Color Charge

The following tip is a compilation of several small visual adjustments you can do when using Mac OS X Leopard. You’ll apply color labels in Finder, overlay stack icons in Dock, calendars in iCal, and the Finder’s Smart Folders. This tip was initially inspired on Stacks overlay icons - which I’m going to talk about later.

I have a lot of files - as you do too. Keeping folders, recent files, downloads, to-do items, and other stuff I constantly change every day organized in a way that makes sense usually takes a lot of time - and I haven’t it too much for spare (I bet you too). Another key-question to solve was: how can I find “that file” within a huge context of 280GB ? Oops, I changed its location and I can’t remember the name or any other detail. What now?

A few weeks ago, I started using custom icons over my stacks on Dock (Stacks Overlay). Later that week, I downloaded a full-colored pack of custom overlays (8 colors or so), and started using it. When using iCal’s calendars and Finder’s color labels, I realized I could match the same color pattern I was already using on Stacks, across the entire system, in order to browse files more efficiently - the same color for the same context.

After following these tips, I can browse my +280GB of files in my home network without opening more than 1 Finder window, and keeping the scope of search tightly attached to areas of my life (personal, business, travel, and so on). With a single click, I can have all stuff related to one area in a second, right on a built-in search result. I can drag/drop the files anywhere, and the smart search will find them, doesn’t matter where they are. It’s like visually browsing your system through a particular color. Instead of using labels just to give visual desktop reminders, or group files together and nothing more, I changed the paradigm and choose consistency over context, finally improving my user experience with Leopard after all.

Here’s what I did (and what you’ll learn):

• Choose one particular color for a single area of my life ( personal, business, travel, to-do reading, pending stuff…)
• Create some color-based iCal calendars
• Use Finder’s labels to match these areas
• Create Smart folders in Finder ( personalized searches which you can save for later )
• Stack Dock icons, the same colors above to quickly access a folder belonging to an area

iCal calendars

Start simply creating an iCal calendar and choose a color for it.

As you’re guessing, that color will match all things and files related to this particular ‘department’ of your life. You’ll end up with something like this:

Finder labels

Color Labels are a visual way to simply tag an item within a department. Change the color of some items matching the color of your ‘department’.

Then change some files labels with the new color:

Finder Smart Folders

If you use iTunes, you’re already familiar with this concept - they behave exactly the same.

Smart folders, as the name says, are custom saved searches which you tell Leopard some search criteria, and the system will keep the search results updated, every time you click on the link on sidebar. Really useful!

Choose “New Smart Folder” from Finder’s menu:

A window will open, where you’re going to tell some criteria to the search. Click on the plus signal near the Save button to add “File label” criteria. The “File label” is disabled by default, but you’ll find it on a pop up menu when you select the “Other…” option.

Choose the correct label for your custom search:

Click on the Save button. Select a safe location to store this search (which you can share later). Be sure to check “Add to sidebar”. Your search will be available right there. Click on it. If you followed these steps carefully, and changed some file’s labels matching this color, you’ll see a list of them. Magic!

Stack Overlays Icons

This part is really easy but lengthy. If you have any doubt, please leave it in the comments.

Begin downloading an excellent pack of neat Stack Icons. Unpack it anywhere and choose the color of preference.

Open Finder and create a stack, dragging a folder to the stacks location on the dock, on the right, near the Trash bin. Open the icons folder, and copy/paste your icon inside the stack folder. In Terminal, navigate to inside that folder (cd folder0, cd folder1…) and type:

1. touch -mt 202001010101.01 ” Downloads “

Change ” Downloads ” to exactly the same name of your icon (which you can change before dropping it here) - and pay attention to the space between the name. Go back to the Dock, Ctrl-click on the Stack icon and change the sort option to “Date Modified”.

Next, show no mercy and kill the Duck (ops, Dock)!

1. killall Dock

Your dock will magically put that icon on top of everything:

As you did changed the sort order to date modified here’s what happened: the touch terminal command creates a file, and -mt means “modified time”. It created a file, and changed that file modified date to a future date: 2020/jan/1. However, the name you typed between “” was already taken by an existing file name, so it just changed its modified date. Magic again!