Annoying Spotlight result
in [Mac Applications]
|
From: Barry Margolin on 25 Dec 2009 01:39 In article <isw-93526F.20561424122009@[216.168.3.50]>, isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > In article <241220091526417136%nospam(a)nospam.invalid>, > nospam <nospam(a)nospam.invalid> wrote: > > > In article <isw-DDD856.12005024122009@[216.168.3.50]>, isw > > <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > > > > Why is it that when I do a Spotlight search on "Contents", no matter > > > what the search phrase is (even random characters), there's always a > > > bunch of iCal files in the result? None of them contains anything of > > > significance concerning what I am searching for. Plus, if you click on > > > them, no path info is displayed, so you can't even find out where they > > > are. > > > > > > I was looking for "DSC00144" (part of the name of a JPEG image), and I > > > got 9 hits that were iCal files. > > > > > > How do I make them go away? > > > > spotlight preference panel, uncheck the categories you are not > > interested in. > > OK; thanks. But I still don't understand why so many of those files had > random collections of characters that just happened to match what I was > searching for... Did you try my suggestion? -- Barry Margolin, barmar(a)alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** *** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group ***
From: Wes Groleau on 25 Dec 2009 09:33 isw wrote: > Why is it that when I do a Spotlight search on "Contents", no matter > what the search phrase is (even random characters), there's always a > bunch of iCal files in the result? ... Did you really try a few random strings? Or just guessing because DSC00144 seemed random? > .... Plus, if you click on > them, no path info is displayed, so you can't even find out where they > are. When I type something into Spotlight (in Tiger), I get the hits in a dropdown. Hover over one, and I get a yellow popup that tells me the full name and path. At the top of the list is a "Show All." If I click that, I get a regular window with a list that can be sorted, grouped, and filtered in various ways. Each item in the list has in info icon on the right which expands the item to a miniature 'Get info' type of listing. Each item also has a right-click context menu that includes Open, Get Info (full), Show in Finder, Slideshow (usually disabled), Mail, and Create Workflow. I learned all of this in five minutes of "research" for this post. Moral of the story is "Take chances; make mistakes; get messy" (two points for 'who said that?') > I was looking for "DSC00144" (part of the name of a JPEG image), and I > got 9 hits that were iCal files. That got me zero iCal files, but that's probably because I rarely use iCal. But it looks like the beginning of the sort of long string some code might generate when it needs to create a storage file with a unique filename. Perhaps iCal and some image program use the same library for that. Or you are putting graphics (knowingly or not) in your appointments. Or some sort of workflow is creating an appointment for you or for itself to come back to that image later. Or you got the image(s) from someone else and didn't know they had included some iCal files with them. Try the "get info" or "show in finder" thing and explore. Take chances; make mistakes; get messy--that's the way babies learn, and it still works for me at age 55. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good ... weekend. -- Wes Groleau ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ A UNIX signature isn't a return address, it's the ASCII equivalent ^ ^ of a black velvet clown painting. It's a rectangle of carets ^ ^ surrounding a quote from a literary giant of weeniedom like ^ ^ Heinlein or Dr. Who. ^ ^ -- Chris Maeda ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From: dorayme on 25 Dec 2009 16:00 In article <hh2ieu$loi$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>, Wes Groleau <Groleau+news(a)FreeShell.org> wrote: > isw wrote: > > Why is it that when I do a Spotlight search on "Contents", no matter > > what the search phrase is (even random characters), there's always a > > bunch of iCal files in the result? ... > > Did you really try a few random strings? Or just guessing because > DSC00144 seemed random? > > > .... Plus, if you click on > > them, no path info is displayed, so you can't even find out where they > > are. > > When I type something into Spotlight (in Tiger), I get the hits in a > dropdown. Hover over one, and I get a yellow popup that tells me the > full name and path. At the top of the list is a "Show All." If I click > that, I get a regular window with a list that can be sorted, grouped, > and filtered in various ways. Each item in the list has in info icon > on the right which expands the item to a miniature 'Get info' type of > listing. Each item also has a right-click context menu that includes > Open, Get Info (full), Show in Finder, Slideshow (usually disabled), > Mail, and Create Workflow. > Infuriating process, I find it best to use Spotlight via Command-F in a directory window. Sometimes you try your luck in the spotlight bar and play pin the tail on the moving donkey (the hover gives useful info if you can make the trigger stay still as more and more things are added...) > I learned all of this in five minutes of "research" for this post. > > Moral of the story is "Take chances; make mistakes; get messy" > (two points for 'who said that?') Ms. Frizzle -- dorayme
From: isw on 26 Dec 2009 03:54 In article <barmar-633348.01393725122009(a)news.eternal-september.org>, Barry Margolin <barmar(a)alum.mit.edu> wrote: > In article <isw-93526F.20561424122009@[216.168.3.50]>, > isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > > In article <241220091526417136%nospam(a)nospam.invalid>, > > nospam <nospam(a)nospam.invalid> wrote: > > > > > In article <isw-DDD856.12005024122009@[216.168.3.50]>, isw > > > <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > > > > > > Why is it that when I do a Spotlight search on "Contents", no matter > > > > what the search phrase is (even random characters), there's always a > > > > bunch of iCal files in the result? None of them contains anything of > > > > significance concerning what I am searching for. Plus, if you click on > > > > them, no path info is displayed, so you can't even find out where they > > > > are. > > > > > > > > I was looking for "DSC00144" (part of the name of a JPEG image), and I > > > > got 9 hits that were iCal files. > > > > > > > > How do I make them go away? > > > > > > spotlight preference panel, uncheck the categories you are not > > > interested in. > > > > OK; thanks. But I still don't understand why so many of those files had > > random collections of characters that just happened to match what I was > > searching for... > > Did you try my suggestion? ?? I never saw it. I even did "Open All References" and found no posts from you. What was it? Isaac
From: Barry Margolin on 26 Dec 2009 11:41
In article <isw-323998.00540926122009@[216.168.3.50]>, isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > In article <barmar-633348.01393725122009(a)news.eternal-september.org>, > Barry Margolin <barmar(a)alum.mit.edu> wrote: > > > In article <isw-93526F.20561424122009@[216.168.3.50]>, > > isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > > > > In article <241220091526417136%nospam(a)nospam.invalid>, > > > nospam <nospam(a)nospam.invalid> wrote: > > > > > > > In article <isw-DDD856.12005024122009@[216.168.3.50]>, isw > > > > <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Why is it that when I do a Spotlight search on "Contents", no matter > > > > > what the search phrase is (even random characters), there's always a > > > > > bunch of iCal files in the result? None of them contains anything of > > > > > significance concerning what I am searching for. Plus, if you click > > > > > on > > > > > them, no path info is displayed, so you can't even find out where > > > > > they > > > > > are. > > > > > > > > > > I was looking for "DSC00144" (part of the name of a JPEG image), and > > > > > I > > > > > got 9 hits that were iCal files. > > > > > > > > > > How do I make them go away? > > > > > > > > spotlight preference panel, uncheck the categories you are not > > > > interested in. > > > > > > OK; thanks. But I still don't understand why so many of those files had > > > random collections of characters that just happened to match what I was > > > searching for... > > > > Did you try my suggestion? > > ?? I never saw it. I even did "Open All References" and found no posts > from you. Open All References only finds the direct chain of ancestors leading up to the current message, not all the cousin messages. Mine was a direct reply to your original message, not in this subthread. > What was it? <barmar-4C6494.16421024122009(a)nothing.attdns.com> -- Barry Margolin, barmar(a)alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** *** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group *** |