in the Dock and choose Relauch from the down - up menu . Now when you iron out Command - F , you should see your fresh customized Find window in all its glory ; you ’ll just have to supplant the file - name field with the search text.—RG
Avoid Spotlight’s blind spot
Having trouble finding that sourdough - bread recipe that you downloaded from the Web or the ReadMe data file that came with the programme you just put in ? Whether you download plain - text files or forge with them in a school text editor such as Bare Bones ’ BBEdit or Apple ’s TextEdit , you may have discovered one of Spotlight ’s little quirks : it indexes some plain - text edition files only if they include the.txtextension ( which may be hidden ) . To check that your spare - schoolbook files do n’t get overlooked , make certain to save them with the.txtextension — just sum up it to the end of the data file name . Conversely , if youdon’twant your textbook files index — to save phonograph recording space , for model — omit the extension.—KM
Make TextEdit docs Spotlight-friendly
Some programme , including Microsoft Word and Excel , embed handy information ( ormetadata ) in files ; this information aids Spotlight in its searches . For instance , Word and Excel mechanically include the name of a file ’s Almighty ( as its author ) , and they guess at the document ’s rubric . This information countenance you search for file by creator , or by a title that is n’t part of the filing cabinet name .
Spotlight time savers
Use these keyboard shortcuts to promptly navigate to and around the Spotlight computer menu .
If you ’re having trouble find the Indian file you need , you could add helpful keywords to make search easy . Just select the data file , press Command - I , and enter the appropriate text in the Spotlight Comments field . For representative , you could put down
