Mac OS 9 Sherlock Advanced Search Criteria

Mac OS 9 included Sherlock 2, a versatile search tool that revolutionized how users found local files and Internet resources. Beyond basic keyword queries, Sherlock provided an advanced file search interface that allowed users to narrow down search results by stacking multiple criteria simultaneously. This article outlines the specific file attributes and filtering criteria users could configure when conducting advanced local file searches in classic Mac OS 9.

File Name and Text Content

Users could filter items based on the file name using several relational operators:

  • Name matches: Conditions included contains, starts with, ends with, is, is not, and does not contain.
  • Content: By indexing local volumes, Sherlock allowed users to search the actual text inside documents using the contains operator.

Dates and Timestamps

Sherlock allowed filtering based on file activity within specific calendar boundaries:

  • Date Modified: Files could be filtered if the modification date is, is within, is before, or is after a user-specified date.
  • Date Created: Similar to modified dates, users could filter files based on when they were originally generated on the drive.

File Size and Kind

Users could target files of particular types or storage footprints:

  • Size: Files could be isolated if their size is less than or is greater than a designated number of kilobytes (KB).
  • Kind: Users could filter by general system classifications, such as whether an item is or is not an alias, application, document, clipping, or folder.

Classic Mac OS Metadata: Type and Creator Codes

Mac OS 9 relied heavily on four-character metadata codes rather than file extensions to handle file associations:

  • File Type: Users could enter exact four-character OSType codes (such as TEXT for plain text or PICT for pictures) to find specific formats.
  • Creator Code: Users could filter for files created by specific applications using unique four-character creator codes (such as ttxt for SimpleText or MSWD for Microsoft Word).

Finder Attributes and Flags

Sherlock gave users direct access to lower-level Finder attributes to locate otherwise hidden or categorized files:

  • Label: Users could search by the classic Mac OS color-coded Finder labels (e.g., Essential, Hot, In Progress, Cool, Personal) to match or exclude specific tags.
  • Comments: Users could search for text strings stored within the Finder's "Get Info" comment box.
  • Lock Status: Items could be matched based on whether the file was locked or unlocked.
  • Visibility: Advanced users could locate hidden files by specifying whether an item was visible or invisible.

Location and Multi-Criteria Filtering

Sherlock allowed users to add or remove criteria rows dynamically using "+" and "-" buttons. Users could set all criteria to match simultaneously (a logical AND search) and limit the scope to specific mounted drives, network volumes, or individual designated folders.