Re: New Spotlight Info
Re: New Spotlight Info
- Subject: Re: New Spotlight Info
- From: Wade Tregaskis <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 12:23:44 +1100
Has anyone read anything about the ability to add meta-data to files
w/o writing an importer, i.e. to use the system as an alternative to
Classic resource forks?
That's not the purpose of Spotlight. If you want to do the kinds of
things we used to do with the resource fork, use a
file package.
This seems dangerously ironic - the NeXT (aka Apple post-modern)
argument against resource forks was that they made it hard to transfer
data between devices & other platforms... yet, I can send a Classic app
via most IM services (those that support AppleDouble) and via email,
but not an app package... I wonder if the built-in zip functionality is
the product of a guilty conscience? :)
More on topic, though, and still heading down the meta-data track...
all this indexed meta-data that Spotlight has; how tightly coupled is
it to the original file? Will it easily survive movement of the file,
on the same volume or to another? Is there support for delta-updates,
i.e. modifying only some of the existing meta-data when the file is
updated, rather than generating it again from scratch?
In summary, how possible is it to use Spotlight's stored data
reliably... obviously you couldn't rely on it in the same way as a
resource fork, but somewhat along the lines of what the original poster
was asking, could you perhaps make use of it regularly, if it's
available? I would imagine for a static (unchanging) file, there's no
reason why you couldn't use Spotlight's meta-data index all the time
for it. e.g. why re-invent the wheel with your own searching &
indexing, when you can use Spotlight coupled with an importer for your
data?
I suppose all this assumes that 3rd parties can access Spotlight's
resources programmatically, which seems only logical, yes?
And yes, I'm aware of the NDA's and all that sort of thing. Apple just
seem to have released a lot of documentation on Spotlight, as an
exception to their typical tightness, so I'm hoping they're more
willing to talk to developers about it (i.e. than not at all, for those
who aren't amongst the privileged, rich elite ;) ).
Wade Tregaskis (AIM, Yahoo & Skype: wadetregaskis, ICQ: 40056898, MSN &
email: email@hidden, Jabber:
email@hidden)
-- Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
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