Select specific files

Hello,
I would like to search my entire hard drive looking for a specific file type but only if the file does not live in specific folders.
For example, find all the files with an extension of .txt but exclude them if they live in Documents or Downloads or any other folder I specify.
So far I am unable to figure out how to do this with Spotlight. I looked at Automator and I have a trial version of a product called Mac Pilot but I have no experience with them.
How do I select files, excluding certain folders?
Thanks in advance.
Hector

That doesn't work:
I'm not sure what the "Document Container" really is. It may be future capabilities.
The Item File Path cannot be used in a search:
kMDItemPath
Complete path to the file. This value of this attribute can be retrieved, but can't be used in a query or to sort search results. This attribute can’t be used as a member of the valueListAttrs array parameter for MDQueryCreate or MDQueryCreateSubset.
Value Type:
CFString
Framework:
CoreServices/CoreServices.h
Header:
MDItem.h
Availability:
Available in OS X v10.4 and later.
https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/carbon/Reference/MetadataA ttributesRef/Reference/CommonAttrs.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40001694-SW1

Similar Messages

  • Why dont all my photos (345) play when i select a specific file?

    Why dont all my photos (345) play when i select a specific file?

    Hey there Mrk_wrd,
    It sounds like you can successfully sync with iTunes and get no error messages, but when you try and play your music, the songs just scroll through and will not play.
    I think I would start with closing the Music app on your phone and restarting it. Then try again to play your music.
    Restarting your iOS device
    Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red "slide to power off" slider appears, and then slide the slider.
    After the device has turned off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears.
    From: iOS: Turning off and on (restarting) and resetting
              http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1430
    If the issue persists then I would resync your content to your phone.
    Plug your device into iTunes and click it. Then go to your Music tab and uncheck the Sync Music checkbox, and click apply in the lower right corner. That will remove the music from the iPhone.
    From: iTunes 11 for Mac: Set up syncing for iPod, iPhone, or iPad
              http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12113
    When that process is done, restart both your iPhone and the computer, then go back into iTunes and recheck the Sync Music checkbox and click apply again to resync your music to the phone and test it again.
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities!
    All the best,
    Sterling

  • How to delete a specific file type from a folder

    Hi,
    I have folders with lots of zip or rar files, once I decompress those I want to delete the compressed files specifically. Is there any way I could manage that through Automator?
    Thanks in advance.

    Thanks Niel for the script, unfortunately I am too ignorant about running these on my own, I did save it in my user script library, but I would need instructions to run it. I would be really grateful.
    I did try making up my own workflow using the given actions in Automator, the first action was to 'find specific files in finder' ending with .zip and .rar and then choosing another action which 'moves selected files to trash'. Unfortunately it ended up running only if I specify the path to the specific .zip file, which defeats the purpose. Any suggestions on the proposed workflow? Thanks in advance.

  • How do i selectively chose files from time machine to my mac which had to be wiped out by the genius (who I cant get to come to my house to help!)

    HELP
    How do I selectively select files and programs from TimeMachine to put back on my macbook pro?
    it had to be wiped out by a genius who unfortunately will not come to my house to fix - no matter how much cash I offer

    This page:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1427
    this section:
    • Restoring data from Time Machine backups - Restoring specific files of folders

  • Can we give UNIQUE ACCESS FOR THE SPECIFIC FILE IN THE LIBRARY in SP2013? How can we remove users from SHARED WITH link where files are shared with users?

    Hi,
    Any help on this?
    Thanks
    srabon

    Hi srabon,
    For giving unique access for a specific file in a library, you can go to the library, and select the file , and click FILES->Shared With->ADVANCED, under PERMISSION ribbon, click ‘Stop Inheriting Permissions’, then the file will have unique permissions.
    For removing the shared users for a file, firstly, like the above steps, select the file , and click FILES->Shared With->ADVANCED , make sure the file has unique access, then select the users that you want to remove, and click Remove User Persmissions
    under PERMISSIONS ribbon.
    I hope this helps.
    Thanks,
    Wendy
    Wendy Li
    TechNet Community Support

  • Time Machine, Migration Assistant, and copying specific files to a new machine

    Things were running fine. Then repeating kernel panics! A fresh Mountain Lion install seemed to fix things. To test whether the panics were related to some application or preference, how can I restore only my data, specifically the Aperture library, iTunes library, and iMovie library and nothing else from my Time Machine backup? In other words, how can I see the file structure of the Time Machine backup so I can copy only specific files and folders?
    Thanks for any advice!

    Hey hp12c,
    Thanks for the question. The following article may provide the information you are looking for:
    Mac Basics: Time Machine
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
    Restoring specific files or folders
    Choose Enter Time Machine from the Time Machine menu and the restore interface appears. You can literally see your windows as they appeared "back in time."
    You can use the timeline on the right side of the window to reach a certain point back in time (the timeline shows the times of all backups on your backup drive). If you don’t know exactly when you deleted or changed a file, you can use the back arrow to let Time Machine automatically travel through time to show you when that folder last changed.
    Note: Dates in pink indicate the data resides on your Time Machine backup device. Dates in white indicate the data resides on your Mac. In OS X Mountain Lion and Lion, portable Macs have the feature of local snapshots. See this article for details.
    You can also perform a Spotlight search in the Time Machine Finder Window search field to find a file. Simply type the Spotlight search field and use the back arrow to have Time Machine search through your backups to find what you are looking for.
    Before you restore a file, you can also use Quick Look to preview a file to make sure its the one you want. Highlight the file and press the Space Bar to bring up a quick look.
    To restore, select the file/folder and click the "Restore" button. The file will automatically be copied to the desktop or appropriate folder.  If the file you are restoring has another file in the same location with the same name, you will be prompted to choose which file to keep or keep both.
    Thanks,
    Matt M.

  • Accessing Unix folder while selecting source file in Import Manager,GUI

    Hi,
    I am using MDM 5.5 sp04.I am trying to use MDIS to automat the importing process.
    Challenge is to use a map in port which will be used by MDIS.
    Our MDM server system is in Unix. How I can select input file residing in unix folders( say ready folder of Material) from IM tool drop down so as to save that map and assign that map in Port.
    Is a file can be used from window folder in IM ,save the map and assign it in Inbound port ?
    Is there will be an conflict in this case since MDIS will be receiving the file from Ready folder(in unix) but the map of the inbound port will be having the source in different folder in window?
    Appreciate your help/suggestion
    Reo

    Hello:
    you shouldn't need to do that under MDIS. The thing is, use the Import Manager on windows to create the mapping file (importing a file also in windows)
    When you created the mapping file, assign it to a port. Ports include a specific folder where you need to put the new file to be imported. Please refer to port documentation to find out where this folder is.
    The map only has the "mapping structure", and the file will be taken from the port specification
    Greetings
    Alejandro

  • Launch a specific file on startup

    Hello everyone,
    Is there a way to automatically launch a specific file on startup?
    I would like to have an image pop up on my wife's computer when she logs in in the morning. Is this possible? Is there an app to automate this sort of thing? I've looked into the Login Items, but as far as I know it only allows one to launch apps, not specific files.
    Thank you so much for your help
    Best,
    Rui

    Hi there,
    Thank you for your help. I just found the answer in another post, and you can actually fo it from the Login Items section. Simply click the + sign, select the file to open and voilá
    Cheers!

  • Selecting WAV files in iTunes for AAC conversion

    I've been told in another thread by Ed, a Windows iTunes user, that I can select a WAV song file in the iTunes library, right-click it, and the "Advanced" menu will have the "Convert Selection to XXX (whatever you designate in preferences)" option. However, my Mac OS X 10.4.8 was not able to do this -- there is an "advanced" pull-down menu, but the "convert selection to AAC" choice contained therein is NOT highlighted. I wonder why?

    Not sure exactly how the rebuild was done, but if anything didn't get added, just go ahead and add it. This can be done either by dragging the files into the iTunes pane, or by using the iTunes command File > Add Folder to Library.
    It is also possible that the files are corrupted. This would be unusual with music WAVs (although not uncommon on voice recorder WAVs). If you are concerned with a specific file, right-click its file icon and choose Open With > iTunes. If it is compatible and not corrupted, it will start playing, and will be added to the iTunes library if it is not already in. But if it gives you the silent treatment, the problem is in the file.

  • Displaying name of specific file name in browser address bar

    Hi,
    I am using RoboHelp8 and generating my file using Single Source Layouts - WebHelp (Primary Layout).
    When selecting a specific page via the Contents toolbar, I would like to have the address of that specific file displayed in the address bar but for some reason, the page displayed is always only my default topic page.
    I'd appreciate your help with this.
    Thanks,
    DGR2

    Hi there
    Are all you wanting is just the file name? Or do you also want the path leading to it?
    Take a look at the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page. Note that I've accomplished this by inserting a form field and populating it using JavaScript. So if this is what you want or will work, you could then pick apart my page (or have me post the code).
    Click here to view
    Cheers... Rick
    Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 within the day - $24.95!
    Click here for Adobe Certified Captivate and RoboHelp HTML Training
    Click here for the SorcerStone Blog
    Click here for RoboHelp and Captivate eBooks

  • DNS: The selected log file does not exist

    Hi to all,
    I am using Lion Server on a Mac Mini and everything seems to work fine. However, when I want to check my DNS log file (Server Admin > DNS > Log) I get a message that "The selected log file does not exist"! Stopping and starting the DNS service doesn't help. Anyone any idee how to view the log file within the Server Admin app?
    Thanks in advance!
    Ewald.

    hi John!
    if you have time, patience, and squared balls (just for laugh! ):
    Use "strace" to trace all system calls a binary make... System calls like "open" file and "close" file =)
    That's say, we are going to "trace the files opened by specific application".
    "Strace" in MacOSX comes with Developer Tools, so you'll need to install these to continue.
    First you have to know which are the Applications in the game, because "Server Admin" is a client-server application, there will be a client application in the client machine, and a server application running in the server.
    You have to trace the server application running in the server. It will be the one which opens the log file, and sends the data to the client application.
    I've made some previous investigation about the Server Admin Log parser (see https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3352647?start=0&tstart=0).
    Also will be helpfull to read a little bit about strace ( http://linux.die.net/man/1/strace )
    Here i do my bet, maybe that command line is what you look for:
    #sudo strace launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.ServerPerfLog.plist | grep "open"
    sudo: do as super user
    strace: trace the binary
    launchctl: system service
    load -w file: load, as defined in this file
    | grep open: and substract just the "open file" traces
    Let me know if that gives you more clues!
    regards, T

  • I want to delete all music on my i-Phone and reload what I want...have tried to do it manually on i-Tunes and by just selecting specific songs, but nothing comes off my phone.

    I want to delete all music on my i-Phone and reload what I want...have tried to do it manually on i-Tunes and by just selecting specific songs, but nothing comes off my phone.

    You might want a more Mac-centric version of that post which is directed more at Windows users.
    iTunes will only give you the option to copy your iTunes Store purchases directly from an iPod to the computer, you'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
    For everything else (music from CDs, other downloads and including iTunes purchased songs and in some cases, videos and games) there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. I use Senuti but have a look at the web pages and documentation for the others too. You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here (you'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos and games as well):
    Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
    Comparison of iPod managers
    A selection of iPod to iTunes utilities:
    Senuti Mac Only (iPod Touch & iPhone compatible)
    expod Mac Only (iPod Touch & iPhone compatible)
    PodView Mac Only
    PodWorks Mac Only
    TuneAid Mac only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
    YamiPod Mac & Windows
    iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
    iPodRip Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
    iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
    iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
    Floola Mac & Windows
    Music Rescue Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
    iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
    iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
    TouchCopy Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
    There's also a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to a Mac or PC. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available on page 2 at this link: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide

  • I deleted a specific file folder from my Seagate backup drive, via Time Machine. Instead of only deleting that file, it deleted ALL my files for that date.

    1. Why? I was quite obviously selecting one file folder ONLY.
    2. Is there any way to retrieve the lost items?
    3. How do I avoid this happening in the future?

    Never had any issues while deleting specific files/folders from a time machine backup.
    However, regarding the original post, what do you mean by "file folder"? Did you select a FILE for deletion, or a FOLDER? These two terms tend to be quite different, you know.
    If you selected a FOLDER, then ALL FILES inside the folder have been deleted. If you selected a single FILE, then only that file should have been deleted. "Delete all backups of..." is a completely different story.

  • Finding specific files in Time Machine archives

    So I have a whole bunch of audio files of different lines from 2001: A Space Odyssey on my computer. Or at least I did. They seem to have disappeared without a trace, and I can't track them down.
    Is there any way to search the archives of Time Machine for specific file names or wildcards? It seems to me I can only browser the folder tree, but I don't recall where on the drive I may have stored the files.
    dt

    Peggy Lynn wrote:
    Go to the finder and type Command-F. Type in the name of one of the files you want to recover in the search window. Beneath the search window click on File Name. Then without clicking on anything else click on the Time Machine icon in the dock. Click on the back arrow and Time Machine will take you back to the file when it was last backed up. If you click on the file it will show you the path in the bottom of the window. Then you can go to that folder, select all the files you want and click on Restore.
    Peggy, I tried your method described above. I've had a folder that used to live on my desktop but that I deleted some time ago. Inside I had a file, collage2.tif. After entering the name and click File Name (and at this point, I get the result window showing no found file - I had not clicked on anything else in the search window), I click on TM's icon. In TM, I click on the back arrow, and TM goes back in time, but doesn't show the file. [In fact it goes back to the very first back up.] However, if I look in the desktop folder and inside the subfolder that I had deleted (it shows up now since I've gone back in time), there's the file. I then checked to see if that folder/file existed on a more recent date (I wondered if TM want back in time to the most recent day that file existed) and sure enough, it exists in more recent days.
    I've tried this several times, searching "This Mac" and "Desktop", but TM doesn't find the file, even though I can manually find it.
    Message was edited by: pvonk

  • How do I retrieve specific files/folders from separate machine's backup

    Had a hard drive failure this morning. Now I'm on a temporary laptop without my files. I share a Time Capsule between 4 users. My backup is on there, and looks ok (although, I can't really figure out how to browse what's backed up - separate issue).
    On my temporary machine, I'd like to be able to grab specific files from my backup while I wait to get my machine back from support.
    I referenced FAQ tip 17 ( http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/17.html ) - and when I open up the Browse other Time Machine Disks - it's blank.
    Any Ideas would be tremendously helpful, and I will love you for ever and ever and ever.

    majmanMac wrote:
    I referenced FAQ tip 17 ( http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/17.html ) - and when I open up the Browse other Time Machine Disks - it's blank.
    You'll probably have to manually mount the sparse bundle for the desired Mac, by double-clicking it via the Finder. Then it should show up in the list.
    But you may not be able to view or restore much that way; the user account on the temporary laptop probably isn't recognized as the same user in the backups of the other Mac. Your best bet in that case is to use +Migration Assistant+ to transfer the user account in question to the temporary laptop. Then you can sign on there, just as you did on your Mac. See: [Using Migration Assistant|http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/Migrate.html].
    Note that if space is a problem, you can omit the contents of some of the top-level folders. And, once the account has been transferred, you should be able to restore selectively from those backups, via the "Star Wars" display.

Maybe you are looking for