[BKMaggert]

When I do a search from Spotlight (the menu or the window) I get emails, but when I use Smart Folders, emails and many other categories don't show. How can this be? Doesn't a Smart Folder use Spotlight? (actually it is MUCH slower than the menu)

In fact, none of the Spotlight preferences apply to Smart Folders. Things like order of categories, and which categories appear don't apply to my Smart Folders. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Are there different preferences for Smart Folders? None of this makes sense.

I was really hoping to use Smart Folders, but if they don't find everything, they are quite useless.

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by BKMaggert

When I do a search from Spotlight (the menu or the window) I get emails, but when I use Smart Folders, emails and many other categories don't show. How can this be? Doesn't a Smart Folder use Spotlight? (actually it is MUCH slower than the menu)

In fact, none of the Spotlight preferences apply to Smart Folders. Things like order of categories, and which categories appear don't apply to my Smart Folders. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Are there different preferences for Smart Folders? None of this makes sense.

I was really hoping to use Smart Folders, but if they don't find everything, they are quite useless.

Finder Smart Folders are built into the finder, therefore they only list finder items (files and apps).

Other apps have their own smart folders like iTunes, iPhoto. mail.app and address book.
Smart folders in address book don't show AAC files, so why should smart folders in the Finder show emails (the finder can't read emails).

The spotlight menu in he top right is not tied to any particular app, so it finds everything.

It makes sense to me anyway.

[Mithras]

Also, you can drop a .savedSearch (Smart Folder) onto a text editor, and just remove the part of the RawQuery that reads:

Code:
&& (kMDItemContentType != com.apple.mail.emlx) && (kMDItemContentType != public.vcard)

if you want a particular search to include emails. Apple just assumed that you don't want a bunch of emails in a Finder search by default.

[BKMaggert]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

Finder Smart Folders are built into the finder, therefore they only list finder items (files and apps).

Well that makes sense as an excuse, but it's just lame. Apple's advertising the Smart Folders as a way to keep ALL your stuff organized in one place. That's the purpose of the Finder, to deal with everything. This has to change.

For those that don't want emails and such, they just need Smart Folder prefs settings identical to Spotlight's. For now, all I need is a checkbox in Spotlight's prefs that says, "make same prefs for Smart Folders." Done.

[BKMaggert]

Originally Posted by Mithras

Also, you can drop a .savedSearch (Smart Folder) onto a text editor, and just remove the part of the RawQuery that reads:

Code:
&& (kMDItemContentType != com.apple.mail.emlx) && (kMDItemContentType != public.vcard)

Can TinkerTool or Cocktail make this happen? Because to me and most folks, you just typed jibberish, and didn't tell me how to make emails, and other items show up in my smart folders.

[eevyl]

The Finder objetive is not to deal with everything, but to deal with files.

You cannot send emails with the Finder, it's just to organize files and folders. The "make all apps do everything" Windows-like mantra is not popular in Mac technologies, and I'm glad of it.

[BKMaggert]

Originally Posted by eevyl

The Finder objetive is not to deal with everything, but to deal with files.

To the average user, that IS everything. I understand to the geek world, the Finder is just an app, but to the rest of the world, the Finder IS the computer.

The Smart Folder searches look virtually identical to Spotlight searches. To most people they will seem to be the same, but with missing items. I guarantee Apple with get many phone calls, emails, and bug reports regarding this; and it will be fixed before 10.5.

[BKMaggert]

Just to add a little fuel to MY fire, I took this quote directly from Apple's new features web page:

Smart Folders
Take the results of a Spotlight search and save it as a Smart Folder that automatically updates as you add or remove documents from your Mac.

There is absolutely no way to do this. I've looked all over Spotlight's search results menu and Spotlight's separate search window. It sounds like there is a Save button in one or both of these places. It's not there.

Even Apple makes it sound like you can save a full Spotlight search as a Smart Folder, but it is not to be. Very frustrating.