How can Spotlight find a file in the Library (in an app's plugin folder)?

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How can Spotlight find a file in the Library (in an app's plugin folder)?

I'm writing a plugin for SketchUp that lives in SketchUp's plugins folder in the system Library. Even when I put an alias of the plugins folder out on the desktop, Spotlight can't seem to find it (my plugin file). I've learned the trick of using the option key to reveal the Library folder in the Go menu, but why does the file remain 'hidden' from Spotlight after I've drug an alias of its folder out to the desktop?

I also tried using Terminal to patch Hidden to NoHidden without reliable results. Yuck.

Thanks for any help you can offer,

John Trotter

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on Apr 10, 2013 9:38 PM

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Answer 1

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Barney-15E

Level 10

112,848 points

Apr 11, 2013 4:38 AM in response to johntrotter

To view system and hidden files, use the Finder (cmd-F) to find.

From the criteria popup menu, select Other...

From that list that pops up, find System Files and Visibility; check both so they stay in the menu.

When searching for system files or hidden files, use those criteria.

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Answer 2

iGodric

Level 1

8 points

Aug 25, 2015 2:00 AM in response to Barney-15E

This does not work in OS X 10.10.4.

With System files set to "are included" and File visibility set to "Visible or Invisible" it still can not find the file if I am in the Library folder or above.

I have a file in ~/Library/Developer test.txt, but even with these two options you mentioned it wouldn't work 😟

Searching in it ~ doesn't bring any results

Searching it in ~/Library doesn't bring any results

Searching it in Developer does work

My Library folder isn't even hidden anymore.

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,848 points

Aug 25, 2015 4:12 AM in response to iGodric

Those folders may not get indexed at all, so searching them with Spotlight won't work.

What are you searching for inside there?

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Answer 4

iGodric

Level 1

8 points

Aug 25, 2015 6:01 AM in response to Barney-15E

Xcode has snippets, most of the snippets are in the Developer folder, but not all.

I wanted to search for .codesnippets on my disk, but it didn't even find the ones I know of.

So I tried it with a testfile. I am very suprised, that spotlight did not let me search my files.

Terminal did its job good:

sudo find / -iname "*.codesnippet"

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