0

enter image description hereWe have a procedure where by users check files/folder count in a folder they receive to a document that is automatically generated and tells them the amount of documents etc that should be in the folder.

In windows this works as the properties dialog does not count the thumbs.db file toward the file count etc.

On OSX under Get Info the file count includes all hidden files and folders.

Is there a way to stop this as we only want to know how many "real" documents and folders are in that folder. Looking for a setting to turn off or maybe even an app that specialises in this...

UPDATE: I have added a picture of the "Get Info" result from Finder and the "Properties" result from muCommander (another file manager for OSX) muCommander always shows hidden files and there are no .DS_Store files so it counts correct "169" but Finder shows incorrect "183".

3
  • The problem isn't that OS X includes invisible files in its counts, it's that it uses different ways of marking files as hidden than Windows does. Thus, OS X shows Windows-hidden files, and Windows shows OS X-hidden files. Dec 5, 2011 at 1:33
  • i understand the difference between the two and our users know when they create a folder structure for example on Mac that there is going to be more files when a windows user view them. This situation is when a windows server creates the folders and files and then the Mac user gets them without going into the folders or anything even without the hidden files being shown the number is always more on the Mac..
    – medoix
    Dec 5, 2011 at 3:11
  • i have added a picture and and an update, i dont think its the .DS_Store files...
    – medoix
    Dec 5, 2011 at 3:16

1 Answer 1

0

For Max OS X 10.6.8 - you can just open up the folder in the Finder. At the bottom it will either say something like "684 items" or "1 of 684 selected". This will not count the hidden files, only the files that are visible in the finder. This won't count files inside subfolders though.

YMMW with other versions of OS X.

4
  • Thanks for the reply but yes we are on 10.7 Lion.
    – medoix
    Dec 5, 2011 at 2:27
  • i have added a picture and and an update, i dont think its the .DS_Store files...
    – medoix
    Dec 5, 2011 at 3:16
  • That's not a screenshot of the Finder as far as I can tell. Actually open up the folder in the Finder and let me know. I'd take a screenshot of my 10.6.8 box, but it's at home, and I'm at work without access to a Mac at the moment. Dec 5, 2011 at 7:13
  • As stated above the Get Info portion is from Finder and the window behind and the Properties dialog to the right are from a third party application called muCommander (with the right count).
    – medoix
    Dec 5, 2011 at 8:00

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .