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Interesting: Tag2Find, Tagging for All Filetypes for Windows

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Armando:
Hi Kartal,
The development has pretty much stopped a while ago, but the developers are trying to "open source" it.

See : http://blog.tag2find.com/  and in particular : http://blog.tag2find.com/2008/01/15/an-inconvinient-truth-but-also-a-chance-for-the-future/


One of the last comment in the last blog post was from Martin, one of the developers (or team member behind Tag2find) :

#  martin Says:
January 19th, 2009 at 08:20

Hi,

you are definitly right that the community will take this up (that’s the reason why we want to do this). There are still some legal reasons which I can’t explain further, but they should soon be resolved.

Best regards,
Martin

--- End quote ---

Daleus:
Bump

Almost a decade on.

Still searching but has anyone discovered a good way of tagging files in windows?

Armando:
Interesting you ask! I have abandoned my quest a long time ago, but I just googled tag2find, etc. and found this

https://www.tagspaces.org

It's open source -- a great thing for that type of software...

The funny thing is that it implements the same solution I implemented myself 8-9 years ago. Basically, to avoid compatibility problems, writing the tags directly in the file names, using specific tag delimiters, etc. I described my method somewhere on DC. (Wonder if someone in their team read my description of if they just reached the same conclusions after an analysis of the situation.)

After at least 8-9 years tagging my files this way, I'm still finding it convenient. Using it every single day. People laugh when they see my file names, but I smile... they don't realize that I can group files on "any" subject (or combinations of subjects) in just a few seconds... in any OS or file system.

wraith808:
+1 for tagspaces

IainB:
@Armando: Yes, tagging the filename currently seems to be the only easy and practicable/feasible approach for meeting all one's tag/search requirements, and for a whole bunch of reasons. Essentially, the problem is solved by putting meta-data codes/keys (strings of A-N text) into the filename.

The main advantages of this approach would seem to be:

* Tagging can more easily be made reliable, available, consistent and visible at the lowest common denominator (the filename, visible in any file browser and not locked-in to a separate/proprietary viewer; no use is made of the ADS, Registry, or a proprietary indexing system).
* The file tags are persistent and easily changed if required - individually, or in batches (any filename editing utility, or mass filename editor will do; no proprietary tool is required and no use is made of the ADS).
* The index database for the tags can be a common and non-proprietary utility already on the Desktop - e.g., the index database of (say) WDS (Windows Desktop Search), or other file indexing/search system of choice - e.g., I often use Everything.
* If required, the tags searched can be treated as being in a structured notional/virtual hierarchy (regardless of their location on disk) - which can enable very powerful/useful filtered searches.
* The structure of a notional/virtual hierarchy can be easily changed at any time, as required and without necessarily invalidating the tags already in use.
Aside from the perhaps visibly sometimes odd-looking filenames, the main disadvantage would probably be that tags make file names longer, potentially causing the LFN (Long File Name) or "path/file name too long" problem at some stage - where (say) nesting of files/folders occurs where longish file names have been employed. This PITA can especially occur in backup/archive directories/subdirectories, even though the original file paths may have no LFN problem.

However, the LFN hack in Windows 10 (only) apparently overcomes this problem in NTFS systems, though I am unsure whether it applies also to FAT file systems under all conditions, and certainly it apparently only works for Windows 10, and not the earlier Windows OS versions.

I recall there was a freeware app ("Tag-something" - maybe it was Tagspaces, but I forget the name) that ran as a Firefox extension, or something, enabling a tagging system in the file names. Out of interest, I tried it out and found it quite good, but it felt a bit clunky and was kinda superfluous, given that the filename tagging tool can be whatever tool one uses to edit file names - singly or en masse.
It used delimiters to identify the tags (thus potentially making the filename even longer), and I could never quite see a solid reason as to why delimiters might be mandatory, never mind desirable. So, I use tags in the filename, but not delimiters.
I am therefore curious to know your reasoning on this, as you write that you use delimiters. Could you please describe that?
(Thanks.)

EDIT: By the way, I, like you, have used tags embedded in the filename for years - starting in 1998, whilst needing a tagging capability on a large document management exercise. The users had differently (non-standard) configured PCs and we badly needed an LCD (lowest common denominator) approach, so that any user could use the tagging system, regardless of PC configuration or Win0S. Using filename tags was simple/easy for the users to understand as well.

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