HoudahSpot – Powerful File Search for Mac.
Locate hard-to-find files and keep frequently used files within reach.
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.
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
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:
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
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
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
UPDATE: There finally is a better solution. Introducing CustomShortcuts.
On Mac OS X it is easy to set custom keyboard shortcuts for just about any menu item. Still this great feature is often overlooked.
Learn how to set up custom keyboard shortcuts for menu items in any Mac OS X application.
This post refers to HoudahSpot 3. The same general ideas apply to HoudahSpot 4.
HoudahSpot makes it easy to create detailed queries to find the exact files you are looking for. You can preview found files, open them, etc. Continue reading Copy File Search Results as Tab Delimited Text
This post refers to HoudahSpot 3. The same general ideas apply to HoudahSpot 4. A future post will provide more details.
Diehard Unix gurus are going to be shocked to see Excel and the Unix shell mentioned in the same breath. Yet this can prove a very powerful combination. Continue reading Ease shell operations using a spreadsheet
This post refers to HoudahSpot 3. The same general ideas apply to HoudahSpot 4. A newer post provides more details.
With HoudahSpot it is easy to find files based on a prototype file: a file that has something in common with the files you are looking for. Continue reading Find by example
Continue reading HoudahSpot & Tembo – What are the differences?
