Downloaded files "where from"

Question

Downloaded files "where from"

In today's Apple for Business podcast, http://www.apple.com/business/theater/#tutorial=downloadsource , it explains how you can see the download source for items in your download folder. Choosing 'more info' on the 'get info' screen shows whether the file was downloaded from the web, or via ichat, or via email, etc.

However, when I look at all of my downloaded files, none of them have that information. What am I missing?

iMac 2.4GHz, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Oct 6, 2008 12:48 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 6, 2008 1:18 PM in response to Brenda Anderson1

The More Info section will give you a Where from: display. In that will be information on where it came from. Basically this only works for archived files, disc image files, and the like. It does not work on the contents of these archives, disc images, etc.

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Answer 2

Oct 6, 2008 1:35 PM in response to Kappy

The video shows as examples, 2 PDF files, one saved via an iChat session, and one downloaded from a web page.

(screen capture of video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiouskiwi/2919876202/ )

Am I misunderstanding?

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 6, 2008 1:43 PM in response to Brenda Anderson1

Looks normal to me. You are seeing what's typically reported. What were you expecting? You are seeing nothing different than what was shown in the tutorial.

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Answer 4

roam

Level 6

13,637 points

Oct 6, 2008 1:45 PM in response to Brenda Anderson1

The "where from" in More Info, is lost when the file is moved out of the Downloads folder. Move it back in there to see it.

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Answer 5

Oct 6, 2008 1:52 PM in response to Kappy

Um, that screenshot is of the tutorial. I'm not seeing any "where from:" entries on any of my downloaded files.

I'm expecting to see a "where from". I see nothing.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/29199298501eb2775a79o.jpg

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Answer 6

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 6, 2008 2:00 PM in response to Brenda Anderson1

Are these the original downloaded archives or disc images, and are they in the Downloads folder? If not in the original archive or disc image downloaded, and/or not in the Downloads folder then that information is not displayed.

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Answer 7

Oct 6, 2008 2:23 PM in response to roam

They are in (and have always been in) the Downloads folder.

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Answer 8

baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Oct 6, 2008 4:14 PM in response to Kappy

Jumpiing in. I have dmg and pdf files that I've downloaded and moved to other folders and volumes. Everyone displays the Where information when Get Info is elected. They don't have to be in the Downloads folder—in fact I use another folder, mounted on another volume, as my Safari download location.

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Answer 9

Oct 6, 2008 11:17 PM in response to baltwo

Concur--the Where From info is part of the metadata of the file itself, and goes where the file goes. That said, you might not see a wherefrom entry in the metadata, even if your pdf came from the internet. Pretty much none of my pdfs have the entry because I generally click the link, they open in Safari, I decide whether I want to keep the file, tell it to open in Preview then save it with a name of my choosing. If something came down in a zip file, you unzipped it, and tossed the original zip file you've also tossed the wherefrom info, which was on the zip file, not its unzipped contents. If you download something and see it listed in the Downloads window in Safari, it should have a wherefrom entry. Also, if when you are viewing the pdf in Safari instead of opening and saving in Preview you click the little download icon in the Safari window it will be saved into your default Downloads folder with the name it has on the web site and will include the wherefrom info.
Francine

Francine
Schwieder

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Answer 10

Oct 7, 2008 12:04 AM in response to Francine Schwieder

Thank you. I think that might explain the lack of 'where from' information. I use Firefox (not Safari) so even though it saves directly to the download folder, it must be stripping that metadata out somehow in the process.

I went through my 100s of downloads and found one that I had downloaded using Safari and it did indeed have a 'where from' entry.

I think the Apple tutorial video should be more specific that the only items downloaded with Safari will have it... of course, they may assume that all OSX users use Safari. 😉

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Answer 11

baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Oct 7, 2008 12:04 PM in response to Brenda Anderson1

Apple's not going to tell you the shortcomings of 3rd-party browsers. Post to FireFox's forum or contact them WRT to the "where" metadata issue.

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Answer 12

Oct 7, 2008 12:20 PM in response to Brenda Anderson1

Yes, the metadata info must be written by the browser to the file. Evidently Firefox doesn't do this. Neither did Safari for the longest time, which was maddening because Internet Explorer did and I had gotten used to having that information available. As I recall IE actually used to put the info into the comments box, so you could copy it. The entry in More Info in the Finder is still less useful than used to be the case with IE in OS 9! Now the only way to both see, and be able to copy, the wherefrom entry you have to use a metadata reader (I have one written by Mark Douma that I still use), or use the mdls command in Terminal.
Francine

Francine
Schwieder

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