PopClip is a popular Mac utility by Pilot Moon software. PopClip appears when you select text with your mouse on your Mac. Choose from a large collection of extensions to perform actions on or with the selected text.
The HoudahSpot PopClip extension searches for files related to the selected text. Continue reading Search for files with PopClip & HoudahSpot
Author: houdah
Narrow down searches using the Info pane
The HoudahSpot Info pane shows all metadata Spotlight has recorded about a particular file. This includes generic attributes (file name, dates, etc.) as well as custom attributes filled in by the Spotlight importer responsible for indexing the file. You can use any of these attributes to find similar files.
Find and organize video files using HoudahSpot
With HoudahSpot, it is easy to search your hard drive for media files. Just set the Content Kind criterion to Audio, Image, or Video – and HoudahSpot will look for files of the type specified.
If you’ve ever been looking for a specific photograph, you may have already used the pre-installed sample template named “My Photos”. It lists criteria that come in handy when searching images, like pixel count.
When searching for specific video files, other criteria come into play, e.g. duration, video codec or bit rates. We have prepared a template for HoudahSpot 4 that helps you sort through your moving images: the Video template is available for download here. It is pre-configured with a set of criteria and results columns that relate to video files. Continue reading Find and organize video files using HoudahSpot
Geotag photos for the Apple Photos application
This post no longer applies to Apple Photos 2.0 under macOS 10.12 Sierra. HoudahGeo 5.1 can now add location information to photos in the Photos library.
The most common workflow for geotagging photos with HoudahGeo is:
- Import photos into iPhoto or Aperture
- Geocode the photos using HoudahGeo
- Write geotags to the original image files
- Notify iPhoto or Aperture of the newly added geotags
The new Apple Photos application lacks the programmatic interface needed for HoudahGeo to notify it of changes made to geotags.
Until this issue is resolved, we recommend that you geotag your photos before importing them into the Photos library.
Continue reading Geotag photos for the Apple Photos application
Find similar files using Find by Example
HoudahSpot gets you to your files quickly by helping you narrow down your search until only the relevant files are left over.
Find by Example lets you refine a search using a prototype file: a file that has something in common with the files you are looking for. Drag and drop a file from Finder or from the search results onto a search criterion. It will update to match that file. You just told HoudahSpot:
I want files like this one.
Search the current Finder or Path Finder folder
HoudahSpot 4.0 comes with a “droplet” that you can install in the Finder toolbar. This small application can be found from HoudahSpot > Preferences > Advanced. Follow the instructions found there to install Search.app as a Finder toolbar item.
When clicked, Search.app opens a new HoudahSpot window set to search the folder shown in the current Finder window. You can also drag and drop folders onto the toolbar item to open a new HoudahSpot window configured to search these folders.
If you use CocoaTech’s Path Finder, you should download and install the Search PF.app droplet to initiate HoudahSpot searches from the Path Finder toolbar. Continue reading Search the current Finder or Path Finder folder
Inspect files and folders using HoudahSpot
The HoudahSpot Info pane shows a wealth of information about the currently selected search result. It starts with the basic attributes of the file or folder:
- name
- kind
- total size of files and folders
- extension
- creation and modification dates
- path
- comments
- Finder tags
More importantly though, HoudahSpot shows the most relevant properties based on the type of the selected file. E.g. for audio files, the Info pane shows duration and bit rate. Continue reading Inspect files and folders using HoudahSpot
Use existing templates with HoudahSpot 4.0
HoudahSpot 4.0 has been reimagined from the ground up. Every aspect of the application has been reevaluated. The result is a file search tool that is more powerful, streamlined and easier to use. On the downside, HoudahSpot 4.0 cannot read saved searches created by previous versions of HoudahSpot.
The HoudahSpot Migration Tool can help convert HoudahSpot 3.x saved searches and templates for use with HoudahSpot 4.0. Continue reading Use existing templates with HoudahSpot 4.0
Trip planning with ACTPrinter
Planning a trip can be a lot of work. Anticipation is part of the fun.
During planning we collect a lot of information we want to read beforehand, during the flight or on site:
- Sights descriptions and historic background
- Hotel and restaurant reviews
- Walking tour instructions
- Trip reports
Templates for recurring searches
This post refers to HoudahSpot 3. The same general ideas still apply. HoudahSpot 4 does not differentiate “live templates” and “ready templates”. For more info on using templates in HoudahSpot 4 , see “Save Queries for Recurring Searches“.
HoudahSpot searches can be saved as documents. These persist all aspects of your customized search: query, locations, columns, sort order, etc. Continue reading Templates for recurring searches