Gmail functionality, within explorer?

August 1, 2007 8:00 PM

Spoiled by GMail, *really* looking for a way to use tags/labels for everyday files.

I've seen this great lifehacker post, but that's really not what I'm looking for. In particular, I make and use a lot of pdf's that could potentially fall into lots of categories (donations, recycling income, follow up, etc.). I've got a fairly anal system of storing these files, and I try to be disgustingly accurate with file names..."Volunteer Weekday Work Policy 2007 WiP", but still, I find it lacking.

I'm looking for suggestions for software that would let me tag *any* file (I use a lot of standard .txt), especially pdf's, jpg's, doc's, etc, and then allow me to easily re-find common files. The vista trick comes really close, but the filetype limitation is a killer.

Looked at Paperport, saw Fuji's new notebook software, but of course I'd prefer free/open source where possible.

Feed me, hivemind!

Oh, almost forgot. Main laptop is Vista, but I'd really like this for my home comp too, which is XP. Tags, labels, statuses...help!

posted by TomMelee to computers & internet (11 comments total)

I haven't tried File Notes Organizer yet, but it's the only thing I've found in my similar quest that seems to fit the bill.
posted by Tubes at 8:28 PM on August 1, 2007

tag2find
posted by Pigpen at 10:10 PM on August 1, 2007

Hmm, interesting...both of them. Gonna play with them both later on in the day...in the mean time, suggest more people!
posted by TomMelee at 4:53 AM on August 2, 2007

Create a folder for each tag.

To apply a tag to an object, create a shortcut to the object inside that tag's folder.

This is easily done by right-click-dragging the object and dropping it into or onto the tag folder, then selecting Create Shortcut(s) Here from the resulting context menu.

Mass tagging is easily done using multiple selection (click, control-click and/or shift-click) then right-click-drag and drop.
posted by flabdablet at 6:01 AM on August 2, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Mass tagging works particularly well when you use it in a Search Results window, by the way.
posted by flabdablet at 6:03 AM on August 2, 2007

Using Thumbnail View on a tag folder can be very handy too.
posted by flabdablet at 6:04 AM on August 2, 2007

Plus, Windows shortcuts are usually smart enough not to lose their connection to the objects they point to when those objects are moved or renamed. So if you want to do your tagging on your Desktop, then dump the tagged files into an undifferentiated mess inside My Documents, that's fine too.
posted by flabdablet at 6:10 AM on August 2, 2007

I realize you're not on a Mac, but if Mac users happen by that are interested in this, you can do this by clicking on a file and hitting command-i (Get Info). Then tag away in the "Spotlight comments" section.
posted by lackutrol at 8:13 AM on August 2, 2007

Oooh, I might consider that shortcut thing. I've been using ACDSee's built-in support for 4DOS descript.ion files (an archaic, but relevant, format) to tag my pictures.

Trouble is, Windows Explorer doesn't recognize descript.ions so if I slip up and move files outside ACDSee, they lose their metadata.
posted by Myself at 1:06 PM on August 2, 2007

Whoa! Tag2Find looks even more like what I've been after. I like flabdablet's technique, too, but I'm a sucker for predictive-searching like Tag2Find's. I may have to give both a try. Thanks for the thread, TomMelee.
posted by Tubes at 9:44 PM on August 2, 2007

vista has tags built in now

the link below should show how to add tags to folders

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/0acda837-dacc-4a88-bb01-43dc816ad3821033.mspx
posted by radsqd at 8:31 AM on August 3, 2007