[frdmfghtr]

When doing a Spotlight search for a file and selecting to view the file in Finder, previously switching to the column view would only show the directory that the file is in as the highest directory, which wasn't too useful since you couldn't backtrack to find the filepath.

Now when I do the same thing, I can backtrack in the column view to get to the top directory, i.e. if a file was found somewhere down in the document tree, I can backtrack to the main Documents folder.

Is this really new in 10.4.4 or am I imagining it, and this was possible in 10.4.3?

As a side note, I was disappointed that there is still no option for showing the full filepath in Finder, a la Windows. Granted I can get the full path in the "Get Info" box, but having Finder show the filepath on the top of the window would be quite useful.

[JLL]

Originally Posted by frdmfghtr

As a side note, I was disappointed that there is still no option for showing the full filepath in Finder, a la Windows. Granted I can get the full path in the "Get Info" box, but having Finder show the filepath on the top of the window would be quite useful.

Cmd-click on the titlebar.

[yugyug]

ah yes I didn't know about that - but its not as useful as windows ; you can't copy the directory path as text. You can't even do it from the Get Info dialog. ..... or can you?

[Madrag]

drop the file into a terminal window and you'll have a directory path as text...

[yugyug]

nifty... if a bit roundabout. Second time I've opened terminal in 5 years. Guess I'm not much of a 'power user'.

[Madrag]

BTW, if you really need the path, you can also try pathFinder and control+click on a file/folder and select copy path as UNIX, HFS, Terminal, URL, name.

[TheSpaz]

Originally Posted by yugyug

nifty... if a bit roundabout. Second time I've opened terminal in 5 years. Guess I'm not much of a 'power user'.

Why would a "not much of a 'power user'" need to copy and paste the file path for everything?

[yugyug]

For things like process documentation at work, I'm a graphic designer, I sometimes need to cut and paste file/network paths for things like fonts and stuff. I don't do it that much, and on windows its easy. I had no idea how to do it on a mac up until now because its not very intuitive.

[FireWire]

In the meantime, you could use this little AppleScript. It will show you the path of the file you're dropping on it. It currently works with on file at a time but can be easily modified to accept multiple files.

To use it, open the Script Editor application which resides in the AppleScript folder in your Applications folder (Apple-A). Open a new script, and paste the following code in it.
[PHP]on open fileList
set thePath to POSIX path of item 1 in fileList
set theDialog to display dialog "The path of the selected file is :" default answer thePath buttons {"Copy to Clipboard", "OK"} default button "OK"
if button returned of theDialog is "Copy to Clipboard" then set the clipboard to thePath
-- set the clipboard to thePath (* To automatically copy the result to the clipboard, remove the "--" before this line *)
end open[/PHP] To save it, select "Save As..." in the file menu, then save it as an application in a convenient location (you will be dropping files on it). The application will take a few seconds to load each time you invoke it, so if you plan to do a lot of files, you may want to check the "Stay open" checkbox at the bottom of the screen. Then click Save.

To use it, simply drop a file on its icon and a dialog will appear, disclosing its full path, in POSIX format. You will also have the option to copy the result to the clipboard (or this can be done automatically, see note in the script).

Hope you find it usefull!

[JKT]

You might want to try this then (it adds menu items to copy paths to the Finder contextual menu).

Alternatively, you can use AppleScript to get the path:

Code:
on run
	tell application "Finder"
		set selectedItem to (item 1 of (get selection))
		set infoList to {}
		copy ((selectedItem as alias) as string) to end of infoList
	end tell
	set {od, AppleScript's text item delimiters} to {AppleScript's text item delimiters, return}
	set infoAsString to infoList as string
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to od
	set the clipboard to infoAsString
	return infoAsString
end run

Copy paste the above into Script Editor and save it as a script in the ~/Library/Scripts/Applications/Finder folder (you may need to create it) then activate the script menu:



When in the Finder you can then copy the selected folder/file's path to the clipboard.

Edit: simultaneous posting... both methods will work, but use slightly different ways of achieving it. Pick whichever suits you best.

[osxrules]

I use OnMyCommand:

http://free.abracode.com/cmworkshop/

It has scripts to copy the file path.

Also, you don't need to command-click the title bar. If you customize the Finder toolbar, there is a path menu there.

[JKT]

The command-click is useful to know as it can be used in all applications to show you the location of the file you have open.

[frdmfghtr]

Originally Posted by JKT

You might want to try this then (it adds menu items to copy paths to the Finder contextual menu).

I like that idea...that's the sort of thing I can use. Thanks for the link!

[Brass]

Originally Posted by frdmfghtr

As a side note, I was disappointed that there is still no option for showing the full filepath in Finder, a la Windows. Granted I can get the full path in the "Get Info" box, but having Finder show the filepath on the top of the window would be quite useful.

Useful for what?

One of the main benefits of using a GUI-based OS was supposed to be that nobody ever has to use file paths anymore (at least there should be no need to actually type in a file path anywhere).

Spotlight WILL show you the file path at the bottom of the window, (when you use the File -> Find command, and select one of the results), but it is in a graphical format, not a plain text format.

[frdmfghtr]

Originally Posted by Brass

Useful for what?

When I am doing work using MATLAB I have to run command scripts where the file that I want to process is one of the inputs, requiring the full filepath so MATLAB can find it. (In case you're wondering, MATLAB is a mathematical calculation and graphics package http://www.mathworks.com/)

[Franz]

Originally Posted by JKT

You might want to try this then (it adds menu items to copy paths to the Finder contextual menu).

Alternatively, you can use AppleScript to get the path:

Code:
on run
	tell application "Finder"
		set selectedItem to (item 1 of (get selection))
		set infoList to {}
		copy ((selectedItem as alias) as string) to end of infoList
	end tell
	set {od, AppleScript's text item delimiters} to {AppleScript's text item delimiters, return}
	set infoAsString to infoList as string
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to od
	set the clipboard to infoAsString
	return infoAsString
end run

Copy paste the above into Script Editor and save it as a script in the ~/Library/Scripts/Applications/Finder folder (you may need to create it) then activate the script menu:



When in the Finder you can then copy the selected folder/file's path to the clipboard.

Edit: simultaneous posting... both methods will work, but use slightly different ways of achieving it. Pick whichever suits you best.

How do you have the grayed out text ("Finder Scripts") like that instead of a blue folder? I'd like to do that too.

[Goldfinger]

Originally Posted by Brass

Useful for what?

One of the main benefits of using a GUI-based OS was supposed to be that nobody ever has to use file paths anymore (at least there should be no need to actually type in a file path anywhere).

Spotlight WILL show you the file path at the bottom of the window, (when you use the File -> Find command, and select one of the results), but it is in a graphical format, not a plain text format.

Say you save something to a server for sharing with your co-workers. You tell your co-worker the file path and he can quickly find the file instead of searching for it. And no, not everybody has Spotlight...

[TheSpaz]

I love working with my All-Mac-Based network at work. It's so cool because we have 1 computer that only checks incoming email for artwork. We archive the emailed art into a folder by date and such, then we pull the art from our own computers to pre-flight it to make sure it's good to use. I've set up a smart folder that automatically scans the email folder for new folders that were created so that I don't have to go and search for anything. The newest incoming art to check will be right there at the top and it's great. One of the many benifits of working with Tiger.

[JKT]

Originally Posted by Franz

How do you have the grayed out text ("Finder Scripts") like that instead of a blue folder? I'd like to do that too.

Because the script is saved from Script Editor into ~/Library/Scripts/Applications/Finder/ and it is only present in the script menu when I am in the Finder.

The blue folders are the default /Library/Scripts/ folders and are always present, no matter what app I am in.