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comp / comp.sys.mac.misc / Smart Folder/Saved Search does not work properly on hidden files (Late 2013 MacBook Pro, OS X 10.13 High Sierra)

Subject: Smart Folder/Saved Search does not work properly on hidden files (Late 2013 MacBook Pro, OS X 10.13 High Sierra)
From: Dudley Brooks
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Organization: Run For Your Life! ... it's a dance company
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2024 21:16 UTC

Path: eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: dbrooks@runforyourlife.org (Dudley Brooks)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Smart Folder/Saved Search does not work properly on hidden files
(Late 2013 MacBook Pro, OS X 10.13 High Sierra)
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2024 14:16:34 -0700
Organization: Run For Your Life! ... it's a dance company
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I have several files which I hid using

chflags hidden

They work properly in Finder: They originally do not show up, but
shift-control-period toggles them between showing and not showing.

I next made a Smart Folder/Saved Search:

[All] of the following are true
[File visibility] [Visible items]
<further criteria>

EVERYTHING satisfying <further criteria> shows up -- visible files AND
invisible files!

As an experiment, I also made

[All] of the following are true
[File visibility] [Invisible items]
<further criteria>

NOTHING shows up -- not visible files OR invisible files! A completely
blank list!

What is wrong?

--
Dudley Brooks, Artistic Director
Run For Your Life! ... it's a dance company!
San Francisco

Subject: Re: Smart Folder/Saved Search does not work properly on hidden files (Late 2013 MacBook Pro, OS X 10.13 High Sierra)
From: Jolly Roger
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Organization: People for the Ethical Treatment of Pirates
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2024 21:47 UTC
References: 1

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From: jollyroger@pobox.com (Jolly Roger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Smart Folder/Saved Search does not work properly on hidden
files (Late 2013 MacBook Pro, OS X 10.13 High Sierra)
Date: 3 Jun 2024 21:47:03 GMT
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On 2024-06-03, Dudley Brooks <dbrooks@runforyourlife.org> wrote:
> I have several files which I hid using
>
> chflags hidden
>
> They work properly in Finder: They originally do not show up, but
> shift-control-period toggles them between showing and not showing.
>
> I next made a Smart Folder/Saved Search:
>
> [All] of the following are true
> [File visibility] [Visible items]
> <further criteria>
>
> EVERYTHING satisfying <further criteria> shows up -- visible files AND
> invisible files!
>
> As an experiment, I also made
>
> [All] of the following are true
> [File visibility] [Invisible items]
> <further criteria>
>
> NOTHING shows up -- not visible files OR invisible files! A completely
> blank list!
>
> What is wrong?

It seems the "File visibility" criteria is for whether you want dot
files (files whose names begin with a period character) to appear in
search results. It doesn't seem to consider files whose `hidden`
extended attribute is set. When you use the `chflags` command-line tool
you are setting an extended attribute on the file in question, which is
different than adding a dot to the beginning of the name. I'm not sure
whether the way search works is an oversight or just the way it was
designed to work. Personally, I consider it an oversight and would
encourage submitting feedback about it if it's something you care about.

--
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I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

Subject	Author
Smart Folder/Saved Search does not work properly on hidden files (Late 2013 MacB	Dudley Brooks
Re: Smart Folder/Saved Search does not work properly on hidden files (Late 2013	Jolly Roger