help required: Colored labels and copying files

ChrisH3677 said:

1) What do you use the colored labels feature for? I don't really understand their purpose or how to use them. Would be good to hear how others are using them.

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Although I don't personally use them, they could be quite useful to mark the status of files. Eg you could use a colour for high priority, in progress, Useful/not useful etc.

2) In Icon View, is there an easy way in the Finder to copy a file from one folder to another higher in its hierarchy? The only ways I've found, are to open a second window or drag over a higher folder that's in the Finder sidebar and then follow the path down to where i want it using the spring loaded folders feature. If there's no easy way, I'll just have to learn to change to list or column view first.

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I'm not aware of any way to do this, other than your workarounds. Although, if for example you want to copy a file at HD/a/b/c.txt to HD/a/, you could command double click when you open folder 'b', which opens it in a new window, and then you have a window for each folder and don't need to navigate to folder 'a' again.

Labels - colors

ChrisH3677 said:

What do you use the colored labels feature for? I don't really understand their purpose or how to use them. Would be good to hear how others are using them.

Click to expand...

Chris, I take it you were never in OS 9 or before, otherwise, you would probably know all about Labels and colorizing files and folders.

1. DIFFERENT. Use the colors to distinguish or emphasize one file from another
2. SAME. Use the colors to show similarity between several files.
example: On vacation, you take 150 photos over a weekend before you have time to download them into your iBook to view with iPhoto, or modify with Photoshop.
30 of them are shots at the beach at Ocean City, NJ or underwater at Great Reef
45 of them are shots of Washington DC or the Opera House in the Harbor
12 are shots of the Zoo
28 are shots of the Government Building and the guards chasing you away
9 shots are of the Hotel
11 are of your wife touring the Harbor by tour boat

You can create a Color Group (don't change the Label names) so you see them as a group, not as a bunch of numbers. It helps you visualize them together by color coding.

You can change part of the File Name to things like
Blue: REEF 1034 - REEF 1064; and
Red: Opera 1065 ~ etc.
Yellow: ZOO
Green: Hotel

Also, I organize all my files with a 2 or 3 digit pre-code for all my files (I'm an attorney). So, no matter where they are (folders, desktop, filed, loose, etc.) I know what they are, including different cases for the same named client. SMITH: Divorce "dr.", DUI criminal "cr.", will & estate planning "est.", probate "pr.", incorporation "inc.", personal injury "pi.", bankruptcy "bk."; plus I use colors to distinguish types of law cases.
cr. RED
dr. PINK
pi. YELLOW
pr. PURPLE
bk. BROWN

Actual file names
cr.SMITH.dui
dr.SMITH.annulment
pi.SMITH.AutoAcc
pr.SMITH.mom

ONLY for folders, I often use the unicode symbol "A" Apple instead of a dot "." Avoid using any unicode symbol (apple or otherwise) when naming files, it confuses the system, not so with folder - I don't know why).

Often, I do NOT use color except for Master Files, or Boilerplate documents, so the case files are often color-less. I use color for things I want to SEE quickly as being part of a group, or as being distinguished from other folders or files.

UNSANITY software sells (cheap) a LABELS X program that is far more versitile and dynamic than OS X (which did NOT have labels until Panther, which revived the OS 9 and before capability)
LABELS X lets you change the hue of each colort, names and has lots of shortcuts. It has now been updated for OS X Panther (in alpha stage)

http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/labels

I purchased a package of several apps from Unsanity several years ago, and particularly like Window Shade, which is another OS 9 type action, it permits you to DOUBLE CLICK on the top bar of a window, and instead of going to the DOCK, it rolls up (makes noise like it too) like a Window Shade. check it out.

I am just now using the colors to help me find files. I am currently using two colors. One for files that in process (i do ad layouts). And one color for hose that have been completed and approved. It really helps when I am looking through the folders.

Check out this plugin for your second question.

http://www.naratt.com/MoveItemsX.html