TOTW #15: What’s that file again?

Again, another combined computer and multimedia tip.

What’s that file?

The names we have on your computer files often aren’t descriptive enough for us to know what they actually contain.  And sometimes it isn’t appropriate to rename a file (say, for example, if you want to keep the ordered sequence of files intact) so we need another way to tag our files to help us keep track of their contents.

Windows XP and Mac OS X all make this not only possible, but relatively easy.  (The capability to do this has been removed from Vista, the reasons for which are long, detailed, and boring.)  Each of these operating systems have the ability to store a comment, completely separate from the filename and the contents of the file.

To make these comments visible, open the folder containing the files you wish to view.  You must then tell your computer that you want to view your files in a detailed list format, and enable the Comments column of that view:

Windows XP:
1. Select the View menu, then select Details.
2. Select the View menu, then Choose Details, turn on Comments, click OK.

Mac OS X:
1. Select the View menu, then select As List.
2. Select the View menu, then Show View Options.  Turn on Comments.

Adding or editing comments for a file is pretty straightforward from there:

Windows XP:
1. Right-click a file, select Properties.
2. Select the Summary page.
3. Locate the Comments entry, click it, and enter your comments.

Mac OS X:
1. Select the file, then File / Get Info.
2. Enter the comments in the Spotlight Comments box.

This is a great way to tag photographs, music, etc. with data that you can’t or don’t want to store as part of the filename.