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Questions tagged [spotlight]

Spotlight on Mac OS X is a fast desktop search technology that allows users to organize and search for files based on metadata. Spotlight is extensible, allowing developers to provide metadata importers for their application’s documents.

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Adding custom answer in Mac Spotlight

I saw that we have access to calculator in Spotlight! And I wonder how an application can add custom answer like calculator do! Thank you!
Mathieu Mahé
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"Open folder in Terminal" for Spotlight or Alfred

Is there any way in Spotlight to have a folder open in a Terminal window, either by providing an "Open in Terminal" option in search results, or (ideally) by holding down a key when selecting a result? Basically the same way holding down command…
neurodynamic
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How to make custom iOS apps easier for Spotlight to find

I write lots of little test apps on my devices. Is there some metadata I can add to the app so it appears more readily in Spotlight searches? For instance, I made a laundry timer app named Lavado Can I make it appear in Spotlight searches when…
willc2
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Adding (Spotlight) comments to file using the command line in macOS

Which command should I use to add a comment (from a file, or from the clipboard) to the 'Comments' section of a file (any file) in macOS? These comments are used for Spotlight indexing and can obviously be added manually from the Finder (⌘+i), but…
Roel
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How to insert Spotlight for Help into localized macOS applications?

I am implementing a Java application using the Swing GUI framework on macOS. When using the system look and feel and a screen menu bar, Swing automatically inserts a search field called Spotlight for Help into the first menu labelled "Help" of the…
Géry Ogam
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Can Mac OS X's Spotlight be configured to ignore certain file types?

I've got bunches of auxiliary files that are generated by code and LaTeX documents that I dearly wish would not be suggested by SpotLight as potential search candidates. I'm not looking for example.log, I'm looking for example.tex! So can Spotlight…
Will Robertson
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macOS Sierra Spotlight extensions

Unfortunately I could not find anything up-to-date online about this topic. Similar to the question stated here: OS X Yosemite Spotlight extensions, is it possible by now to extend Spotlight on macOS Sierra?
cocoseis
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CoreSpotlight framework vs Spotlight Index Extension?

CoreSpotlight example: https://applidium.com/en/news/ios9_search_api/ Spotlight Index Extension example: http://apprize.info/apple/ios_9/53.html Could you explain the difference between these 2 ways of Spotlight usage?
Vyachaslav Gerchicov
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Can I Write a Spotlight Importer in Swift?

I need to write a Spotlight Importer for an application that I've written in Swift, and am referring to the official Apple guide for Writing a Spotlight Importer. It seems straightforward enough, however creating a Spotlight Importer project creates…
Haravikk
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MacOS: Version info for not bundled/unix executables

It's a puzzle for me: for Bundles/Frameworks version lays in Info.plist for old applications it lays in resource fork But today I found an executable (LaunchDaemon) which is new, has no resource fork, has no Info.plist and has version 1.0.0.1110…
dev_null
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Using Spotlight as the "database" of an application

I'm developing an OS X application to organize "things" (as iTunes is to music and iPhoto to photos). Instead of having my own database and index, I'm considering using Spotlight to essentially serve this purpose. Has anyone tried this? Is it…
vicvicvic
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Can I programmatically tell if Spotlight is enabled?

I'm using the Spotlight API (NSSMetadataQuery) in my application. I want to display a helpful note to the user if they try to do something that would do a Spotlight query on a volume which isn't indexed. I can determine this in a terminal by…
user3642070
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Determining whether mdworker (Spotlight) has completed first scan

How do I determine that mdworker (Spotlight) has completed its first scan? I'm basically looking for the point at which the little "." in the spotlight search icon would go away and you'd be able to perform searches. (Obviously the OS has a way to…
Rob Napier
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Is it possible for a native OS X app to read and copy the Spotlight search index?

I don't want to alter the index in any way, simply read it, monitor it for changes, and replicate it. It would be with a native app/service, that would run in the background. I"m assuming I'd be targeting 10.6+, but that's not written in…
peteorpeter
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How to disable websearch in spotlight on MacOS BigSur

can anyone tell me how i can disable web search in Spotlight on MacOS BigSur? I already tried disabling every entry in Settings -> Spotlight -> Search but this didn't help at all. I have Safari, Chrome and Firefox installed and changed the search…
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