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What is the Best Desktop Search Engine on Mac OS X?
- Thread starter Bigmacduck
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Still not happy with Houdah Spot
I am still not happy with Houdah Spot on Mac when I compare it to the powerful and easy to use X1 search on windows. One key feature that I am missing is the embedded document/email previewer. Also the Outlook 2011 is not integrated well into Houdah Spot.
A typical search that I want to be able to perform is "find an email message anywhere in the whole message store that has either a PowerPoint or Acrobat PDF attachment and inside that PPTX or PDF file there are the works "aaa, xxx, yyy, and zzz".
I have not found a way to do that in Houdah Spot.
I am still not happy with Houdah Spot on Mac when I compare it to the powerful and easy to use X1 search on windows. One key feature that I am missing is the embedded document/email previewer. Also the Outlook 2011 is not integrated well into Houdah Spot.
A typical search that I want to be able to perform is "find an email message anywhere in the whole message store that has either a PowerPoint or Acrobat PDF attachment and inside that PPTX or PDF file there are the works "aaa, xxx, yyy, and zzz".
I have not found a way to do that in Houdah Spot.
EasyFind
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easyfind/id411673888?mt=12
or, if you're hatin' on the (cr)ap store:
http://www.devontechnologies.com/products/freeware.html
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easyfind/id411673888?mt=12
or, if you're hatin' on the (cr)ap store:
http://www.devontechnologies.com/products/freeware.html
The Mac is capable of detailed searches........
-Command F
-A Searching "This Mac" window opens up
-Skip the upper Search bar unless your search is for general results
-click the Plus sign just below it
-On the left there are two drop down menus in succession that allow detailed searches including what is in a document, a file name,exact or includes, email addresses etc.
-First drop down includes Kind, Last opened date,Last Modified date,created date,name,contents,email addresses,Other
-Then you can choose from matches,contains,begins with,ends with is
Using list view also helps to see when it was created or altered as well.
Hope this helps someone. Don't know about the parallel thing but worth a try.
Spotlight is a quick search but you can also click the show in finder window to get to the same search window I've described above
-Command F
-A Searching "This Mac" window opens up
-Skip the upper Search bar unless your search is for general results
-click the Plus sign just below it
-On the left there are two drop down menus in succession that allow detailed searches including what is in a document, a file name,exact or includes, email addresses etc.
-First drop down includes Kind, Last opened date,Last Modified date,created date,name,contents,email addresses,Other
-Then you can choose from matches,contains,begins with,ends with is
Using list view also helps to see when it was created or altered as well.
Hope this helps someone. Don't know about the parallel thing but worth a try.
Spotlight is a quick search but you can also click the show in finder window to get to the same search window I've described above
Resurrecting an old thread to ask if the OP, bigmacduck, or anyone else, has had any success in finding a Mac-based replacement for X1's excellent and exhaustive capability to find desired emails across multiple Outlook pst files?
This is still the only thing keeping me back from immediately switching out all of our Windows PCs for MacBooks. We rely heavily upon X1's ability to quickly and easily find historic email (or anything other file) using any combination of search criteria (sender, recipients, subject, body text, dates, attachment metadata, etc). I know I'm not alone here - just wish X1 would create a Mac package already.
Outlook's own Search function is not even close in terms of ease and performance, particularly since it is limited to one pst at a time.
Regards,
-Chris
This is still the only thing keeping me back from immediately switching out all of our Windows PCs for MacBooks. We rely heavily upon X1's ability to quickly and easily find historic email (or anything other file) using any combination of search criteria (sender, recipients, subject, body text, dates, attachment metadata, etc). I know I'm not alone here - just wish X1 would create a Mac package already.
Outlook's own Search function is not even close in terms of ease and performance, particularly since it is limited to one pst at a time.
Regards,
-Chris
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I've read this thread with great interest, but the main problem with Spotlight still does not seem to be solved:
Spotlight refuses to show search results of metadata in .eps files (I am talking about Photoshop eps files here, not Illustrator).
This is a major problem for any serious picture archive on a Mac…
I've tried most of the mentioned alternatives in this thread, but none of them gives satisfying results.
Does anyone know a (fast!) solution for this problem?
I am using Adobe Bridge for entering metadata into pictures. That program does show the search results (also in eps files) but is horrible slow on a Mac when you use it to find something (another thing I do not understand by the way) and is useless for me because of that.
Bottom line: is there a search app available that does metadata search in eps files and does it fast?
Thanks in advance and friendly regards, Boele
Spotlight refuses to show search results of metadata in .eps files (I am talking about Photoshop eps files here, not Illustrator).
This is a major problem for any serious picture archive on a Mac…
I've tried most of the mentioned alternatives in this thread, but none of them gives satisfying results.
Does anyone know a (fast!) solution for this problem?
I am using Adobe Bridge for entering metadata into pictures. That program does show the search results (also in eps files) but is horrible slow on a Mac when you use it to find something (another thing I do not understand by the way) and is useless for me because of that.
Bottom line: is there a search app available that does metadata search in eps files and does it fast?
Thanks in advance and friendly regards, Boele
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You can add plugins to Spotlight to support additional file types and I found this Photoshop Spotlight plugin that might do what you want. Looks like you can try a demo before you pay.
test failed.
Unfortunately this is not working. I downloaded and installed the plugin and re-indexed all disks, then tried a search for a unique term I inserted in both the metadata of a few tiffs and eps's with Adobe Bridge. Result: the tiffs are found the eps's are not
Unfortunately this is not working. I downloaded and installed the plugin and re-indexed all disks, then tried a search for a unique term I inserted in both the metadata of a few tiffs and eps's with Adobe Bridge. Result: the tiffs are found the eps's are not
Then you are lucky cause I think I finally found a solution: meet "NeoFinder" (formerly known as CDFinder).
http://www.cdfinder.de
As far as I can tell, the app creates a new index file (of whatever folder or disk you want) in which you can find meta data, *including* meta data in Photoshop eps's. Yes!!
Besides that, it also in cooperates the Spotlight engine so you've got the best of both worlds.
The demo version seems to do everything except that it does not automatically updates the indexes you create and there is no network functionality. The full version has that included.
Hi,
I use dtsearch in Windows and this is the main reason for not having yet switched to the Mac. Dtsearch is *very* powerful -see Cha 6 of
http://support.dtsearch.com/dtSearch_Desktop.pdf
Does Houdah offer similar search features, and -more importantly- speed? I have around 0.5 TB of pdf files, so a general desktop search app is not really the answer. When you start having a huge number of files, you really need features like:
1. proximity search -e.g. (orange w/5 apple) finds all documents where orange appears within 5 words of apple
2. stemming -e.g. (fish~) would find both 'fish' and 'fishing'
My impression is that this is an area where the Mac under-performs in relation to Windows -but please show me wrong!
Best
Spotlight does not do what it should!
I do not understand the slavish devotion to spotlight. A file search program should locate the place where the file resides on the drive. Yes, you can press the command key while hovering the cursor over the filename but if the file is in multiple layers then spotlight does not offer complete information such as the root folder name. It should be much easier than this. Older versions were more functional. And this is from someone devoted to Macs.
I do not understand the slavish devotion to spotlight. A file search program should locate the place where the file resides on the drive. Yes, you can press the command key while hovering the cursor over the filename but if the file is in multiple layers then spotlight does not offer complete information such as the root folder name. It should be much easier than this. Older versions were more functional. And this is from someone devoted to Macs.
Searching Indexed Shared Folders on Windows Computers
Do any search applications for a Mac search shared folders hosted on a Windows computer using the Windows Search protocol and the index on the host computer?
So far, the only options I have found are to either search shared folders without using an index or to configure Spotlight to create its own index of a shared folder on the Mac. Both options are inefficient. Worse, building a local Spotlight index is redundant and error prone, especially since I need for more than one Mac to be able to search the shared folders hosted by the Windows file server.
Do any search applications for a Mac search shared folders hosted on a Windows computer using the Windows Search protocol and the index on the host computer?
So far, the only options I have found are to either search shared folders without using an index or to configure Spotlight to create its own index of a shared folder on the Mac. Both options are inefficient. Worse, building a local Spotlight index is redundant and error prone, especially since I need for more than one Mac to be able to search the shared folders hosted by the Windows file server.
1. HoudahSpot cannot do proximity searches. This is not possible with the Spotlight index. There are many other ways to narrow down your search over 0.5 TB of PDFs. E.g. by author or by title
2. This is called prefix search in HoudahSpot. A search for "contains prefixes" "fish" finds "fish", "fishing" and also "iFish" (because of the capital F). But not "catfish". a "contains any" finds all of these.
Come February I will release HoudahSpot 4.0. This is a major upgrade that has been in the works for close to a year. I have spent a lot of effort on optimizing speed and performance. You can sign up for the upcoming beta at http://houdahspot.com
In the context of a file search tool, I define speed as a combination of:
- Ease of use. How you express and refine your query
- Performance. How fast HoudahSpot assembles search results
- Efficiency. How quickly you can sort through search results
HoudahSpot 4.0 greatly improves on all 3 aspects.
Pierre Bernard
Houdah Software s.à r.l.
I've tried them all (HoudaSpot, DataLore, Spotlight, EasyFind, Find any File, ...) and FoxTrot Professional Search (FTPS) is the best search tool I've found (for my needs, anyway) for these reasons:
1. FTPS does NOT (NOT) rely on just the spotlight index as with the so-called "Spotlight Front-ends". FTPS creates its own indexes. This indexing means that FTPS can find hidden (Files that start with a '.') and files inside a Mac "Package" file (an "APP" in your /Applications Folder or elsewhere). Extremely powerful & Useful.
So, if you need to search for text inside a ".plist" file inside some .app file somewhere, FTPS can find it! You just need to make sure you check that option for FTPS to index invisible files and packages when you set up the index rules (very easy to do, it's just a check box).
Spotlight cannot and does not.
2. FTPS can find files anywhere on your computer.
Spotlight doesn't index everywhere. For example, if you are looking to see where the Java JDK is installed (typically in /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines), none of the "Spotlight Front-ends" will find this file for you. Type "jdk1.8" into Spotlight and you get nada.
3. If you need to to use Regular Expressions, FTPS now will support these (in the latest 5.0.2b3). You can also create as many narrowing searches as you need on separate lines. If you don't work with Regular Expressions, well, regularly, you might find a tool like RegExRx useful to help you build regular expressions.
4. Once you have a list of "found files" that match your search request, you can either refine your search or drill down using the excellent tools at the left column.
5. Being able to scroll down and see all the search terms found in, say, matching PDFs in the built-in viewer, is another extremely cool feature. The "Spotlight Front-ends" will find the PDFs (if they're in common locations like your home directory and below, etc.), but they won't let you scroll down and see the search terms highlighted in each document.
Plus, FTPS includes, optionally context in the actual search list so you can see the found terms in that list itself.
You can also highly customize how the display presents your files.
I also found that on one of the Spotlight Front-Ends, that although it did find matching terms in an Excel workbook, I only saw the first sheet displayed. The various sheet links at the bottom didn't do anything when I clicked on them. In FTPS, on the other hand, I could click on the various sheets and see matching terms in any of the sheets. Amazing.
-----
Regarding other products like DevonThink. FTPS is different in my view.
DevonThink is beyond awesome and I use it all the time for many things, but I think of DT as a repository for all kinds of files for a project or for a client, maybe - but not "system-wide". FTPS, on the other hand, indexes the folders (and only the folders) you tell it to. It will also, optionally, include an index (but not actual file content) of any file anywhere on your computer - say in the system area.
Of course, that's just how I use DT. (DT also creates powerful indexes.)
-----
So, if you're a home user a spotlight front end may be all you need - or even just spotlight itself for that matter.
However, if you need to be able to find files anywhere almost instantly, including hidden files (like .htaccess for web developers, for example), and possibly files in side apps themselves, then FTPS gives you that power.
And, FTPS is amazingly fast.
Tech support is the only thing about FTPS that seems slow at times, but they do respond, eventually.
-------
There are a couple of free tools too that give you the ability to search everywhere including invisible files and inside packages. One of these is "EasyFind". EasyFind is a nice tool (from maker's of DevonThink), but it does not create an index. Therefore, while DTPS may seem nearly instantaneous, EasyFind, especially when looking "inside files", could take a long time.
For me, Spotlight is OK for about 70% of my searches. I don't use Spotlight much anymore and just use FTPS.
Finally, I almost didn't find out about FTPS except that on a recent "Mac Power Users" podcast, the guest speaker mentioned it in passing. That got my attention right away since I've been extremely disappointment with Spotlight front-ends simply not finding the files I need.
Cost of FTPS? About $125.
My two cents...
- m
1. FTPS does NOT (NOT) rely on just the spotlight index as with the so-called "Spotlight Front-ends". FTPS creates its own indexes. This indexing means that FTPS can find hidden (Files that start with a '.') and files inside a Mac "Package" file (an "APP" in your /Applications Folder or elsewhere). Extremely powerful & Useful.
So, if you need to search for text inside a ".plist" file inside some .app file somewhere, FTPS can find it! You just need to make sure you check that option for FTPS to index invisible files and packages when you set up the index rules (very easy to do, it's just a check box).
Spotlight cannot and does not.
2. FTPS can find files anywhere on your computer.
Spotlight doesn't index everywhere. For example, if you are looking to see where the Java JDK is installed (typically in /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines), none of the "Spotlight Front-ends" will find this file for you. Type "jdk1.8" into Spotlight and you get nada.
3. If you need to to use Regular Expressions, FTPS now will support these (in the latest 5.0.2b3). You can also create as many narrowing searches as you need on separate lines. If you don't work with Regular Expressions, well, regularly, you might find a tool like RegExRx useful to help you build regular expressions.
4. Once you have a list of "found files" that match your search request, you can either refine your search or drill down using the excellent tools at the left column.
5. Being able to scroll down and see all the search terms found in, say, matching PDFs in the built-in viewer, is another extremely cool feature. The "Spotlight Front-ends" will find the PDFs (if they're in common locations like your home directory and below, etc.), but they won't let you scroll down and see the search terms highlighted in each document.
Plus, FTPS includes, optionally context in the actual search list so you can see the found terms in that list itself.
You can also highly customize how the display presents your files.
I also found that on one of the Spotlight Front-Ends, that although it did find matching terms in an Excel workbook, I only saw the first sheet displayed. The various sheet links at the bottom didn't do anything when I clicked on them. In FTPS, on the other hand, I could click on the various sheets and see matching terms in any of the sheets. Amazing.
-----
Regarding other products like DevonThink. FTPS is different in my view.
DevonThink is beyond awesome and I use it all the time for many things, but I think of DT as a repository for all kinds of files for a project or for a client, maybe - but not "system-wide". FTPS, on the other hand, indexes the folders (and only the folders) you tell it to. It will also, optionally, include an index (but not actual file content) of any file anywhere on your computer - say in the system area.
Of course, that's just how I use DT. (DT also creates powerful indexes.)
-----
So, if you're a home user a spotlight front end may be all you need - or even just spotlight itself for that matter.
However, if you need to be able to find files anywhere almost instantly, including hidden files (like .htaccess for web developers, for example), and possibly files in side apps themselves, then FTPS gives you that power.
And, FTPS is amazingly fast.
Tech support is the only thing about FTPS that seems slow at times, but they do respond, eventually.
-------
There are a couple of free tools too that give you the ability to search everywhere including invisible files and inside packages. One of these is "EasyFind". EasyFind is a nice tool (from maker's of DevonThink), but it does not create an index. Therefore, while DTPS may seem nearly instantaneous, EasyFind, especially when looking "inside files", could take a long time.
For me, Spotlight is OK for about 70% of my searches. I don't use Spotlight much anymore and just use FTPS.
Finally, I almost didn't find out about FTPS except that on a recent "Mac Power Users" podcast, the guest speaker mentioned it in passing. That got my attention right away since I've been extremely disappointment with Spotlight front-ends simply not finding the files I need.
Cost of FTPS? About $125.
My two cents...
- m
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This bug has been fixed in HoudahSpot 4.0.6.. You can now interact with Quick Look preview to select sheets in a spreadsheet, start movie playback, etc.
This is one thing I really like about Houdaspot. It's developer (perhaps the poster above) is ALWAYS improving it. He is extremely responsive and really cares about his software. Because of all these reasons, Houdaspot is an amazingly good product.
I only wish Houdaspot, in some future version, would implement its own index so it found everything (like hidden files, text inside application 'app' files, files just about anywhere in the Mac, and such) and didn't have the Achilles heal of the Spotlight index. I would pay extra for that version!
One thing that's missing from FTPS (or I simply don't see how to do it) in version 5.0.3 is that it can't currently do what HS does easily .... let you copy the list of the found files in various formats.
Well done Houdaspot!
- m
I want to find all the MP4 files I have on my computer. I want a real search engine not a toy search engine. A person who is really searching isn't looking for one file they are looking for may be 100. I found a bunch of MP4 files but they would not go into the folder I wanted them to. Then I opened up another folder and but couldn’t find the files. Then the files I wanted disappeared. I tried to open "all files" but couldn’t find it.
If I want to look for text files that means to me ms word files I don't have time to search through php files. I may be looking for the string "evidence based" and although it is there they can't find it because they don't look that deep. I can set up special searcher but I lose some of the flags every time and going through preferences is reticules. .
How do I make spot light a real search engine or where can I get one. Maybe there are all sort of great things about spotlight that never found with spotlight as it now stands it is a joke. Does anyone know who to make spotlight work most like a real search engine?