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Spotlight Searching - Not separated by category in finder, plus no plist files?

powerbook911

powerbook911

macrumors 601
Original poster
In Tiger, when you searched in finder using spotlight, the results were displayed by categories, with category headers like "documents," "pictures," etc. Any idea if that can be changed back to that? now leopard just shows them a big stuck together list that is hard to distinguish between.

Furthermore, Tiger would show up preference lists files, for applications, if you searched for the application. i.e. search for quicksilver find everything on system related to it including plist file.

This was especially useful, if you deleted an application and quickly wanted to also delete remnants left behind. now leopard doesn't display these remnants, when searching.

Any ideas?
 
yeh but thats an extra thing you have to do! i always used to search for files in the library folders and i could do it it the finder spotlight and menu bar spotlight straight away. now i have to manually add another search parameter in finder search for system files... bit of a hassle really and i dont like them not being sorted in catergories like in tiger 🙁
 
How do you add search for system files then? Sorry, for being an idiot on search. ha-ha.

Yeah, I really miss Tiger spotlight.
 
Really hope we can find a way to show the system files, when doing a spotlight search?

Someone above suggested you could, but I can't figure it out. Any ideas?

Thanks.
 
In Tiger, when you searched in finder using spotlight, the results were displayed by categories, with category headers like "documents," "pictures," etc. Any idea if that can be changed back to that? now leopard just shows them a big stuck together list that is hard to distinguish between.
Click to expand...

I just noticed this. It definitely makes it harder for me to find what I want.
 
Peace said:
Why would anyone want to search for vital system files?
Click to expand...

I think for the most part its people who are trying to completely delete an application (i.e. preferences files...etc) that are asking about this. The Leopard finder doesn't seem to pick these up with the default search settings.
 
henhowc said:
I think for the most part its people who are trying to completely delete an application (i.e. preferences files...etc) that are asking about this. The Leopard finder doesn't seem to pick these up with the default search settings.
Click to expand...

Yep. This explains my situation.

Furthermore, we've always been able to search our computers for these type of files even with Panther. Now that we can't is a big step backwards. There should at least be an option.

Update - thanks to advice above there is at least a way to find these files. Thanks henhowc!

Unfortunately, it does take more time, and it displays even some extra files I don't necessarily need to see, but I am thoroughly thankful that there is at least a way to search better.

Now if a way would come out to also offer the old category sections in Finder.
 
Yeah, this is annoying. Now the only way to find plist and similar files is to follow the instructions in the link above. Back in Tiger, you simply typed what you were looking for into the search, and up it came.
 
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