Kam
mdfind
, a command that marries speed with precision. What makes it stand head and shoulders above the rest?
mdfind
is like having Spotlight’s capabilities in the command line. While many search tools painstakingly peruse your filesystem, mdfind
operates on a shortcut. It pulls results from the 'metadata store' or mdstore
- a continuously updated catalog. Imagine pulling a specific card from a neatly organized card catalog versus skimming through an entire bookshelf.
mdfind
sizes up against find
:
Speed - mdfind
excels with its indexed search, while find
delves deep into the filesystem, making it relatively slower.
Scope - find
restricts itself to file attributes like name, size, or date. Meanwhile, mdfind
penetrates metadata, fishing out intricate details such as tags or document content.
Flexibility - find
pulls ahead in adaptability, with a diverse range of operators for detailed searches, an aspect where mdfind
plays catch-up.
mdfind
to work, here are some straightforward commands:
mdfind -onlyin ~/Documents "pdf"
mdfind -onlyin ~/Downloads "image"
mdfind -name "report"
mdfind "unicorn"
Using mdfind
, file hunting on macOS transforms into a swift, precise adventure. Once you take it for a spin, it's likely to find a permanent spot in your developer toolkit!