Spotlight Comments - questions, limits and opinions

My wife and I are a little behind the curve. We updated our MacBook Pros, MacPro and PowerMac G5 to Leopard early this year in part due to the fact that my testing showed that Spotlight Comments are persistent on our home ethernet - If I put identifying comments in a file's Get Info > Spotlight Comments box while it is on my MacBook's Desktop, then move it to a "file server" (a shared drive on the PowerMac or MacPro), my wife can see and modify the Comment from her MacBook. The comments almost seem to be part of the file itself (yes, Francine, we know they really are not) unlike the volatile pre-X Finder Comments. We do not normally have any Windows machines on our network and when we do we certainly do not use one as a file server. We're pretty much vanilla Apple.
Now, on to my questions:
1 - if not in the file itself, where are the Spotlight Comments actually stored? If they're in a folder's .DS_Store files, then they would disappear if you nuke those files (like when trying to fix a folder that is not properly displaying its contents) and that has not been my experience. I know that you can use mdls in the Terminal to show the comment and the other useful stuff that appears in Get Info's More Info field, but can this data get separated from the file it is connected to, or is it in that mystical Resource Fork? I'm not a developer (JavaScript is about as much code as I can handle) so I don't need the gory details. I just want to know if we can nuke Comments by unintentionally deleting some invisible file.
2 - What are the limits in Spotlight Comments? Are there any? How many characters will that field take? I am asking this since I have been trying to put info concerning an image into its Spotlight Comment field and once I close the Get Info window the Comment is gone. If I check with mdls in Terminal the image's kMDItemFinderComment field is not even created. I have been trimming off hunks of characters in the Comment and am now below 700 but it still won't take it (the file is not locked, I have full control of it, and it doesn't appear to matter what files' or folders' Comments field I try to paste it into). Is this limit documented anywhere, because I've been Googling for it all morning with no matches.
3 - if not Spotlight Comments, then what? I see DefaultFolder has an option to write Comments as "OpenMeta Tags" but what little I could understand upon looking that up made it sound like they're Spotlight Comments that are embedded into the file itself - even files that do not normally have a spot for Comments. Putting the description in the filename is much easier in X than previously, but gets a bit unwieldy very quickly. Many (but not all) image formats can accept descriptions in things like EXIF, but doing so changes its Modification Date and screws up our sorting...
4 - only tangentially related: how many years did it take for Apple to put in Safari a function that we made use of all the time in Netscape & IE in pre-X times: put the source URL of a download in the Comment field. Now why can't the Mozilla team put that in Firefox? It's not like I haven't posted that as a feature request multiple times...
I know that file "tagging" is a hot topic and I do not expect a real solution here, but if someone can confirm that there is a character limit in a file's Spotlight Comment field and let us know where or if it's documented...
Message was edited by: Notary Sojak

UPDATE - apparently once a file's kMDItemFinderComment field is created (I got the Comment to stick once I was below 600 characters) it can take more characters. I jut replaced the successful 595 character comment with the full 735 character comment I had initially been unable to add and it is visible from all the Macs.

Similar Messages

  • Automator for Exporting Spotlight Comments?

    Hello,
    I have around 700 historic photos that have been digitized. All the photo details (dates, etc.) were entered into the Spotlight Comments field under Get Info. Unfortunately, none of the comments appear when I open the photos in Adobe Bridge CS4. Is there an easy solution (perhaps an Automator script) to export the Spotlight Comments and use them elsewhere?
    Thank you,
    Brian

    Brian
    If I read you right, what you are trying to do is grab Finder metadata and convert it to photo metadata. Specifically, convert spotlight comments to Exif and IPTC - which is what a Photo app will need.
    You can't do this with Automator. The Automator dictionary has ways to set Spotlight Comments but I can see no way to get them. Further the dictionary has the ability to write to the IPTC data only of images in Aperture, not in the Finder or iPhoto.
    You might do better with that question on the Automator forum here:
    http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1261
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    As your target are file managed by Bridge, give the Adobe forums a go too.
    However, you may run into another issue here and that is that most scanners (as I presume this is how the photos were digitised) do not create Exif and IPTC data for scanned images. It may not be possible to do what you want to do.
    Regards
    TD

  • Spotlight comments and tags question

    Hi,
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  • How to copy a files spotlight comments for an entire folder and place them in a different file with that same name

    I have the same question in a different discussion but I already marked it as solved because one of the questions was answered. Here's the linke to the other discussion if your interested https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5970421 
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    Clendenen02 wrote:
    where should I run the code? in the terminal, or an applescript, or should put it in xcode and run it from there or the terminal.
    What MrHoffman said.
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    (do you really own 700 movies??)
    The Workflow is:
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    PicDir=$1
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         if [ ! -d "$f" -a "${f##*.}" = "jpeg" ]; then
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              if [[ $comment != "(null)" ]]; then
                   picname=${f##*/}
                   movname=${picname%.*}.m4v
                   if [[ -e "$MovDir"/$movname ]]; then
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    tell application "Finder"
    set comment of file (POSIX file "$MovDir/$movname") to  "$comment"
    end tell
    EOF
                   fi
              fi
         fi
    done
    (BTW, I know that this is a bit of sloppy scripting (wraping an osascript in a Bash Script wrapped in Automator, but it does what you need)

  • Smart Folders, Spotlight comments and Apple mail messages

    Hi,
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    My mail messages, therefore, have text in their comment boxes (if you check via GetInfo).
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    D.V.
    iBook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

    Howdy,
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  • Will iCloud Drive support Spotlight comments? If so, will they be accessible and capable of being edited on an iPhone or iPad?

    I like to remind myself of next actions for my files and folders on my Mac by using the Spotlight comments in OS X. I noticed iCloud Drive is going to support "Tags" in OS X Yosemite.
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  • 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?
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    File Name1- Spotlight Comment for file 1
    File Name 2- Spotlight Comment for file 2
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    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
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    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
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    #!/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
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                   fi
              fi
         fi
    done

  • Raw Search Terms for "Spotlight Comment" and "Locked" Status

    Is it possible to do a raw search for a specific Spotlight Comment. I know the option exists in the Other… dialog box, but I need to find files that do not contain comments which is not choice.
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    Francine
    Francine
    Schwieder

  • File Info window and Spotlight comments

    I typed somme comments in File Info Window, box titled Spotlight comments.
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    JfS

    I typed somme comments in File Info Window, box titled Spotlight comments.
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  • Spotlight comments and zip archives

    There have been a few posts in this forum that point out the difficulties of using Spotlight with zip files but it is only now that I have discovered (the hard way) that zipping files into an archive actually removes (or loses) my Spotlight comments.
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    The so-called "Spotlight Comments" in the GetInfo window are just the old Finder Comments, and are actually stored in the .DS_Store file of the folder containing the files. If you zip the folder with the files in it the comments will be preserved. However, it is just too easy to forget about this. You really want all your important metadata as part of the file itself, so if you have a graphics program that will add metadata information to the files that would be the best way to go.
    Francine
    Francine
    Schwieder

  • Spotlight comments search  and smart folder fails

    Spotlight search of the "Spotlight Comments" field fails after a file is saved in TextEdit or iWork programs.
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    Clendenen02 wrote:
    where should I run the code? in the terminal, or an applescript, or should put it in xcode and run it from there or the terminal.
    What MrHoffman said.
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    (do you really own 700 movies??)
    The Workflow is:
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    do
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              if [[ $comment != "(null)" ]]; then
                   picname=${f##*/}
                   movname=${picname%.*}.m4v
                   if [[ -e "$MovDir"/$movname ]]; then
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    EOF
                   fi
              fi
         fi
    done
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  • Importing Spotlight Comments

    Hi Everyone,
    I have around 700 historic photos that have been digitized. All the photo details (dates, etc.) were entered into the Spotlight Comments field under Get Info. Unfortunately, none of the comments appear when I open the photos in Adobe Bridge CS4. I will now start using Bridge to add the metadata tags.  However, is there an easy solution (perhaps an Automator script) to export the Spotlight Comments and use them in Bridge?  I really don't want to retype the information, and I would be extremely grateful for any advice.
    Thank you,
    Brian

    You most probably require the help of script to do this. Better to ask your Question in that forum. Your Spotlight Comments belong to Finder both AppleScript & Shell can get access to these not too sure about JavaScript. JavaScript would be required to add this info to the correct files.

  • Spotlight/Finder only searching "new" spotlight comments not old ones

    I have a bunch of files on my external hard drive that I had taken several hours to "tag" with spotlight comments a few months back. I tagged them so I could quickly find them in Finder or Spotlight by different key words and not just file names or their contents (folders wouldn't work because the keywords overlapped many of the files. Plus folders are slow). It worked beautifully. Until I stopped adding tags for those 4 months until now.
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    Francine
    Francine
    Schwieder

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    Yes, this works. However, this was already part of my workflow.... and not where the trouble lies.
    After exporting jpeg images from Aperture, they carry the same name of the original RAW files, from which they came. (So, IMG_8342.jpg would have started it's life as IMG_8342.CR2.) But we dont' send them out like that. We sequentially name them 0001_image.jpg, 0002_image.jpg, etc... So after renaming, how do you find the original file again, right?
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    This question has come up in one form or another many times over the last several years, actually predating the DataFinder.  I think the honest answer is that the jury is still out as to whether DIAdem and the DataFinder offer a good general-purpose data management and reporting combination for manufacturing test data.  Certainly I have created numerous proofs-of-concept to show prospective customers that it can work and what they can expect from DIAdem and the DataFinder with their data.  There are some cases where I think DIAdem and the DataFinder are hands-down the best tool on the market, and there are other situations where DIAdem and the DataFinder can still do the job but it's a bit of a stretch, and then there are high-end situations where other tools are the better fit.
    I'll try to keep this reasonably short, but I think this is a question many will be interested in reading about, so I want to go ahead and post a few points to clarify those "different situation" comments above.  DIAdem and the DataFinder become a much more compelling fit when you run lots of different types of tests, such that the number of results is variable from one test to another, or the result quantity names and units are different from test to test, or the analysis/reporting required is different from test to test.  High mix data plays to the strengths of DIAdem and the DataFinder, because the DataFinder is a self-configuring and expanding data base, and DIAdem is a general purpose analysis and reporting tool and is very flexible.  If your acquired data has a very static format, on the other hand, then it would take much less effort to set up and maintain your own relational data base and create one analysis and reporting solution that would never need to be expanded.
    DIAdem and the DataFinder also excel when the overall data amount is not astronomical and when the data consumers are all on the same LAN and are willing to install DIAdem to look at the data or create reports.  Many times in a manufacturing test setting a web interface is requested so that the data consumers can be anywhere in the world and need have only a web browser to interact with the data.  DIAdem and the DataFinder are fully compatible with Citrix and other Windows Terminal Services layers, but that does not come built-in with DIAdem 10.2 and the DataFinder Server Edition 1.1.  Both DIAdem and the DataFinder can handle VERY large data sets, but if you need high-end server options such as data base backups, triple-redundancy, complicated user-definable data access privileges, etc., then a conventional relational data base such as SQL Server or Oracle are going to have more to offer.
    Note that the DataFinder data base is an indexed compendium of information stored in flat files and is always tied to those flat files.  If you add or remove or edit a data file, the DataFinder will automatically update the corresponding records-- there is no way to sever this link and use the DataFinder in a file-less mode.  The best way to organize your manfacturing data in these data files is to expose your single value, named data results as properties on the file, group, or channel level.  This enables you to query on the values of those properties.  TDM files used for this purpose will index very quickly but will have a large footprint on disk, since you're storing this information in XML.  If file size is an issue, TDMS files index at least as fast and would have a smaller disk footprint.  ASCII files are actually surprisingly efficient for storing manufacturing data.  If you happen to be using TestStand, note that there is an ATML DataPlugin on www.ni.com/dataplugins which you can use which will automatically expose your measurements as properties in DIAdem and the DataFinder.
    Ask as you have additional questions,
    Brad Turpin
    DIAdem Product Support Engineer
    National Instruments
    in environments higher volume your data is, on the other hand, the more we have to be careful to make sure that DIAdem and the DataFinder

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