Find File and Spotlight

behind the curve a little... really like OS 10.4.1 except one thing. I want the old find file back, where I can type in a file name and sort the exact matches by date. I don't want 500 htm files and 1000 other non-related files to appear, just the exact matches. I assume it a preference thing, but darned if I can figure it out... anyone?

692/3138
Hi Bryan,
Even after so many threads, ideas and turnarounds found on these very Forums by Francine Schwieder and many other geniuses, discussing its doubtful behaviours and trying to make it work better,
personally I don't think I can trust it anymore, rely on it to find something and to positively conclude it's not here if it doesn't find it.
Even if one day I see it finds invisible files at last.
That's why I use EasyFind.
EasyFind always finds everything, just like Panther's Find (⌘F) feature used to, because it uses the same kind of indexing.
Your problem looks like you just didn't give it enough time to index, but anyway, can you rely on it anymore after that?
On my computer, EasyFind has always been stable, problem-free, and unfortunately a little slow.
Enjoy (the other good aspects of) Tiger!
Axl

Similar Messages

Find File and Spotlight not working....

Hi all,
Today, I used the find file command to search for survey I needed to print out. I searched for "survey" and nothing was found. I did the same thing in spotlight with the same results. I then searched through folders (the horror) and found the file I was looking for. After opening the file, both "find" and spotlight were able to find the document. A couple of hours ago, I did a search for "memo" - I've got many documents with the word memo in it - both find file and spotlight came up with no results. I did a quick search in the spotlight topic and someone suggested using Yasu to run all of the maintenances - same results. Does anyone know how to reset the index file, or whatever file OS X uses? I'm currently running OS 10.4.5.
Bryan

692/3138
Hi Bryan,
Even after so many threads, ideas and turnarounds found on these very Forums by Francine Schwieder and many other geniuses, discussing its doubtful behaviours and trying to make it work better,
personally I don't think I can trust it anymore, rely on it to find something and to positively conclude it's not here if it doesn't find it.
Even if one day I see it finds invisible files at last.
That's why I use EasyFind.
EasyFind always finds everything, just like Panther's Find (⌘F) feature used to, because it uses the same kind of indexing.
Your problem looks like you just didn't give it enough time to index, but anyway, can you rely on it anymore after that?
On my computer, EasyFind has always been stable, problem-free, and unfortunately a little slow.
Enjoy (the other good aspects of) Tiger!
Axl

What is the name of the folders which are your backup of Itunes library? I am recovering from a virus, have no workable desktop in Win XP, but can search and find files and folders. I would like to move these backup files to a new computer

what is the name of the folders which are the backup of Itunes library? I am recovering from a virus, have no workable desktop in Win XP, but can search and find files and folders. I would like to move these backup files to a new computer, authorize it and sync with Iphone 3Gs and Ipod 5th gen.
I

I second the whole iTunes folder approach.
If for some reason you have split the media folder from the library files then the media folder needs to restored to the same path it used to have while the library files can be copied into the music folder of your new profile.
If in dobut, backup up the entire Documents and Settings folder before wiping the infected drive, but be selective about what you restore as many viruses drop active components capable of reinfecting the compuer in the temp folders and internet caches. It is much easier to backup more than you need than to discover after the fact that you no longer have access to some vital project you'd been storing in a folder on the desktop.
tt2

How to find files and subdirectories in a directory

can anyone tell me how to find files and subdirectories in a directory .

Here's a code snippet,
http://javaalmanac.com/egs/java.io/TraverseTree.html

Finding file with Spotlight

How do I find a file with Spotlight? Or, more to the point, why does Spotlight make it soooo hard to find the location of files?
Example: I want to find file "foo.xls". I type in "foo.xls" into Spotlight and sure enough, there it is! Great! Er .. but wait. All Spotlight lets me do is OPEN the file. I don't want to do that, I just want to know where it is; what folder it is in.
How do I do that? I can't right-click on items in the Spotlight result list (why not? isn't this what most users would do?). I can't press spacebar for quicklook. I can't seem to do ANYTHING with Spotlight EXCEPT open the file.
I presume there is some hidden shortcut key involving some obscure combination of option+command etc etc, but how am I supposed to know that? Isn't this supposed to be easy?
This is, to say the least, very frustrating.
--Tim

In 10.6 and prior, the user would need only hover over the item in Spotlight's results and a yellow flag would appear with the location. In 10.7, a new Spotlight feature emerged, the preview, so the yellow flag is gone.
Use Finder's Spotlight instead in the upper right of the Finder window. You can always use Finder's "Show Path Bar" view, so that, after doing a Finder Spotlight search, you can single click on a file and see the path listed at the bottom of the window.

Find function and spotlight - some reactions

Hi,
I just got at new iMac and I'm trying to get hip to what's what with Leopard. I hit a glitch when it came time to look for a file on the hard drive. Is it me or is the find function almost useless? (I've given up on Spotlight.) When I select File > Find... a window comes up that indicates the search is "This Mac". Why not use the name of the hard drive? Further along the top of this window, "Contents" is selected. (I want "File name".) Who wants to start a search with contents??? If I select a different hard drive, this row of options disappears and I just have the search field in the top right of the window. If I type into the search field, it goes back to searching content on my mac?!
When you initiate a new search, the window is small and you inevitably have to resize the columns and window. And what's with the smart folder icon at the top of the window? For me, the results show too much info.
Oh, and I still "like" the way it displays the file path of the found file. It's ok if the file isn't buried 10 folders deep or one has a gigantic 24" screen where resizing will show it. It seems that the find function has gotten progressively worse as the cats have come and gone. This will be unbearable at work where I have to search 100's of folders on a Windows share digging through 200,000 plus graphics and word pro files.
Oh, I found out that when I select a file name to copy and paste it, the extension is not hilighted. Is this going to get stupid?
And in the end, what prompted me to use the find file in the first place was I wanted to import the ical .abbu file to my new iMac. I just couldn't import this .abbu file from my other machine. Not migrating assistant, copying that iCal '.abbu' file into a folder--wherever that is on my iMac now--or importing the file using iCal will set my new iCal like the old one.
Keith
<Edited by Moderator>

soehnk wrote:
Hi,
I just got at new iMac and I'm trying to get hip to what's what with Leopard. I hit a glitch when it came time to look for a file on the hard drive. Is it me or is the find function almost useless?
It has some quirks, and it's not always obvious how to use it to its best, but it's far from useless.
(I've given up on Spotlight.)
I assume you mean the Spotlight menu. Spotlight still does the searching in Finder windows. And when you know its ins and outs (for instance, it searches both Contents and Name, you should adjust the categories listed in the menu thru the Spt Pref pane since only 20 items are listed, you can see the path to a listed item, or have it revealed in the Finder; you can use keywords for more targeted searches... and so on).
When I select File > Find... a window comes up that indicates the search is "This Mac". Why not use the name of the hard drive?
It's letting you search everything (all mounted volumes), not just the internal drive, giving you the widest possible search area. The bigger problem with this element is that the second "search area" option, which is the folder window you started in, isn't the default selection. I suppose the thinking there was that if you're looking in a folder and can't find what you want, you want to widen your search, not narrow it with more criteria. But most of us want that optional folder set as the default when we go into Find!
Further along the top of this window, "Contents" is selected. (I want "File name".) Who wants to start a search with contents???
I suppose the people who want to start with Contents aren't complaining, so we don't hear from them. But I agree that File Name should be the default. However, if you use Command-Shift-F instad of Command-F (or hold Shift while opening the File menu the Find command changes to Find By Name), you'll get a Search window whose first criterion bar is already set to "Name contains..." and you can go right for the file name.
If I select a different hard drive, this row of options disappears and I just have the search field in the top right of the window. If I type into the search field, it goes back to searching content on my mac?!
Yes, one of the ways to get out of a Search mode window is to click on something else for the window to display; it really should set the Search area to a disk or folder you click on. But when you do go back into Find mode by typing in the Search field, your optional Search area is now the volume you just clicked on.
When you initiate a new search, the window is small and you inevitably have to the columns and window. And what's with the smart folder icon at the top of the window? For me, the results show too much info.
If your search is in a current window rather than a new one, it inherits the size of the current window; try clicking the zoom button before you go into Find mode.
Not sure what your beef with the Smart Folder icon in the window. The Find window isn't a regular folder, and it behaves just like a Smart Folder, really, and can be turned into a Smart Folder with a click of the Save button; this detail makes more sense to me than a regular folder icon or another icon altogether.
I assume that by "show too much info" you mean the search isn't targeted enough and the list is too long? Because the only info it shows for each hit is the name, kind, and last opened date. It's missing the basic Size column, so even if you Find according to Size, you can't sort according to size! I'd call that not enough info!
So, I'm guessing you mean "too much info" as "too many files that don't match what I'm looking for". But you can narrow your search all sorts of ways both in the Search field with multiple words, literal strings, boolean operators ("this AND that" "this OR that but NOT the other thing") and in as many criteria bars as you want to define kind, created or modified dates, folders not files, a partial file resize name PLUS a few words of the content....
Oh, and I still "like" the way it displays the file path of the found file. It's ok if the file isn't buried 10 folders deep or one has a gigantic 24" screen where resizing will show it. It seems that the find function has gotten progressively worse as the cats have come and gone. This will be unbearable at work where I have to search 100's of folders on a Windows share digging through 200,000 plus graphics and word pro files.
Are you referring to the squeezed-up list of folders in the Path bar at the bottom of the window? Hovering your cursor over any of the squeezed-up names shows you the full names of the interim files.
As for digging through 200K files... again, narrowing your search with parameters like "name contains..." "modified before/after" "kind is image" or "kind is JPEG" and so on... all this is available to dig through that mountain, and it's the same kind of parameters you'd have to define for any search engine to know what you want and narrow the choices.
Oh, I found out that when I select a file name to copy and paste it, the extension is not hilighted. Is this going to get stupid?
Well, here we totally disagree. The non-hilite on the extension is a boon - you can select a name and rename the file without having to retype the extension. When you want the name with the extension, just select the file (not the name) and choose Copy - you can paste the whole name that way. (Other info is copied with a select-and-Copy procedure. Depending on where you do the paste, you get different things: it copies the icon, too, so if you want to paste it in a Get Info window as a custom icon, you can use that; it copies the entire file, to, so you can Copy a file in one folder and Paste it in another. The Mac pretty much knows which part of the copied info you want to use based on where you do the pasting.)
And in the end, what prompted me to use the find file in the first place was I wanted to import the ical .abbu file to my new iMac. I just couldn't import this .abbu file from my other machine. Not migrating assistant, copying that iCal '.abbu' file into a folder--wherever that is on my iMac now--or importing the file using iCal will set my new iCal like the old one.
.abbu is for Address Book, .icbu is for iCal - I assume this was just a typo on your part. But whichever one you meant, I have no trouble finding either one (not that I had them before I tested this based on your comment, since I use Time Machine for backing them up). However, I created both program-based backups, and each was instantly found both thru the Spotlight menu and a Search window with no problem. the icbu file's Kind is iCal Backup file; searching by Kind is "iCal Backup" should get it for you. The abbu file Kind is "Address Book Archive FIle"; searching for Kind is with that whole, or partial, description should help you find it.
sharon

Find files and establish links to help organize my computer

I was advised to post this here instead of where I initially posted it:
Like a lot of people, I have accumulated eBooks at different times and they are scattered all over several drives. I want to organize them. I am trying to remember how to make a UNIX script to do what I want. Then I can put it on a cron so that it will automate the process for me
What I want to do:
Find all .epub files
place a link to those files in file:///Users/my_name/Documents/ePub Links/
If this can't work then even to find and move all of the .epubs would work; however, I would prefer to use a link because I also want, with suitable alteration, to use the script to organize my pdf files. Some of those pdf files need to be left where they are because they are manuals; but, again, I would like a central list so I do not keep looking, online, for files I already have.

Smart Folders is the way to go, however, to find files, use "find".
To find in your Home Directory and any attached drives:
find ~ /Volumes/ -iname '*.epub'
To create a symbolic link:
find ~ /Volumes/ -iname '*.epub' -exec ln -s {} "file:///Users/my_name/Documents/ePub Links/" \;
Not sure if find will look in "file:///Users/my_name/Documents/ePub Links/" (which you don't want), but if it does, we can exclude this directory with the -prune option.

Get user input and find file and read it.....argh

Ok, so I have to write a program that asks a user for the name of the file they want opened and then it is to read it and then display the max score and the minimum score on the file. also to display the average score on the file. Along with that it is supposed to display how many As, Bs, Cs, Ds, and Fs were on the file IE: a: 1 b: 3 c: 0 d: 4 f: 1. etc.
Also, the next part is to have the program open the input file and then write all the information to an output file. I was able to do this and have the output file show the peoples names and their score along wtih their grade adn then the whole score average at the end of the output file....
My question is how do I do the first part by asking the user for the name of file and then for the program to find the file and then display the max, min, average and how many letter grades the class got?

this is what i have so far and the code before didnt work with JCreator, came up with lots of errors......
What do i have to do to get the max value and min value to display along with the amount of As, Bs, Cs, Ds, and Fs????
import java.io.*;
class extest
public static void main(String [] args) throws IOException
// First, open the input file
TextReader filein = new TextReader(new FileInputStream("test.txt"));
// Read our number
int x;
x = filein.readInt();
String [] first=new String[x];
String [] last=new String[x];
int [] score=new int[x];
// load data from the input file test1.txt
for (int i=0; i<x; i++)
first=filein.readWord();
last[i]=filein.readWord();
score[i]=filein.readInt();
     WriteTestFile(first, last, score, x);
public static void WriteTestFile(String f[], String last[], int score[], int x)
double average=0;
// Next, open the output file
try
PrintWriter fileout = new PrintWriter(
new FileWriter("grade.txt") );
// OK, now write to the file
fileout.println(x);
for (int i=0; i<x; i++)
average=average+score[i];
if (score[i]>90)
fileout.println(f[i]+" "+last[i]+" " + score[i] +": "+"A");
else if (score[i]>80)
fileout.println(f[i]+" "+last[i]+ " " + score[i] + ": "+"B");
else if (score[i]>70)
fileout.println(f[i]+" "+last[i]+ " " +score[i] + ": "+"C");
else if (score[i]>60)
fileout.println(f[i]+" "+last[i]+ " " +score[i] + ": "+"D");
else
fileout.println(f[i]+" "+last[i]+" " +score[i] + ": "+"F");
fileout.println("The average score of the class is "+average/x);
// we're done with the output file
fileout.close();
catch (IOException e)
throw new RuntimeException(e.toString());
System.out.println("***** Welcome to the Grade Program! *****");
     System.out.println("");
     System.out.println("Please enter the name of the file you want to open: ");
     TextReader input = new TextReader(System.in);
     String fileName = input.readLine();
System.out.println("The average of the scores is: "+average/x);
System.out.println("The maximum score is: ");
System.out.println("The minimum score is: ");
System.out.println("Number of scores by letter grade:");
System.out.println("A: ");
System.out.println("B: ");
System.out.println("C: ");
System.out.println("D: ");
System.out.println("F: ");

Where are my Finder files and folders?

I just upgraded to Lion. I like the full screen approach to viewing apps, but... There are files and folders I had on my desktop but when I use the 3-finger side scroll to view the desktop, my web browser is all that shows. Same with the 3-finger up scroll. When I open a new Finder window from the Dock, it is in front of the last app that I opened. If viewing in full screen, how can I drag anything to the Airdrop app? Is it intended that we need to exit full screen mode to do the mundane things like moving files? Also, I don't like losing the 3 finger Back gesture while web browsing.

I diagnosed the problem to using autofs. I have edited my /etc/fstab file to have a couple of afp entries, but when these shares are not available, it hangs the Finder on the computer the Mac mini. Why is this? I thought the whole reason to use autofs and the fstab file was to automount shares WHEN AVAILABLE.
Any insight to this behavior of autofs?

When I click on a link in an email I always get a message 'General failure URL :.... unable to find file' and seconds later the web address opens. Is there anyway to stop this?

I get a message saying 'General Failure. The URL was: ".........". The system cannot find the file specified' whenever I click on a link in an email and then seconds later the web site opens. If I open firefox and then click a bookmark or search I don't have a problem

See this lnk for a fix, it worked for me!
http://www.pcworld.com/article/200103/fix_outlook_general_failure_error_for_email_links.html

Is iCloud as good to back up files when an iMac 2007 model does not have an external hard drive is this enough to find files and apps at another time

I have given my iMac 2007 model running mountain lion OSX 10.8.3 to a friend and she doesn't have an external hard drive to back up would using iCloud be as good to back up files pictures etc and can I find them again if lost please.

These are the iCloud storage options: http://www.apple.com/icloud/includes/lightbox-storage.html
Also bear in mind that:
1. restoring data over icloud takes time
2. iCloud is not designed as a replacement to Time Machine.

Can't find file in spotlight, but it is there

there is a a .rtf file that is in a folder in documents, i can see it in the finder window, but when i go to search for it, to get to the file faster, the only file that pops up with the same name is an exel. i am also looking for a file that has almost the same name, but i can't find it at all. i need help.

Well, for starters, 11GB freespace is awfully thin for your internal HD. If your system (internal) HD is more than about 80-85% full, you should expect system errors. While it could be something else, and even if it is, you need to clean out your internal HD to free up some space. If your internal HD is 100GB you shouldn't let it fill up to more than 80GB, esp. on 10.2.x
Second, take the Belkin FW hub out of the picture and connect your Lacie drive directly to your PB. If it works in that configuration, then the hub is the problem. Frankly, I'm surprised it's been working for you in that config at all, but stranger things have happened.
Also, just to make sure, have you checked the actual Capture Scratch settings in FCE since this happened?

Can't find files - and now won't open

Hello,
I removed some files from my computer, that iDVD is looking for from a previous project. Now, it won't open.
Is there anything I can do short of removing the program and reinstalling it?
Is there a way to tell iDVD & iMOVIE to open up and NOT look for the last project?
Any help appreciated!
Jeremy

Is there a way to tell iDVD & iMOVIE to open up and NOT look for the last project?
Yes. Delete their preference files.
Close both iMovie and iDVD.
Go to Home~Library~Preferences and delete the files called
com.apple.imovie.plist
com.apple.idvd.plist
They will be recreated next time you open the applications, but won't (can't!) remember what was your last project!

Saving and finding files and adding to album.

I've got an album and have been working on a sequence of photos. As part of the workflow I save a jpg and a psd before final save. Each saved file goes into the sub-folder that the original file resides in.
My problem is, when I go back later, only maybe 10% of the files are there. There is no clue where the psd or the 'worked on' jpg's have gone.
Moreover, everytime I restart Elements Editor, the recent files list has been cleared.
Is this the nastiest piece of software ever made or am I making some huge errors while using it?
Edit* Just realised the files are there, but they're not now showing in the catalog. The catalog clearly doesn't update itself, and I don't know how to make it update.
The other weird thing is, I was using an image as a background. The folder that that resides in, has thumbnails of the all the worked on images that I've done so far, but with circles with a line throuhg in the top left corner. This is very bizarre

When you use 'save as', you should check the 'save in organizer' checkbox. This saves the new file in a version set.
Also, in the menu 'edit', 'preference' be sure that in the 'save' section you have 'save in original folder' checked.

How to copy a files name and spotlight comments to a text file for an entire folder

I have movie covers saved as a jpeg for every movie my family and I own. There is about 700 and they each have a comment of the main actors, release dates, and descriptions. This makes it easy to find what to watch. I want my parents to have all of this info but they have a windows laptop so the comments don't transfer with the file and can't be searched like you can on a mac. Is there an applescript, automator, program I can download, or program code supported in xcode that will do at least one of the following things?
1)Take the name of the picture file and spotlight comment, copy and paste it into a text document like word that looks like this...
File Name1- Spotlight Comment for file 1
File Name 2- Spotlight Comment for file 2
. for all 700 files in a folder
2) It would be equally helpful if there was something that would take the name of the picture file and spotlight comment, copy and paste it to a movie file's comments with the same name but obviously has different extention. For an example
In a Pictures folder
Name: Dark Knight, The.jpeg       Comment: (2008) Genre: Action...             <- copy comment
In a Movie Folder
Name: Dark Knight, The.m4v       Comment:                                               <- paste
and do this for all 700 files
3) Is there a free photo program that works on mac and windows that I can put all my movie pictures in and have a description like I did with the comments? It would also need a place that to search the description for keywords. So Basically an itunes for pictures that works on both mac and windows. If so I still need a way to get the spotlight comments to the description.
4) I feel like this would make things more difficult, but if not I can put all of the .m4v files in itunes so instead of pasting all the comments back into a file in finder paste them in a description in itunes
5) At the very least a code that I can run one by one for every file that will paste the comments into the same document
Note: When I say spotlight comments I mean the comment box that is available when you click on get info of a file. The pictures are in the pictures section of finder in a folder called Movie Pictures. The movie files are on an external hard-drive in a file called Movies. Also I am slightly familiar with applescript and automater in that I have used both to create keyboard shortcuts and simple voice commands. I have programmed in c++ and C too. So If you give me a code for applescript I do know what to do with it.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read all of this and extra thanks to anyone who tries to help.

Clendenen02 wrote:
2) It would be equally helpful if there was something that would take the name of the picture file and spotlight comment, copy and paste it to a movie file's comments with the same name but obviously has different extention. For an example
In a Pictures folder
Name: Dark Knight, The.jpeg       Comment: (2008) Genre: Action...             <- copy comment
In a Movie Folder
Name: Dark Knight, The.m4v       Comment:                                               <- paste
and do this for all 700 files
This Bash script will do it.
Edit "PicDir" and "MovDir" to the location of your Folders
(Note: The comment is written to the m4v file using xattr, so the Spotlight comment field appears blank in Finder, but the comment metadata is still indexed by Spotlight (If you add a Spotlight comment from Finder, it is stored both as an extended attribute and in a .DS_Store file)
#!/bin/bash
PicDir=$HOME/Desktop/Pictures
MovDir=$HOME/Desktop/Movies
for f in $PicDir/*
do
     if [ ! -d "$f" -a "${f##*.}" == "jpeg" ]; then
          comment=$(mdls -raw -name kMDItemFinderComment "$f")
          if [[ $comment != "(null)" ]]; then
               picname=${f##*/}
               movname=${picname%.*}.m4v
               if [ -e "$MovDir"/$movname ]; then
                     xattr -w com.apple.metadata:kMDItemFinderComment "\"$comment\"" "$MovDir"/$movname
               fi
          fi
     fi
done

Find File and Spotlight

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