Annoying Spotlight result
in [Mac Applications]
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From: Paul Sture on 1 Jan 2010 19:37 In article <doraymeRidThis-572EE4.08000926122009(a)news.albasani.net>, dorayme <doraymeRidThis(a)optusnet.com.au> wrote: > 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...) > Infuriating is the right word and I abandoned Spotlight back when I was using Tiger. Many a time it would display the file I wanted straight away but before I'd had chance to click on it, it had disappeared from the list, not be been seen again. I recommend Matt Neuberg's NotLight. It allows you to specify the type of search (name, content, extension) before the search starts. <http://www.tidbits.com/matt/> (scroll down to get to the NotLight entry) -- Paul Sture
From: dorayme on 2 Jan 2010 03:12 In article <paul.nospam-AB3B83.01375102012010(a)pbook.sture.ch>, Paul Sture <paul.nospam(a)sture.ch> wrote: > In article <doraymeRidThis-572EE4.08000926122009(a)news.albasani.net>, > dorayme <doraymeRidThis(a)optusnet.com.au> wrote: > > > 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...) > > > > Infuriating is the right word and I abandoned Spotlight back when I was > using Tiger. Many a time it would display the file I wanted straight > away but before I'd had chance to click on it, it had disappeared from > the list, not be been seen again. > > I recommend Matt Neuberg's NotLight. It allows you to specify the type > of search (name, content, extension) before the search starts. > > <http://www.tidbits.com/matt/> > (scroll down to get to the NotLight entry) I am crazy to still use spotlight, but I do! Mainly I use the command-F route in a directory window but the simple brilliant idea of the spotlight field, top right corner tempts me now and then and I fall for it like a big sucker! If it were good, it would be such gem in the OS X crown! But it is an absolute disgrace! I even had a case the other day when I was staring at the file I pretended to find, and "no result" - Yes, I copy/pasted from the file name to the Spotlight field. Maybe, to be fair, my slower QS 933 takes its time. It was recently transferred file from camera to HD... -- dorayme
From: Wes Groleau on 2 Jan 2010 10:54 Paul Sture wrote: > dorayme <doraymeRidThis(a)optusnet.com.au> wrote: >> 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...) > > Infuriating is the right word and I abandoned Spotlight back when I was > using Tiger. Many a time it would display the file I wanted straight > away but before I'd had chance to click on it, it had disappeared from > the list, not be been seen again. It's probably "in there" but Spotlight is guessing wrongly which hits are the most likely. I did one yesterday that had thousands of hits. What I was looking for was one of a dozen that had the same filename, different contents. Every time I opened one to look inside, Spotlight went back to the top of the #$%^&%^& list, and I had to scroll back down, figure out which ones I hadn't looked in yet, ... -- Wes Groleau An example of how important grammar points are deferred http://Ideas.Lang-Learn.us/barrett?itemid=1560
From: isw on 2 Jan 2010 13:43 In article <hhnq84$qb8$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>, Wes Groleau <Groleau+news(a)FreeShell.org> wrote: > Paul Sture wrote: > > dorayme <doraymeRidThis(a)optusnet.com.au> wrote: > >> Infuriating process, I find it best to use Spotlight via Command-F in a > >> directory window. Sometimes you try your luck in the spotlight bar and > >> play pin the tail on the moving donkey (the hover gives useful info if > >> you can make the trigger stay still as more and more things are added...) > > > > Infuriating is the right word and I abandoned Spotlight back when I was > > using Tiger. Many a time it would display the file I wanted straight > > away but before I'd had chance to click on it, it had disappeared from > > the list, not be been seen again. > > It's probably "in there" but Spotlight is guessing wrongly which > hits are the most likely. > > I did one yesterday that had thousands of hits. What I was > looking for was one of a dozen that had the same filename, > different contents. Every time I opened one to look inside, > Spotlight went back to the top of the #$%^&%^& list, and > I had to scroll back down, figure out which ones I hadn't > looked in yet, ... If you just double-click the icon of a file in the "found" list, that file will open in whatever app "owns" it, while your place in the list of found items is not disturbed. Isaac
From: Wes Groleau on 2 Jan 2010 15:44
isw wrote: > Wes Groleau <Groleau+news(a)FreeShell.org> wrote: >> different contents. Every time I opened one to look inside, >> Spotlight went back to the top of the #$%^&%^& list, and >> I had to scroll back down, figure out which ones I hadn't >> looked in yet, ... > > If you just double-click the icon of a file in the "found" list, that > file will open in whatever app "owns" it, while your place in the list > of found items is not disturbed. I repeat: every time I opened one to look inside, Spotlight scrolled the list back to the top. -- Wes Groleau New numbers for next year http://Ideas.Lang-Learn.us/barrett?itemid=1495 |