Which is implemented through Spotlight. Finder Search in 10.3 did not have these problems.
Well, I suppose if it's Spotlight offering up the API for the search bar, then yes, the searchbar is a Spotlight problem. But the problem still manifests in the Finder, so for me it counts towards another reason for the FTFF calls.
The Finder giving focus to the Toolbar's search box and adding a "search for" box to the search bar and giving that default focus if the Toolbar search box is removed, is unequivocally a Finder problem. As is the fact that there is no simple GUI-driven way to change the default Finder Search window to something more sensible.
As mentioned previously, network fileservers and Quicktime previews cause the Finder to hang quite frequently. The fact that I can't write to an FTP server via the Finder is absurd. Thankfully, Leopard changes the file-renaming behavior to highlight only the prefix and not the extension; a much-welcomed improvement that should have been the default years ago.
Tabbed windows would be a godsend, especially if you've ever used PathFinder for any length of time. I hate that I can't open folders in a new window/tab from the context menu, or open a duplicate of the current window to view the contents in an alternate mode (e.g., list view vs. column view). The sidebar is inconsistent with every other app in existence and should act like the sidebars in iTunes, iPhoto and Mail, nested folders and all.
Finder should have a configurable toolbar button/context menu for new files in addition to new folders (see NuFile).
1.) If you use illegal characters in your filename, a dialogue box like this will appear (don't know why the "OK" button is missing from the screenshot):
This is extremely lazy programming and certainly not an example of "attention to detail". It is easy for the Finder to work out whether the name is too long or contains illegal characters, or both, and appropriate dialogue boxes should be shown in each case:
a.) Illegal characters: the dialogue box should read: "The character : cannot be used in filenames, please use another name without this character", underneath, it should say "If you need to maintain compatibility with Windows systems, you should also avoid the following characters: * . " / \\ [ ] ; | =".
b.) Name is too long: box should say: "Names cannot be longer than 256 characters, please use a shorter name. Your filename is currently x characters long".
c.) Name is too long and has illegal characters: the dialogue box should make both these things clear, using a combination of the phrases from a.) and b.)
2.) Sticking with renaming of files, when you try to rename a file and the new name is illegal, the dialogue box pops up, and when you press "OK", the name is reverted back to what you had before. This is extremely annoying if you have made extensive changes to the filename. What should happen instead is that the filename remains highlighted and in its illegal state, so that you can easily remove/change illegal characters and/or shorten the filename without having to start all over again.
3.) If you try to copy a file with Windows illegal characters over SMB, the following dialogue appears:
Again, this is not nearly as helpful as it should be. It should state clearly whether the name contains illegal characters, is too long, or both.
4.) The problem in 3.) gets worse if you are copying multiple files over SMB. Let's say you are copying ten files, one of which has an illegal filename. You get exactly the same dialogue box as in 3.). So now, there is an added layer of unhelpfulness. Which file(s) has/have illegal names? The dialogue box should read:
"You cannot copy the following items to the destination:"
which should be followed by a list with two columns. The first column should be "filename", the second column should be "reason", and should list the files which cannot be copied. Under the list it should say "Do you want to skip copying these items and continue copying the other items?" The buttons should read "stop" and "continue".
5.) If a file extension is displayed in the Finder, then you can change the extension by highlighting it and typing whatever extension you want. If you do this, a dialogue box will appear:
This dialogue box should incorporate a tick-box that says next to it "don't warn me about changing filename extensions". Having to deal with that box when you know exactly what you are doing is extremely annoying.
Having thought about it, if you are copying files over SMB, why should you have to rename the source files just because the destination can't handle the names?
It would be better if a dialogue appeared stating: "some of the files have illegal names for the destination. The destination files can be automatically or manually renamed; the source file names will remain unchanged" and give four options: "Automatically Rename", "Manually Rename", "Stop Copy", "Continue Copy Skipping These Items".
Choosing "Manually Rename" would continue the copy, and as each file with an illegal name is encountered, a box entitled "Rename Destination File" would appear, with the source name and reason for illegality (illegal characters, too long, or both) indicated. Underneath would be a text box with the whole illegal name ready for editing. The buttons would read: "Rename & Continue", "Automatically Rename", "Skip This File", "Stop Copy". A tick box with "apply to remaining items" would also be present, which would apply "Automatically Rename" and "Skip" to all remaining items (necessary incase someone presses the "manually rename" button by mistake in the first instance).
This may sound complicated, but wouldn't be in practice. It could potentially save a lot of time if this were implemented.
Comments
Which is implemented through Spotlight. Finder Search in 10.3 did not have these problems.
Well, I suppose if it's Spotlight offering up the API for the search bar, then yes, the searchbar is a Spotlight problem. But the problem still manifests in the Finder, so for me it counts towards another reason for the FTFF calls.
The Finder giving focus to the Toolbar's search box and adding a "search for" box to the search bar and giving that default focus if the Toolbar search box is removed, is unequivocally a Finder problem. As is the fact that there is no simple GUI-driven way to change the default Finder Search window to something more sensible.
But the problem still manifests in the Finder, so for me it counts towards another reason for the FTFF calls.
I agree, of course.
Tabbed windows would be a godsend, especially if you've ever used PathFinder for any length of time. I hate that I can't open folders in a new window/tab from the context menu, or open a duplicate of the current window to view the contents in an alternate mode (e.g., list view vs. column view). The sidebar is inconsistent with every other app in existence and should act like the sidebars in iTunes, iPhoto and Mail, nested folders and all.
Finder should have a configurable toolbar button/context menu for new files in addition to new folders (see NuFile).
1.) If you use illegal characters in your filename, a dialogue box like this will appear (don't know why the "OK" button is missing from the screenshot):
This is extremely lazy programming and certainly not an example of "attention to detail". It is easy for the Finder to work out whether the name is too long or contains illegal characters, or both, and appropriate dialogue boxes should be shown in each case:
a.) Illegal characters: the dialogue box should read: "The character : cannot be used in filenames, please use another name without this character", underneath, it should say "If you need to maintain compatibility with Windows systems, you should also avoid the following characters: * . " / \\ [ ] ; | =".
b.) Name is too long: box should say: "Names cannot be longer than 256 characters, please use a shorter name. Your filename is currently x characters long".
c.) Name is too long and has illegal characters: the dialogue box should make both these things clear, using a combination of the phrases from a.) and b.)
2.) Sticking with renaming of files, when you try to rename a file and the new name is illegal, the dialogue box pops up, and when you press "OK", the name is reverted back to what you had before. This is extremely annoying if you have made extensive changes to the filename. What should happen instead is that the filename remains highlighted and in its illegal state, so that you can easily remove/change illegal characters and/or shorten the filename without having to start all over again.
3.) If you try to copy a file with Windows illegal characters over SMB, the following dialogue appears:
Again, this is not nearly as helpful as it should be. It should state clearly whether the name contains illegal characters, is too long, or both.
4.) The problem in 3.) gets worse if you are copying multiple files over SMB. Let's say you are copying ten files, one of which has an illegal filename. You get exactly the same dialogue box as in 3.). So now, there is an added layer of unhelpfulness. Which file(s) has/have illegal names? The dialogue box should read:
"You cannot copy the following items to the destination:"
which should be followed by a list with two columns. The first column should be "filename", the second column should be "reason", and should list the files which cannot be copied. Under the list it should say "Do you want to skip copying these items and continue copying the other items?" The buttons should read "stop" and "continue".
5.) If a file extension is displayed in the Finder, then you can change the extension by highlighting it and typing whatever extension you want. If you do this, a dialogue box will appear:
This dialogue box should incorporate a tick-box that says next to it "don't warn me about changing filename extensions". Having to deal with that box when you know exactly what you are doing is extremely annoying.
It would be better if a dialogue appeared stating: "some of the files have illegal names for the destination. The destination files can be automatically or manually renamed; the source file names will remain unchanged" and give four options: "Automatically Rename", "Manually Rename", "Stop Copy", "Continue Copy Skipping These Items".
Choosing "Manually Rename" would continue the copy, and as each file with an illegal name is encountered, a box entitled "Rename Destination File" would appear, with the source name and reason for illegality (illegal characters, too long, or both) indicated. Underneath would be a text box with the whole illegal name ready for editing. The buttons would read: "Rename & Continue", "Automatically Rename", "Skip This File", "Stop Copy". A tick box with "apply to remaining items" would also be present, which would apply "Automatically Rename" and "Skip" to all remaining items (necessary incase someone presses the "manually rename" button by mistake in the first instance).
This may sound complicated, but wouldn't be in practice. It could potentially save a lot of time if this were implemented.