Forgive me if there is a way to do this and I’ve just missed it. I tried to search through the interface and documentation and didn’t see anything.
I would LOVE to be able to select multiple tags in the source list and have it show me an intersection of the two sets, not a union. So, a logical AND between the tags, not an OR. I do understand the idea of having the tags behave like playlists in iTunes, but being tags, they are actually used quite differently. It is typically the association of two or more tags that gives the categorization meaning.
When I want to quickly find something, it would be FAR easier to cmd click the multiple relevant tags than to have to either create a smart folder for one use, or to have to type all of the tags into the search box.
Plus, if multiple tags are selected, and then an item is dropped on, it would be very clear which tag(s) should be added (i.e. all of them!). The way it currently is (with the OR), it isn’t clear to me which tag would be added if I dropped an item into a list formed by selecting multiple tags.
Anyway, I understand that people are probably used to the way it works currently, but maybe it could be an “esoteric” preference to change the behavior to use AND instead of OR?
There is not, although you could do a search or create a smart folder.
Maybe. I think it might be better to add some more specific tag browsing features, though, rather than changing the way that standard source lists work.
Indeed, I mentioned those possibilities in my original message. They are more cumbersome and time consuming. And are what I’m specifically trying to avoid.
I did see the forum thread about a multi-column tag browser. That is OK, but is still more time consuming and requires more movement/clicking than just cmd+clicking multiple tags in the list that is already there. However, it would certainly be better than having to type all the tags into the search box, so I won’t turn it down if that’s how you want to build it! =)
Also, as I mentioned, I understand not wanting to change already established behavior, but for people like me who expect it to work the opposite of the way it does, could it be an esoteric preference to switch its behavior? Frankly, I almost never want it to behave the way it currently does. :-/
Sorry for the badly delayed response. Got caught up at work and failed to notice your reply.
I have no doubt this makes things more complicated, but I’m fine with the idea that folders (and other things in the source list) do a union when selecting multiple things. Its just that once you throw a tag into the mix, whatever else was selected needs to be intersected with that tag. So, if I have selected folders A, B, and D, and then select tag “foo”, then I would expect to see in my list items from folders A, B, and D tagged with foo. And then if I also select tag “bar”, I’d expect to see items from folders A, B, and D tagged with “foo” AND “bar”.
So, I guess OR things other than tags, and AND tags.
E.g. (A || B || D) && “foo” && “bar”
Anyway, sorry to be a pain, just trying to explain what makes sense to me. Thanks for being open to ideas!
Union not OR
I havent used tags exensively for searching yet, but I just assumed that searching multiple tags did not simply mean OR but rather files with common tags searched !