Getting things done with Automator and Spotlight

More cool Tiger feats with Automator

Oyvind over at the brilliantdays.com blog has put up some ultra cool organizational things Mac Tiger users can do with Automator and Spotlight. This will mean absolutely nothing for PC users but for us Mac heads, it’s another reason to keep smiling….

Doesn’t work for me on Tiger Server. Spotlight comments never show up in smart folder searches. In fact a lot of smart folder searches don’t find the corrrect results. Is this just a Server problem?

Doesn’t work for me on Tiger Server. Spotlight comments never show up in smart folder searches. In fact a lot of smart folder searches don’t find the corrrect results. Is this just a Server problem?

Mac OS X – Tiger: Spotlight and Tagging

This week I made the move to the latest version of Mac OS X. Apple calls this version Tiger and it has quite a few new features. One that I have been playing a bit with and finding very useful is their new desktop search utility, Spotlight. Spotlight a…

I use similar aproach, only I tag files with either @action, @waiting or @someday keywords and I use Quicksilver to help me with tagging.

I use similar aproach, only I tag files with either @action, @waiting or @someday keywords and I use Quicksilver to help me with tagging.

I don’t really get how this is useful. Once you create and save a smart folder you get a really annoying file extension that you cannot hide. The extension is .savedsearch, and it is so long that many times I can’t even see the whole name of the folder name itself. I just think it’s so clunky.

Then when you open the smart folder, instead of showing you all the files in a nice clean atmosphere, it shows all the editable search criteria, which takes up room and doesn’t let me “Get things Done!”.

Anyways, THEN, I click on a file in the window and it doesn’t show me a preview screen like a normal window.

So, therefore it’s annoying and I don’t like it, and it doesn’t work well for me.

This is rendering me sooooo frustrated, as the Tag feature becomes so useless…

I don’t really get how this is useful. Once you create and save a smart folder you get a really annoying file extension that you cannot hide. The extension is .savedsearch, and it is so long that many times I can’t even see the whole name of the folder name itself. I just think it’s so clunky.

Then when you open the smart folder, instead of showing you all the files in a nice clean atmosphere, it shows all the editable search criteria, which takes up room and doesn’t let me “Get things Done!”.

Anyways, THEN, I click on a file in the window and it doesn’t show me a preview screen like a normal window.

So, therefore it’s annoying and I don’t like it, and it doesn’t work well for me.

This is rendering me sooooo frustrated, as the Tag feature becomes so useless…

Hi Ketket,

I think there must be something wrong with your setup, as this doesn’t work at all like you described at my Mac.

Could you mail me some screenshots if I mail you my e-mail address?

Hi Ketket,

I think there must be something wrong with your setup, as this doesn’t work at all like you described at my Mac.

Could you mail me some screenshots if I mail you my e-mail address?

I use an approach more similar to George Sudarkoff’s, and I don’t tend to spend a lot of time using Spotlight tags for things either. Instead, I have five smart folders on my desktop (see a screenshot):

Inbox
In Progress
Upcoming
Read/Review
On Hold

… all with similarly named color labels. I’m a kinkless user and often create shortcuts within any given project within OmniOutliner Pro itself to any project support materials (txt files, folders, etc.) that I have. Thus, I have no need whatsoever for managing contexts within Finder itself – that’s what I have kinkless for, and it’s a bit more reassuring to find everything in one list-like place than scattered about my operating system.

That said, enough experimentation has led me to find that the five smart folders works perfectly to complement my kinkless set up. The smart inbox allows me a reminder of all the files floating randomly around my computer until I get a chance to file them properly; “In Progress” and “Upcoming” remind me of current projects and give me a direct link to them, while “On Hold” is for projects that I’m not attached to, but also don’t want to drop off the face of the planet until the next lazy Saturday afternoon that I just spend randomly clicking about my computer. Lastly, “Read/Review” is pretty self-explanatory, and awfully useful, I’ve found, for the completely bored moments when I don’t want to use my computer in any more constructive way.

I use an approach more similar to George Sudarkoff’s, and I don’t tend to spend a lot of time using Spotlight tags for things either. Instead, I have five smart folders on my desktop (see a screenshot):

Inbox
In Progress
Upcoming
Read/Review
On Hold

… all with similarly named color labels. I’m a kinkless user and often create shortcuts within any given project within OmniOutliner Pro itself to any project support materials (txt files, folders, etc.) that I have. Thus, I have no need whatsoever for managing contexts within Finder itself – that’s what I have kinkless for, and it’s a bit more reassuring to find everything in one list-like place than scattered about my operating system.

That said, enough experimentation has led me to find that the five smart folders works perfectly to complement my kinkless set up. The smart inbox allows me a reminder of all the files floating randomly around my computer until I get a chance to file them properly; “In Progress” and “Upcoming” remind me of current projects and give me a direct link to them, while “On Hold” is for projects that I’m not attached to, but also don’t want to drop off the face of the planet until the next lazy Saturday afternoon that I just spend randomly clicking about my computer. Lastly, “Read/Review” is pretty self-explanatory, and awfully useful, I’ve found, for the completely bored moments when I don’t want to use my computer in any more constructive way.

I’m sorry; I guess I’d forgotten to include a link to that screenshot. Here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisisdaniel/123889079/

Not that anybody’s interested, but it is kinda fun to talk about.

I’m sorry; I guess I’d forgotten to include a link to that screenshot. Here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisisdaniel/123889079/

Not that anybody’s interested, but it is kinda fun to talk about.

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How exactly do you manage your GTD lists with this scheme. I went ahead and upgraded my OmniOutline to the PRO version and then I installed kGTD. It works quite well. I am trying to replace Microsoft Entourage with kGTD/OmniOutliner, Mail and iCal and this seemed like the best GTD utility to use. However, after getting my Projects moved over I have hundreds of lists that I just haven’t been able to figure out where they go? And for that matter where do tasks go that are single items (ie. Calls)? Any suggestions on how you currently work would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, and good job with kGTD.

How exactly do you manage your GTD lists with this scheme. I went ahead and upgraded my OmniOutline to the PRO version and then I installed kGTD. It works quite well. I am trying to replace Microsoft Entourage with kGTD/OmniOutliner, Mail and iCal and this seemed like the best GTD utility to use. However, after getting my Projects moved over I have hundreds of lists that I just haven’t been able to figure out where they go? And for that matter where do tasks go that are single items (ie. Calls)? Any suggestions on how you currently work would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, and good job with kGTD.

[...] Getting things done with Automator and Spotlight (tags: osx productivity tips) [...]

gtd is amazing concept . i getting things done habit . i is good to out here and using getting things done.

gtd is amazing concept . i getting things done habit . i is good to out here and using getting things done.

[...] Getting Things Done with Automater and Spotlight: Check out this post for two more tools that will help your computer-based GTD system. Filed [...]

[...] Getting Things Done with Automater and Spotlight: Check out this post for two more tools that will help your computer-based GTD [...]

I think there must be something wrong with your setup too.

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 I have just come to know from the post that  usefulness of Spotlight and Automator on the Desktop. I think these are brilliant ways to use my desktop.

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informative info though can’t run Automator and spotlight till now.
Thanks! 
 

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I believe I can clean up my desktop with these tools too. By the way, does these software’s compress the files too?

it doesn’t matter where you put it on your drives. Put it anywhere, It will still show up in your smart folder?Got it?