Author Topic: Tagging Files (Tag Everything) (Read 37,834 times)

Armando · « **on:** November 05, 2008, 09:57 PM »

Quote from: Curt on November 05, 2008, 10:45 AM

Excellent letter, mouser and Darwin.

Quote from: mouser on November 04, 2008, 09:13 PM
And lastly, a note about the differences between Find and Run Robot (FARR) and LaunchBar Commander (LBC). ..... Personally I use both -- LBC for my more common programs, and then FARR for the less common ones.

- just goes to show how different we are, as people. I might wanted to say the exact opposite: FARR for everyday used programs, because those names I can remember, and LBC for the seldom used ones, because these names I most likely have forgotten. Anyway, as it happens I can't remember any names at all ~ I am not a 'keyboard maniac' ~ therefore: Congratulations to mouser on the major update of LauncBar Commander.

This is quite tangential, but what you could do, Curt, is to "tag" any program shortcuts (ie : add extra terms to the shortcut name)... especially those programs you use only once in a while. I've been using this technique for a while and I always find rapidly what I'm looking for, even if I don't remember the exact program name. eg : "Gimp +photo image drawing painting photoshop+.lnk". (these are not the tags I use, but... it should work too.)

Curt · « **Reply #1 on:** November 06, 2008, 12:04 PM »

- hmm..., Armando, you really could have told me this yesterday, couldn't you! Yes, you actually did, but I didn't read it until 'today', did I... I would like to say 'words' *#�§*! right now!!

----------------

I never knew this can be done. Thanks for telling!

----------------
Edited:
homepage is http://www.popularproductivity.com/tag-everything.html

Edit2:

$11.98

Yes, you still can purchase "Tag Everything" for $12.
Follow this URL to get to Order Page:
https://www.plimus.com/jsp/buynow.jsp?contractId=1941028

And use this coupon code to get a discount:
BITSDUJOUR
One license is for one computer only

- but for how long?

Curt · « **Reply #2 on:** January 22, 2009, 02:44 PM »

brand new and free, using drag&drop: TaggedFrog from http://lunarfrog.com/

Quote

TaggedFrog for Windows
Feel the power of tags. It's free!

[attachimg=#]

We all know about the tags and use them every day - they are everywhere on the Web. These short words make life easier – so, why not to use this concept on our personal computers?

Based on the convenient drag’n’drop technique, TaggedFrog allows you to organize your files, documents and Web links. Just add objects to the library and tag them with any keywords. That’s it. You can forget the file name or where the file is located, but don't worry - the tags will find the file for you.

You can tag Web links, Microsoft Office documents, PDF documents and images. In fact, you can tag any kind of file. And if you wish, you can tag each and every file on your hard drive!

TaggedFrog application is free and is available right now. With TaggedFrog you can tag everything!

fenixproductions · « **Reply #3 on:** January 22, 2009, 03:02 PM »

It reminds me about some app I've abandoned more than 2 years ago due the lack of time for development.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Screenshot for one of the first builds...

[attachimg=#]

Nice idea after all.

kartal · « **Reply #4 on:** January 22, 2009, 04:23 PM »

Not very stable.

Quote from: Curt on January 22, 2009, 02:44 PM

brand new and free, using drag&drop: TaggedFrog from http://lunarfrog.com/

Quote
TaggedFrog for Windows
Feel the power of tags. It's free!

(see attachment in previous post)

We all know about the tags and use them every day - they are everywhere on the Web. These short words make life easier – so, why not to use this concept on our personal computers?

Based on the convenient drag’n’drop technique, TaggedFrog allows you to organize your files, documents and Web links. Just add objects to the library and tag them with any keywords. That’s it. You can forget the file name or where the file is located, but don't worry - the tags will find the file for you.

You can tag Web links, Microsoft Office documents, PDF documents and images. In fact, you can tag any kind of file. And if you wish, you can tag each and every file on your hard drive!

TaggedFrog application is free and is available right now. With TaggedFrog you can tag everything!

Paul Keith · « **Reply #5 on:** January 23, 2009, 12:33 AM »

kartal, I've mentioned Compendium so many times in the other threads here that it sounds like I'm shilling but you might want to consider that.

It's a java app so it's slow and the interface might not appeal to you but it's much more stable.

I know PersonalBrain also does that though it's not free and very expensive.

I'd also like to point out that Evernote 3.0 Premium has a way of uploading documents now and Incollector is a tag based notetaker that allows you to tag urls and text links. You guys probably know of how Google Docs has labels so you could possibly use Incollector in conjunction with it.

Tobu is another alternative that someone from another thread recommended to me.

Compendium (Download Alpha, it's a much more updated stable version)

http://compendium.open.ac.uk/institute/download/download.htm

Incollector

http://www.incollector.devnull.pl/

Tobu

http://tobu.lightbird.net/

nontroppo · « **Reply #6 on:** January 23, 2009, 01:30 AM »

But what are these apps using for tag storage? If they are using proprietary datastores this makes using them utterly unsatisfactory. The OS needs to provide transparent metadata, accessible to all; not rely on these information-rich data islands.

kartal · « **Reply #7 on:** January 23, 2009, 01:51 AM »

Paul Keith, I have used COmpedium long time ago. I thought it was cool but the problem with is that it requires certain kinf of Java and might end up messing up other installations that rely on newer versions of java.

I was not looking for tagger, I just saw the link and tried it.

kartal · « **Reply #8 on:** January 23, 2009, 02:10 AM »

There is also http://www.filenotes.com/ that could be used for tagging. But It seems like it is not under developement anymore.

Paul Keith · « **Reply #9 on:** January 23, 2009, 02:33 AM »

kartal, that's true.

I don't know, I haven't experienced any problems with any of my files yet so I thought it must be doing something right. I'm not a programmer though so I don't know what kind of metadata changes it does to the files.

I do have a specific folder set up at the center of my desktop specifically for files I put in Compendium though.

MrCrispy · « **Reply #10 on:** January 23, 2009, 09:40 AM »

2 other tools that also do general purpose tagging - www.taggtool.com and www.tag2find.com.

I hate the way Windows has half baked tag support (we'll let you tag music files, office docs, but not any file) even though NTFS has all the support built in !!

nosh · « **Reply #11 on:** January 23, 2009, 10:01 AM »

I've given up on ADS and started appending tags to file names. It's not very pretty but I feel more secure with the system than I would with an app that has a centralized database. You miss out on fancy stuff like tag clouds but being able to search with Everything or Locate32 is quite an advantage. Mass tag management is also a breeze using something like ReNamer. Anyone know of an app that lets you manage tags within file names? Something simple that lets you invoke tagging via a file's shell context menu and lets you add predefined tags via checkboxes and manages (create/delete/rename) tags.

nontroppo · « **Reply #12 on:** January 23, 2009, 10:12 AM »

Quote from: MrCrispy on January 23, 2009, 09:40 AM

I hate the way Windows has half baked tag support (we'll let you tag music files, office docs, but not any file) even though NTFS has all the support built in !!

Indeed, I wish Windows 7 had rehabilitated file system level tagging for NTFS... Metadata is such an important advancement in terms of digital data management that I think it has to be available at the base of an OS. Perhaps there have been some changes to make Libraries more solid in functionality?

MicaX27 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 07, 2009, 08:54 PM »

Quote from: nontroppo on January 23, 2009, 01:30 AM

But what are these apps using for tag storage? If they are using proprietary datastores this makes using them utterly unsatisfactory. The OS needs to provide transparent metadata, accessible to all; not rely on these information-rich data islands.

Exactly. If the tags or comments aren't accessible through a file manager such as Directory Opus (or even Windows Explorer), they're useless to me. When my primary OS was XP, I used the HobComment Explorer & Shell Extensions (http://www.dr-hoiby.com/CommentExt/index.php) to add comments to files and folders, but unfortunately this little utility doesn't work in Vista. Does anyone know of a Vista x64 compatible application (doesn't have to be freeware) that can add tags or comments to all file types and that stores the metadata with the file and not in a separate database?

rjbull · « **Reply #14 on:** February 07, 2009, 09:18 PM »

Has anyone noticed that the latest version of XYplorer 7.90.0100 lets you assign tags and comments to specific files and folders? I don't know where or how it saves the data, though. Total Commander uses the 4DOS DESCRIPT.ION system, which is convenient because some other programs use it too.

f0dder · « **Reply #15 on:** February 08, 2009, 04:34 PM »

Quote from: rjbull on February 07, 2009, 09:18 PM

Has anyone noticed that the latest version of XYplorer 7.90.0100 lets you assign tags and comments to specific files and folders? I don't know where or how it saves the data, though. Total Commander uses the 4DOS DESCRIPT.ION system, which is convenient because some other programs use it too.

Perhaps NTFS ADS?

DonL · « **Reply #16 on:** February 08, 2009, 05:48 PM »

Quote from: f0dder on February 08, 2009, 04:34 PM

Quote from: rjbull on February 07, 2009, 09:18 PM
Has anyone noticed that the latest version of XYplorer 7.90.0100 lets you assign tags and comments to specific files and folders? I don't know where or how it saves the data, though. Total Commander uses the 4DOS DESCRIPT.ION system, which is convenient because some other programs use it too.
Perhaps NTFS ADS?

No. XY uses a database in an ultra-simple proprietary open source text format (it's described in the help file)
Advantages:
- ultrafast "searches" over tags ("list all blue and red files", etc. ...)
- works for files and folders the same
- files themselves are not changed
- works the same on all locations (also floppy, UNC/network, USB, whatever)
- portable (supposed the tagged files exist also on the other system)
- easy to load a different set of tags/comments
- easy to backup
Disadvantages:
- XYplorer has to maintain the DB when files are renamed or moved (but does it well)
- when other processes rename or move files the DB gets out of synch

rjbull · « **Reply #17 on:** February 08, 2009, 09:35 PM »

Quote from: DonL on February 08, 2009, 05:48 PM

XY uses a database in an ultra-simple proprietary open source text format (it's described in the help file)

Apologies for not reading the Help file

I'd have preferred XY to use DESCRIPT.ION files for the comments, though I realise you're offering more features than a bare DESCRIPT.ION does, especially tags. Is there any hope of bringing them together, at least by some kind of import/export conversion utility, external if necessary?

DonL · « **Reply #18 on:** February 09, 2009, 07:46 AM »

Quote from: rjbull on February 08, 2009, 09:35 PM

Is there any hope of bringing them together, at least by some kind of import/export conversion utility, external if necessary?

Maybe later.

rjbull · « **Reply #19 on:** February 09, 2009, 12:58 PM »

Quote from: DonL on February 09, 2009, 07:46 AM

Maybe later.

OK, thanks.

DonL · « **Reply #20 on:** February 09, 2009, 01:16 PM »

Quote from: rjbull on February 09, 2009, 12:58 PM

Quote from: DonL on February 09, 2009, 07:46 AM
Maybe later.

OK, thanks.

BTW, as both formats are simple and open, you can (supposing you program) write such a conversion utility yourself.

rjbull · « **Reply #21 on:** February 10, 2009, 01:59 PM »

Quote from: DonL on February 09, 2009, 01:16 PM

you can (supposing you program) write such a conversion utility yourself.

Alas, a false supposition

rjbull · « **Reply #22 on:** February 23, 2009, 01:40 PM »

Has anyone looked at Stick for Windows?

Quote

Stick is a Windows application (Windows XP/Vista only) which provides utilities such as folder explorers, web browsers and notepads in tabs that attach to the sides of your screen (called ScreenTabs). ScreenTabs are highly customizable tab-shaped windows that let you access commonly used utilities quickly and easily. I use Stick daily and it has changed the way I work. Download it and see if it helps you the way it has helped me (it's free, by the way) [...]
Note Tab
Note TabEnter richly formatted or plain text notes into note tabs. Each note tab is associated with a text file of your choice anywhere on disk. It offers basic word processing functions but more readily available than your average word processor.

fenixproductions · « **Reply #23 on:** February 23, 2009, 02:01 PM »

2rjbull
I was testing it for a week and forgot about it very quickly. As far as it might be great for notes, it is not usable for folders. I've never understood why should I have couple explorer's windows open all of the time for quick folders jumping. It was more efficient for me to have bookmarks in my file manager.

BTW Some parts of their site seems to be down so take a look here:
http://www.softpedia.com/progScreenshots/Stick-Screenshot-21853.html

Their idea is great but not for multiple types tabs. It is cluttering desktop too much.

Last time I've checked it had no screen size preservation what means: all tabs on top of other windows. It might sound great but if you want more than five of them on top of the screen (1280x1024 here), they will cover your application's title bar completely or:
- scrollbars - if on the right,
- Opera's panels - if you use Opera and have Stick on left,
- taskbar - if on the bottom.

rjbull · « **Reply #24 on:** February 24, 2009, 03:37 PM »

Quote from: fenixproductions on February 23, 2009, 02:01 PM

2rjbull
I was testing it for a week and forgot about it very quickly. As far as it might be great for notes, it is not usable for folders.

Well, that sounds pretty damning! Thanks, I'll steer clear of it...