spotlight can not find certain files?

Question

Level 1

10 points

spotlight can not find certain files?

I am trying to locate a pdf file (the pdf can be downloaded from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00094/full) with the following command.

```

mdfind -onlyin . "(kMDItemTextContent=='oxidative stress'c) && (kMDItemFSName=='*.pdf')"

```

But I don't find it. The file is in the spotlight database. The output of the following command is attached. The field kMDItemTextContent does contain "oxidative stress". Does anybody know why spotlight can not find it? Thanks.

Output of `mdimport -d2 30814954.pdf`

```

mdimport -d2 30814954.pdf

```

MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.14

Posted on Feb 19, 2020 9:14 PM

Reply

Answer 1

pengyu.ut Author

Level 1

10 points

Feb 20, 2020 6:12 AM in response to Eau Rouge

It sounds like the problem was that the file would take time to be indexed. How to force indexing a file immediately on command line? Thanks.

$ mv ../fphys-10-00094.pdf .

$ sha1sum *.pdf

4c3c0f5aaea037a59aa1377dbd88c8fcc69a054e 30814954.pdf

4c3c0f5aaea037a59aa1377dbd88c8fcc69a054e fphys-10-00094.pdf

$ mdfind -onlyin . "(kMDItemTextContent=='oxidative stress'c) && (kMDItemFSName=='*.pdf')"

/Users/xyz/Downloads/y/30814954.pdf

PS, I use command line because such search can be automated.

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Answer 2

Eau Rouge

Level 8

42,662 points

Feb 19, 2020 10:23 PM in response to pengyu.ut

So I tested the command in Terminal and it found the file no problem.

I don't understand why you are using the Terminal to find the file, a simple query of

'Oxidative Stress' in Spotlight can locate the file. Same with a Finder search using 'Oxidative Stress'

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Answer 3

pengyu.ut Author

Level 1

10 points

Feb 20, 2020 9:45 AM in response to pengyu.ut

After a while, I saw.

$ mdfind -onlyin . "(kMDItemTextContent=='oxidative stress'c) && (kMDItemFSName=='*.pdf')"

/private/tmp/30814954.pdf

/Users/xyz/Downloads/y/fphys-10-00094.pdf

When I moved 30814954.pdf to /tmp, it still showed the above for some time. Then the output was changed to this. Notice the file in /tmp is shown.

$ mdfind -onlyin . "(kMDItemTextContent=='oxidative stress'c) && (kMDItemFSName=='*.pdf')"

/private/tmp/30814954.pdf

/Users/xyz/Downloads/y/fphys-10-00094.pdf

This is weired. Is there a way to make spotlight database update instantaneously?

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Answer 4

Eau Rouge

Level 8

42,662 points

Feb 19, 2020 9:26 PM in response to pengyu.ut

Did you download the file from the link that you provided, in all probability it will get downloaded to your Downloads folder. To check where Downloads go look in your browser preferences. For example in Safari click on Safari in the menubar and click on Preferences> General> File download location. If you use another browser then you should have something similar.

Have a look in System Preferences> Spotlight> Search Results and make sure PDF Documents has been checked.

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Answer 5

pengyu.ut Author

Level 1

10 points

Feb 19, 2020 10:00 PM in response to Eau Rouge

This is not helpful. The file obvious should be in `.` already, as I am using the command line. Could you test the commands before replying?

I could find the file by the following command. But it takes a long time to finish after finding the pdf file (there is just one pdf file in the current directly). Is this normal?

It is strange that I have to use * before and after the query. I'd expect a syntax more like regex in grep be more intuitive. Where is the search syntax documented? Is regex possible with mdfind?

```

mdfind -onlyin . "(kMDItemTextContent=='*oxidative stress*'c) && ((kMDItemFSName=='*.pdf'))"

```

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Answer 6

Old Toad

Level 10

216,710 points

Feb 20, 2020 12:16 PM in response to pengyu.ut

Where do you have your downloads directed to in Safari?l

Did you look in the location indicated?

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Answer 7

pengyu.ut Author

Level 1

10 points

Feb 20, 2020 1:21 PM in response to Old Toad

I use wget to download. Is there a way to specific what file to scan in the command line to be inserted in the spotlight metadata database?

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Answer 8

Old Toad

Level 10

216,710 points

Feb 20, 2020 5:01 PM in response to pengyu.ut

I don't use the Terminal for any of that. It's too complicated and inefficient. If you want to look for a file on the hard drive and you know it's file name or part of it's file name then Find Any File will find it.

FAF can search areas that Spotlight can't like invisible folders, system folders and packages.

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spotlight can not find certain files?

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