Spotlight (software)

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Spotlight

Screenshot of Spotlight performing a normal search of Microsoft.
Developer:	Apple Computer
OS:	Mac OS X
Use:	desktop search
Website:	Apple.com/…/spotlight/

Spotlight is an as-you-type, system-wide desktop search feature found in Mac OS X v10.4. Using a metadata search engine, Spotlight is designed to locate a wide variety of items on the computer, including documents, pictures, music, applications, System Preference panes, as well as specific words in documents and PDFs. It allows the user to narrow down searches with creation dates, modification dates, sizes, types and other attributes.

Spotlight builds a database of metadata keywords in files on the user's hard drive when a user logs in for the first time, as well as when devices such as external hard drives are connected to a system. This initial cataloguing may take some time, but the database is updated continuously in the background as files are modified. The cataloguing process also takes place when the system discovers that files on an external drive have been modified on a system not running 10.4, and the system will re-catalogue the volume from scratch.

Spotlight features a developer API (application program interface) that allows the creation of plug-ins, meaning that developers can add Spotlight search capabilities to their own programs, as well as enable Spotlight to index their own proprietary data file formats.

1 Tiger Features
2 Leopard Features
3 Spotlight keywords
- 3.1 "kind"
- 3.2 "date"
4 See also
5 External links
- 5.1 Apple Official Resources
- 5.2 Others

[edit] Tiger Features

Spotlight features the following functionality:

Instant indexing of new and modified files. The index is automatically updated instantly after each file-change.
Substring search. Words that start with the search term will be matched (prefix matching).
Boolean searches. Default searches AND operands. Use '|' for OR queries. Place '-' before an operand to perform a NOT query.

[edit] Leopard Features

This article or section contains information about scheduled or expected future software.
The content may change dramatically as the software release approaches and more information becomes available.

Apple plans to introduce the following additional features in Leopard (according to the 2006 WWDC Stevenote and Apple's Leopard preview website):

"Advanced search" and advanced Boolean operators (alluded to in the keynote and on the Leopard preview website).
Criterion selectors which currently only exist in the Finder search window in Tiger.
A new feature named Quick Look which will provide live previews of all file types in a graphic overlay.
The ability to search network volumes.
A Spotlight Dock icon (according to the onscreen demo at WWDC 2006).
Spotlight Server in Mac OS X Server.

[edit] Spotlight keywords

[edit] "kind"

The spotlight engine is used to power the Finder's search

The "kind" keyword may be used as a stand alone search (e.g. "kind:pdf") or as a modifier for a key word or phrase (e.g. "Steve Jobs kind:email")

Applications: application(s), app(s)
Contacts: contact(s)
Folders: folder(s)
Email: email(s), mail message(s)
iCal Events: event(s)
iCal To Dos: todo(s), to do(s)
Images: image(s)
Movies: movie(s)
Music: music, audio
PDF: pdf(s)
Preferences: system preferences, preferences
Bookmarks: bookmark(s)
Fonts: font(s)
Presentations: presentation(s)

[edit] "date"

Spotlight performing a boolean search.

The "date" keyword may be used as a stand alone search (e.g. "date:today") or as modifer for a key word or phrase (e.g. "Steve Jobs date:today"). Accepted relative date values include "this month", "this week", "this year", "today", "yesterday", "tomorrow", "next month", "next week", and "next year".

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Apple Official Resources

[edit] Others

v • d • e

Mac OS X

Applications
Address Book • Automator • Backup • Calculator • Chess • Dashboard • Dictionary • DVD Player • Finder • Front Row • Grapher • iCal • iChat • iSync • iTunes • Mail • Photo Booth • Preview • QuickTime Player • Safari • Sherlock • Stickies • TextEdit

Utilities
Activity Monitor • AirPort Admin Utility • Audio MIDI Setup • Bluetooth File Exchange • BOMArchiveHelper • Classic • ColorSync Utility • Console • Crash Reporter • DigitalColor Meter • Directory Access • DiskImageMounter • Disk Utility • Font Book • Grab • Help Viewer • Image Capture • Installer • Internet Connect • Keychain Access • Migration Assistant • NetInfo Manager • Network Utility • ODBC Administrator • Printer Setup Utility • Software Update • System Preferences • System Profiler • Terminal • Universal Access • VoiceOver • X11

Technology & User interface (future features italicized)
⌘ • ⌥ • Apple Advanced Typography • AppleScript • Aqua • ATSUI • Audio Units • Bonjour • Boot Camp • Carbon • Cocoa • ColorSync • Core Animation • Core Audio • Core Data • Core Foundation • Core Image • Core Video • CUPS • Darwin • Exposé • FileVault • Inkwell • icns • Keychain • Mach-O • OpenGL • plist • Quartz • QuickTime • Rosetta • Smart folder • Spaces • Spotlight • Time Machine • Uniform Type Identifier • Universal binary • WebKit • Xgrid • XNU

Apple Computer software
OS:	Mac OS X \| Mac OS 9
Consumer:	.Mac \| iLife \| iTunes \| iWork \| AppleWorks \| Mac OS X
Prosumer:	Final Cut Express \| Logic Express
Pro:	Aperture \| Final Cut Studio \| Logic Pro \| Shake
Bundled:	Front Row \| iChat \| Photo Booth \| QuickTime \| Safari \| TextEdit
Server:	Apple Remote Desktop \| Mac OS X Server \| WebObjects \| Xsan
Discontinued:	HyperCard \| MacDraw \| Mac OS \| MacPaint \| MacProject \| MacTerminal \| MacWrite