Why did apple remove sample rate/bit depth columns from finder?

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Why did apple remove sample rate/bit depth columns from finder?

I work for one of the largest media companies in North America. I regularly work with large volumes of files that need to be different sample rates/bit depths. Finder does not have an option to show various metadata information like this as a column, and it is confusing to me why as it would be largely helpful. Not just for me, but for anyone looking to organize files by this data.

I currently have to use applescript with automator to get this information automatically and it is an egregious solution. The shell command "mdls" with parameters "KMDitemaudio[samplerate/bitdepth]" will return this information, and "get info" displays this information (which I can then organize), and it's EVEN recognized in finder's advanced options but is not selectable as a column for finder to display. Users should NOT have to write scripts to return baseline functionality to a file browser.

So the question is, if the system can SEE that metadata, why can we not have it as a finder column?

And before pointing out that "get info" will show this information, understand that I need it to be displayed in finder as a column I can sort by. The sheer volume of files I work with daily, and the need to check all of them at once adds SO much needless tedium to my day, and I cannot for the life of me understand why they thought it'd be a good idea not to have this functionality in finder.

Mac Pro

Posted on Jun 5, 2022 12:41 PM

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Answer 1

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MrHoffman

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Jun 5, 2022 2:06 PM in response to Magz4k17

Magz4k17 wrote:

I have also already sent this feedback via your posted link before asking here. As this is a questions forum, I am looking to know why they removed the functionality; as reportedly it used to exist.

We are other users and other app developers, and not folks that work for Apple.

If Apple doesn’t publish an explanation—and they often don’t—we don’t know.

I cannot recall having encountered a Finder column here, either.

As for your options toward Shadow IT…

If saving a search in Finder is insufficient, then your own tooling is the path forward pending some potential future enhancement from Apple. (I’d think that a media-centric tool would be useful, too. The file system metadata shown by Finder is much less interesting than is the EXIF and similar embedded metadata, after all.

Options for development? You have Playgrounds (Swift) and Xcode (Swift, Objective C, Objective C++, C, and C++) available (for free) from Apple, via the Mac App Store.

Python and a wealth of other tools are also available from other sources.

I have no doubt that an operator can learn and program Swift. Apple has available tutorials and examples. (Some of us started out as operators, too. Variously furthering our own careers by fixing production problems like this.)

For third-party Finder alternative apps, HoudaSpot seems pretty close. Assuming third-party apps can be loaded.

Ask your manager if specific Apple apps can be loaded… Both for the business, and for your own career development and job advancement..

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Answer 2

Jun 5, 2022 1:21 PM in response to Magz4k17

Send your feedback to Apple, as they may or may not see it posted here: Product Feedback - Apple

Ponder whether you should have your own version of Finder too, tailored for your needs.

And I’d probably pick Swift for that, and not AppleScript.

Pending any potential future changes to Finder from Apple, of course.

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Answer 3

Magz4k17 Author

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4 points

Jun 5, 2022 1:33 PM in response to MrHoffman

Applescript is all I have at my disposal and a third party version of finder is also out of the question as I'm an operator, not an administrator, and don't have control over what addons/third party software is installed at our workstations.

I COULD make a case to our engineering dept to allow something like this but I'm trying to mitigate the implementation of an overengineered solution to simply adding a column to finder.

I highly doubt I'm the only one who would find a use for specific metadata columns in finder.

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Answer 4

Magz4k17 Author

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4 points

Jun 5, 2022 2:12 PM in response to MrHoffman

RE not knowing if apple hasn't posted an explanation; merely curious there. Figured someone with more experience than I could explain it, as I know feature bloat is unwanted, and I don't know how decisions to cull functionality are made. I guess I'd need to hear it from the source, if that were possible.

You've provided several good options for me though, thanks.

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Answer 5

Magz4k17 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 5, 2022 1:36 PM in response to MrHoffman

I have also already sent this feedback via your posted link before asking here. As this is a questions forum, I am looking to know why they removed the functionality; as reportedly it used to exist.

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Why did apple remove sample rate/bit depth columns from finder?

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