[tomrock]

Is there any way to take comments about a file that exist in the desktop DB under OS9 and move them to OS Xs Get Info dialog?

I have a bunch of images that under OS9 show the website where I found them and I lose that under OS X.

I've searched this forum but haven't found anything.

Thanks,
Tom

[BTP]

You can try Beryl Commenter, I haven't used it, I just recalled seeing on Versiontracker.

[Oneota]

It's a real shame that OS X doesn't do that by default. Improper metadata parsing pisses me off.

[Subzero Diesel949]

Agreed, I don't understand why Apple doesn't allow the same file comments between both operating systems.

[Rickster]

Comments are AppleScriptable through the Finder on both operating systems, so you could write a script that extracts comments through the OS 9 Finder and re-applies them through the OS X Finder. Either you'd need the script to store an intermediate database or you'd need to find a way of running the OS 9 Finder in Classic under a different name so AppleScript can talk to both Finders separately.

[tomrock]

Beryl Commenter *works* (and thanks for suggesting that) but it is a rough program. I agree that it should be automatic.

Sometimes if I want to remember a web site but I don't want to make it a favorite I just drag a graphic off of it into a folder knowing that the url will be in the Finder comment. That doesn't work under OS X, either.

[Geobunny]

Originally posted by Oneota:
<STRONG>It's a real shame that OS X doesn't do that by default. Improper metadata parsing pisses me off.</STRONG>

File comments have nothing to do with the original file's metadata. It's stored in the desktop database as was correctly stated in the first message here. Nonetheless, you're right on both counts that Apple:

a) should properly support metadata again - does anyone know WHY they're phasing it out anyway, if in fact they are

b) OS X should be able to read OS &lt; X desktop database information.

[JoshFofer]

Comment Synch is another app that will help transfer the OS 9 comments into OS X.

[cpt kangarooski]

Geo--
Just because the data is not stored in a particular location does not stop it from being metadata. As long as its descriptive of the actual substance, it counts. MP3s store metadata in the actual file normally... doesn't make it something else.

As for Apple, I think they've simply turned stupid. It's difficult to come up with a better explanation for why the situation has gotten worse from MacOS, instead of better.

[Xeo]

Originally posted by tomrock:
<STRONG>Sometimes if I want to remember a web site but I don't want to make it a favorite I just drag a graphic off of it into a folder knowing that the url will be in the Finder comment. That doesn't work under OS X, either.</STRONG>

Obviously this isn't an excuse for Apple, but you could just drag the link from the location field to the Desktop. That saves it as a webloc, I believe.

I'm not sure about this, but I think if you're dragging a graphic from the web browser, it's up to the people making the web browser to use the comments like you were saying. OW, for example, now stores the URL in the comments of every file you download.

[CharlesS]

Well, this one's easy.

The reason they no longer use the Desktop file for comments is that they never should have been there in the first place. The comments are a feature of individual files - they should either be in the file's metadata, the resource fork, or the .DS_STORE file where the other "new metadata" is stored (I suspect the third is where the comments would be found). The Desktop file is a bad place to put them for the obvious reason that when that file is rebuilt, all the comments are lost. Yes, there was the kludge in OS 9 to save comments, rebuild, then restore comments, but it's better just to store the comments somewhere else.

As for reading Mac OS 9 style comments, so few people use those comments due to above-mentioned flaw in OS 9 that I doubt it affects many users. Perhaps now the comments field will actually be useful.

[diamondsw]

Comments are AppleScriptable through the Finder on both operating systems, so you could write a script that extracts comments through the OS 9 Finder and re-applies them through the OS X Finder. Either you'd need the script to store an intermediate database or you'd need to find a way of running the OS 9 Finder in Classic under a different name so AppleScript can talk to both Finders separately.

This is an excellent method, one I use myself to restore large numbers of comments. To get the Classic Finder to run, I believe you simply change its type to 'APPL' and launch it. I don't recall anything more complex than that. However, don't try selecting "Shut Down" from the Classic Finder's special menu.

[lucylawless]

Originally posted by diamondsw:
<STRONG>

This is an excellent method, one I use myself to restore large numbers of comments. To get the Classic Finder to run, I believe you simply change its type to 'APPL' and launch it. I don't recall anything more complex than that. However, don't try selecting "Shut Down" from the Classic Finder's special menu. </STRONG>

I did that in 10.0, and "shut down" from classic finder just quit classic. it was very useful. But since upgrading to 10.1, classic finder complains when it starts up, that the finder is already open, or some other nonsense. Anyway, I can't get it to work in 10.1. Can you?

[tomrock]

I agree that it's up to the application (IE Browser) to store the url path and I wonder why IE doesn't do it in X?

I just downloaded OW (4.0.6) and it doesn't seem to save the path. I've tried dragging files and "save as"-ing. Neither worked.

Thanks