Display information of multiple files
Previously we looked at all the information Mac OS X provides us in the Get Info window.
As you might have found out, if you have multiple items (files and/or folders) selected, Get Info will open up a separate information window for every item selected. Look at this post on selecting items in Mac OS X.
While it might be handy to have an information window for every item (for side-by-side comparison) it can be a pain in the neck if you want to find out congregated information such as total file size of all items.
Get Summary Info
To see a summary on all selected files, select them and bring up the contextual menu by control-clicking anywhere inside the selection.
As the contextual menu is displayed, press the control key. The menu item that was Get Info before will turn into Get Summary Info. Bingo.
Show Inspector
Beside those functions of displaying information on your files there is a third option available. The windows displayed by Get Info or Summary Info stay open and present information on the file you had selected when you clicked Get Info or Summary Info. Thus their content is not altered if you select a different file or folder in Finder.
This is exactly where Show Inspector comes in. It’s the same as the information windows (Get Info and Get Summary Info), only that it represents the current Finder selection. So it’s dynamically updated as you select a different item in Finder.
To open the Inspector window, control-click any file or folder to bring up the contextual menu. Press the alt/option key and see how Get Info changes into Show Inspector.
The best thing about the Inspector is that you are not locked into your selection as you bring up the information on your files. Add more files to your selection or select something completely different and the Inspector window updates in an instant.
File information center
Among the great new features of Leopard is Quick Look, which allows you to preview a file without having to open it. Click any file and press the space bar to display the preview.
One thing important to know: this preview window is only a representation of the current selection of Finder. You can use the arrow keys (or click on any item) to select different files in Finder and the QuickLook preview will update automatically. Just as the Inspector window always displays information on the current file.
In the background you see the Finder window. To the left the Inspector window and to the right the QuickLook preview. Note that the Finder window will remain the active application, processing a press of an arrow key or a click on any file.
So, with these two tools at hand you can quickly go through your files, getting all the information, plus a preview without having to open the file at all. Nice and fast.
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Tags: file handling, finder, preview, QuickLook
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