Inside Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: New Finder search, item arrangement views
In Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple has enhanced Spotlight search within Finder windows, while also adding new item arrangement view options to organize files within icon, list, column and Cover Flow views.
While Lion continues a trend toward user interface simplicity, it's still getting powerful new features. Among the improvements to the Finder are new search suggestions for refining queries, as well as ways to view items the file system.
The new features add functionality without additional complexity, allowing users for the first time to merge the organized groupings of items in list view with the easy to visualize icon view or the rapidly navigable column view that Macs inherited from NeXTSTEP.
Finder smart search
The Finder's integrated Spotlight search is getting smarter are more helpful, with queries providing related suggestions for narrowing a search. Search for "app" or "gif" and the Finder offers to show you just files of that type.
Search for "Microsoft" and it will offer to narrow your results down to specific Office file formats.
Search by a domain, such as "Apple.com," and you'll get the option to search for downloads from that site.
On page 2 of 2: Finder view organization.
Finder view organization
A new "item arrangement" view control in the Finder can group items by their file type kind, their primary application (default app that opens them), their modification or creation date or the date they were last opened or added, their file size, or their user assigned Finder label.
Within certain types of files, the selection changes to fit; when viewing applications, for example, the Finder presents an "Application Category" option, which groups apps by their Mac App Store category (such as Games, Internet, Media, Productivity, Utilities, or Other for unknown apps).
These organizations serve to integrate the traditional list view (which presents items with sortable columns of metadata) with either the classical Mac icon views (presenting boundaries between items' kinds, size, dates and labels), the NeXT-originated column view (similarly grouping items into related categories as selected by the user), the list view itself (creating a fixed grouping of items with the rest of their metadata also visible), and even Cover Flow, which merges the list view with a graphical representation.
Item arrangement popup menus
The popup control, adjacent to the view settings, changes depending on the files being arranged. On the left, general file arrangement options; on the right, arrangement options specific to viewing apps.
Item arrangement within icon view
When in icon view, the item arrangement control separates icons into rows of Cover Flow navigated items. Below are icon views arranged by file size, creation date, and app icons arranged by category.
On page 3 of 3: More Finder view organization: list, column and Cover Flow views.
Item arrangement within list view
In list view, item arrangement locks items into bucket groupings without column search, but still shows the normal metadata for the items. Below are list views arranged by file size, creation date, and app icons arranged by category.
Item arrangement within column view
In column view, item arrangement segments each column into groupings, with multiple columns each grouped as desired. A prominent preview is displayed in the final column. Below is a column views arranged by file size.
Item arrangement within Cover Flow view
In Cover Flow view, item arrangement segments each listing into the desired grouping, just like the normal list view, with a Cover Flow depiction on top. Below is a Cover Flow view of apps arranged by their category.
While Lion continues a trend toward user interface simplicity, it's still getting powerful new features. Among the improvements to the Finder are new search suggestions for refining queries, as well as ways to view items the file system.
The new features add functionality without additional complexity, allowing users for the first time to merge the organized groupings of items in list view with the easy to visualize icon view or the rapidly navigable column view that Macs inherited from NeXTSTEP.
Finder smart search
The Finder's integrated Spotlight search is getting smarter are more helpful, with queries providing related suggestions for narrowing a search. Search for "app" or "gif" and the Finder offers to show you just files of that type.
Search for "Microsoft" and it will offer to narrow your results down to specific Office file formats.
Search by a domain, such as "Apple.com," and you'll get the option to search for downloads from that site.
On page 2 of 2: Finder view organization.
Finder view organization
A new "item arrangement" view control in the Finder can group items by their file type kind, their primary application (default app that opens them), their modification or creation date or the date they were last opened or added, their file size, or their user assigned Finder label.
Within certain types of files, the selection changes to fit; when viewing applications, for example, the Finder presents an "Application Category" option, which groups apps by their Mac App Store category (such as Games, Internet, Media, Productivity, Utilities, or Other for unknown apps).
These organizations serve to integrate the traditional list view (which presents items with sortable columns of metadata) with either the classical Mac icon views (presenting boundaries between items' kinds, size, dates and labels), the NeXT-originated column view (similarly grouping items into related categories as selected by the user), the list view itself (creating a fixed grouping of items with the rest of their metadata also visible), and even Cover Flow, which merges the list view with a graphical representation.
Item arrangement popup menus
The popup control, adjacent to the view settings, changes depending on the files being arranged. On the left, general file arrangement options; on the right, arrangement options specific to viewing apps.
Item arrangement within icon view
When in icon view, the item arrangement control separates icons into rows of Cover Flow navigated items. Below are icon views arranged by file size, creation date, and app icons arranged by category.
On page 3 of 3: More Finder view organization: list, column and Cover Flow views.
Item arrangement within list view
In list view, item arrangement locks items into bucket groupings without column search, but still shows the normal metadata for the items. Below are list views arranged by file size, creation date, and app icons arranged by category.
Item arrangement within column view
In column view, item arrangement segments each column into groupings, with multiple columns each grouped as desired. A prominent preview is displayed in the final column. Below is a column views arranged by file size.
Item arrangement within Cover Flow view
In Cover Flow view, item arrangement segments each listing into the desired grouping, just like the normal list view, with a Cover Flow depiction on top. Below is a Cover Flow view of apps arranged by their category.
Comments
In Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple has enhanced Spotlight search within Finder windows, while also adding new item arrangement view options to organize files within icon, list, column and Cover Flow views.
Excellent stuff.
Most of what we've see so far seems very useful to me. get things done faster and simpler.
My only dislike is the look of some apps, eg. address book, ical in day-view.
looks twee and childish.
hopefully there will be an option to revert the appearance to SL style.
I wish Apple would implemented a Windows-style 'tile' view that has the preview and some information about the file in line. It's annoying that the only way to display information about a file is to use Get Info or Quicklook or select the file for a preview. I'd much rather have more information available in-line. If you're using Finder at all, chances are things like file size, the length of a video clip, the dimensions of an image, etc, are relevant to what you're trying to do.
I'd much rather have more information available in-line. If you're using Finder at all, chances are things like file size, the length of a video clip, the dimensions of an image, etc, are relevant to what you're trying to do.
Try the Inspector (hold the option key while doing Get Info). It's probably exactly what you want.
Try the Inspector (hold the option key while doing Get Info). It's probably exactly what you want.
Wow, I didn't know that! Thanks for the tip!
I wish Apple would implemented a Windows-style 'tile' view that has the preview and some information about the file in line. It's annoying that the only way to display information about a file is to use Get Info or Quicklook or select the file for a preview. I'd much rather have more information available in-line. If you're using Finder at all, chances are things like file size, the length of a video clip, the dimensions of an image, etc, are relevant to what you're trying to do.
Doesn't Column View do this?
They are just trying to use the skewing in album art coverflow and bring it here? Doesn't look good to me.
Actually they did that a long time ago (in Leopard I think but that could have been SL)
Doesn't Column View do this?
No, it only displays info on one file at a time, I'm talking about something between icon view and list view, where you get an icon large enough for a preview as well as limited metadata (file size, length if it's a song or video file, author, etc) for every file.
I really don't like the cover flow. The icons, unlike those in iOS and album arts, have their own "3D" in it. Like the dictionary it portraits a dictionary which is 3D by itself. They are just trying to use the skewing in album art coverflow and bring it here? Doesn't look good to me.
Actually they did that a long time ago (in Leopard I think but that could have been SL)
Nope, it was indeed Leopard. And I agree that Cover Flow doesn't look good at all with app icons, or really any OS X icons. Even document icons depict a folded-down corner, which, judging by its shadow, should stick out a bit when viewed on an angle. Same thing with the slightly-open folder icons. It instantly breaks the illusion of dimension and tangibility that those icons' designers have painstakingly crafted (and which Apple themselves say in the HIG is essential to the design of OS X icons).
Maybe...someday...we'll have 3D icons (and Macs fast enough that it won't matter that they're 3D), and they can come back to Cover Flow then if they're still enamoured with the idea. For now, though, I wish they'd smarten up, realize that it's a stupid gimmick that overstepped its bounds years ago, and "streamline" it straight out of the Finder.
No, it only displays info on one file at a time, I'm talking about something between icon view and list view, where you get an icon large enough for a preview as well as limited metadata (file size, length if it's a song or video file, author, etc) for every file.
You can do that, might not be "exactly" but you can.
In a finder window, choose the icon view (scalable size to make them bigger if you want) and then bring up the context menu in the finder window. Select options for -display info- and if you want -show to right-.
If you want them to fit the window then choose -arrange by..-
You can do that, might not be "exactly" but you can.
In a finder window, choose the icon view (scalable size to make them bigger if you want) and then bring up the context menu in the finder window. Select options for -display info- and if you want -show to right-.
If you want them to fit the window then choose -arrange by..-
I forgot you could put the labels on the right. Display info gives you very little information in Snow Leopard, unfortunately. Not sure if they've added more in Lion.
As a disclaimer, I'm a founder there
I'd like to see more expansion on spell checking to include grammar checking system wide.
The system wide spell checking could stand to be fix in the area of linking to the dictionary. At times I'll bring up the contextual menu and select the dictionary tool and the dictionary will pop-up but without the word I had selected. That used to work and now it does not. That was very valuable.
Safari needs improvement on running Javascript. I ran into many sites (e.g. careerbuilder.com) that are extremely slow on processing javascript. I've complained to Apple already on that.
All in all Lion will be welcomed.
I don't like that Apple has stripped the color out of all the sidebar icons. I don't like it in iTunes, and I don't like it in the Finder. Just another thing I'll have to patch all the time, I guess.
You will be able to change those to anything you want with Candybar or by hand. I personally love it.
But hopefully they're working on getting find/spotlight results bit more comprehensive. I'm using Find Any File anytime I need to dig in to the library or system files. I know they don't want the average user messing around in there, but the option would be nice for admins.