OS X's basic tools for finding and managing files--the Finder and Spotlight--are fine. But savvy users find ways to make them better. For some, that means making the Finder work better, with smart folders and meticulous filing systems. For others, that means turning to some third-party utilities that let them manage files their way.
Smarter smart folders
In the Finder, I've set up a bunch of smart folders that keep track of related files. Some of my handiest smart folders collect Microsoft Word files with Mac 911 in the title (File Name Contains Mac 911, Kind Is Other Microsoft Word); BBEdit files containing blog as a keyword (Kind Is Other BBEdit, Keywords Contains blog); and files larger than 1GB, which I periodically review to see whether any can be archived or thrown away to free up disk space (Size Is Greater Than 1 GB). I keep these and other smart folders in the Finder sidebar; I also plant key ones in my DragThing Frequently Used palette. (The original smart folders can be found at the /Library/Smart Searches folder in my user folder.)--Christopher Breen
Super filing
Some people dump all their files into one folder and then use Spotlight to find the files they need. But for me, Spotlight is too slow and unreliable to use for regular file finding; it's also of little help when I want to find a document on another networked Mac. I still find it most useful to keep my documents organized meticulously into folders. I have several general ones (Finances, Macworld, and so on) in my user folder's /Documents folder. Inside each of those folders are folders for each year. Inside each of those folders are folders for specific products and articles--200905 iPhone Tricks, for example, and 20090310 Mac mini Review. I also include dates in my document names. Compulsive? Perhaps. But using that file hierarchy, I can find most documents by myself faster than Spotlight can.--Dan Frakes
Find files with Quicksilver
I use Quicksilver to quickly access commonly used files and folders. Quicksilver's Shelf is like a permanent Clipboard; it can store links to files and folders, as well as reusable text snippets. To enable the Shelf, launch Quicksilver, press Command-; (semicolon) to open the Catalog, select Modules, and then select Shelf And Clipboard. That done, you can add a file link to the Shelf by finding the file in Quicksilver (just type the first few characters of its name) and then tabbing to the Action pane and selecting Put On Shelf. (If that doesn't work, make sure Put On Shelf is activated: press Command-, [comma] to pull up the Preferences pane, select Actions, type shelf in the search field, and make sure Put On Shelf is selected.) To access a shelved file later, type Shelf in Quicksilver and then press the forward slash (/) to get a list of shelved items.--Gina Trapani
Pop-up folders with Butler
Butler lets me turn any folder into a navigable pop-up menu--like a folder on the right side of the Dock, except it appears wherever my mouse cursor is. For example, let's say I want quick access to my Macworld Documents folder. First, I open Butler's configuration screen and drag that folder from the Finder into it. That creates two items in the configuration screen: a container and a folder. After selecting the container named Macworld Documents, I use the Triggers tab's Hot Key field to assign a trigger--let's say Option-M. Then I select Opens A Menu Near The Mouse from the drop-down menu below the Hot Key field. If I wanted, I could stop here, and press Option-M to pop up the folder. But as a last step, I assign that same action to one of the buttons on my third-party mouse, using its provided software. Now I can get a navigable pop-up Macworld Documents folder with the click of a button or the press of a few keys.--Rob Griffiths
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