Looking for an app that can provide notes

I am looking for an app

a) that can provide an additional tab 'Notes' to file and folder properties, wherein the tab 'Notes' can be populated with a short description of what the file or folder is all about (the short description being a bit more elaborate than the file or folder name)

or better

b) that can provide a mouseover note for files and folders, and again, the file or folder mouseover note can be populated with a short description what the file or folder is all about (the short description being a bit more elaborate than the file or folder name)

and best is

c) if the short descriptions in the notes are searchable

Any suggestions?

(I have been enveloping files and folders in an envelop folder in which I put a text file with a description of what the file or folder is all about, it is a clunky work around This thread is looking for a better solution)

I think it's a great question. I will look for an answer.

Haydon said:

I am looking for an app

a) that can provide an additional tab 'Notes' to file and folder properties, wherein the tab 'Notes' can be populated with a short description of what the file or folder is all about (the short description being a bit more elaborate than the file or folder name)

or better

b) that can provide a mouseover note for files and folders, and again, the file or folder mouseover note can be populated with a short description what the file or folder is all about (the short description being a bit more elaborate than the file or folder name)

and best is

c) if the short descriptions in the notes are searchable

Any suggestions?

(I have been enveloping files and folders in an envelop folder in which I put a text file with a description of what the file or folder is all about, it is a clunky work around This thread is looking for a better solution)

Click to expand...

Good idea, @Haydon.

I generally try for the most descriptive file name I can think of, which isn't all that great.

I'll see what I can find on the 'net.

@Haydon:

Have you seen this from @Brink? I looked at it when he first posted it, but then just squirreled it away. Now it's time for me to read it, hoping it will do what you (we) want.

An use example for better focus on what I am after.

A folder with a mouseover note 'Contracts with Company abc in 2020'

Inside the folder is a first file with a mouseover note 'Draft contract def.01 discussed with Mr. K on 2-Jan-2020, see discussion notes on pp 101-109'

and a second file with a mouseover note 'Draft contract def.02 presented to Mr. K, L, M, N, O, P on 9-Jan-2020, see discussion notes on pp 110-119'

and a third file with a mouseover note 'Signed Contract def.03 signed by Mr. P on 16-Jan-2020, see notes on pp 120-129'

and a fourth file with a mouseover note 'Invoice ghi.01 for first advance payment for Contract def.03, see notes on pp 130-139'

etc.

Of course, the notes are searchable in File Explorer and backed up with Macrium Reflect

So am I correct in thinking you need this only for documents? Which software are you using for creating?
Do you also need this for spreadsheets? I think Microsoft may already have what you need.

All file types in Windows (or portable to Windows) The vast majority are MS Office and Adobe file types but there are occasional odd balls that the system also have to be able to handle.

There are nested folders up to 10 deep or deeper, many thousands of folders/subfolders, many tens of thousands of files, hence the importance of File Explorer search, and reliable backup.

If MS (or anyone else) has a pertinent app, I am not aware of it (hence this thread) And that's in spite of the utterly simple objective of providing enhanced file and folder names (enhanced with mouseover notes) that's what it comes down to.

Haydon said:

All file types in Windows (or portable to Windows) The vast majority are MS Office and Adobe file types but there are occasional odd balls that the system also have to be able to handle.

There are nested folders up to 10 deep or deeper, many thousands of folders/subfolders, many tens of thousands of files, hence the importance of File Explorer search, and reliable backup.

If MS (or anyone else) has a pertinent app, I am not aware of it (hence this thread) And that's in spite of the utterly simple objective of providing enhanced file and folder names (enhanced with mouseover notes) that's what it comes down to.

Click to expand...

So, it's like if I mouse over your ElevenForum Haydon ID and your pertinent info pops up? Or, if you mouse over Wynona . . .

Well, the big difference is that the mouseover has a field that can be user-populated.

@Edwin mentioned QTTabBar in the above and has a long thread going on the app. The app can add a tab in File Explorer that can be user-populated, but it is not clear to me whether or not the additional tab appears in the mouseover, whether or not the user-populated content can be searched from File Explorer (even if the tab is not open) and whether or not any backup and restore preserves the user-populated content.

The app appears to be still under development and currently behaves a little different in W10 and W11 (my use scenario is in W10)

Moreover, as any app, this app can also be used as an attack vector. Will Defender be able to scan whatever the app does?

Maybe @Edwin can chime in on the use scenario at hand?

To add Tags column in the Column Heading of File Explorer:​

Right-click on any column heading, and, from the drop-down menu, check the Tags column if you can see it in there. If you cannot find it there, then click on More..., and, in the window that appears, scroll down till you find the Tags column, check it, and finally click on OK.

@hdmi The following quote worries me:

To add Tags column in the Column Heading of File Explorer:​

Right-click on any column heading, and, from the drop-down menu, check the Tags column if you can see it in there. If you cannot find it there, then click on More..., and, in the window that appears, scroll down till you find the Tags column, check it, and finally click on OK.

Click to expand...

My understanding of the quote is that adding a column in File Explorer (whether the header of that added column be called 'tag' or 'tab') does not automatically mean that the content of that added column will appear in the mouseover, I am not sure, though. I am just guessing but perhaps that can be effected with a REG edit? Anyway, if so, then that's what the app that I am looking for, would do.

Haydon said:

@hdmi The following quote worries me:



My understanding of the quote is that adding a column in File Explorer (whether the header of that added column be called 'tag' or 'tab') does not automatically mean that the content of that added column will appear in the mouseover, I am not sure, though. I am just guessing but perhaps that can be effected with a REG edit? Anyway, if so, then that's what the app that I am looking for, would do.

Click to expand...

Yeah, you can edit the registry to make the Tag appear in the mouseover (InfoTip) of filetypes that don't already have it in there by default. In the Registry Editor, if you navigate to the
HKCR\SystemFileAssociations\.jpg
key you can see that it contains a REG_SZ type value named InfoTip, and, the System.Keywords property is already specified in there by default. Whereas if you go to
HKCR\SystemFileAssociations\.png
you will see that the property is not already in there by default. So, if you want to add it, all you have to do is doubleclick on the InfoTip there so you can edit the data. So prop:System.ItemType;System.Photo.DateTaken;*System.Image.Dimensions;*System.Size
becomes
prop:System.ItemType;System.Photo.DateTaken;System.Keywords;*System.Image.Dimensions;*System.Size

For filetypes that don't have an InfoTip value you can decide to create the value yourself, and put
prop:System.Keywords in there or something similar. There's a whole list of Windows Properties to choose from:
If you want multiple ones, just be sure to insert a semicolon between them to separate them.
I suppose that you could also always decide to add more filetypes under
HKCR\SystemFileAssociations
It seems there aren't too many already in there by default.

Edwin said:

Nope!

Click to expand...

Folks, I am not a programmer, I provided hints, but somebody has to do the elbow grease to come up with a ready made app that will navigate all the snags in all the file types that Windows uses, that is robust enough to withstand any changes in file and folder properties that MS may introduce, that presents its output to File Explorer so that the user can populate a non-volatile note (with or without adding a column to File Explorer) that hardens the app so that it does not become a magnet for malware, etc. etc.

Note that I already have a work around, (very) clumsy as it may be, but nonetheless covers (nearly) all the bases.

Haydon said:

Folks, I am not a programmer, I provided hints, but somebody has to do the elbow grease to come up with a ready made app that will navigate all the snags in all the file types that Windows uses, that is robust enough to withstand any changes in file and folder properties that MS may introduce, that presents its output to File Explorer so that the user can populate a non-volatile note (with or without adding a column to File Explorer) that hardens the app so that it does not become a magnet for malware, etc. etc.

Note that I already have a work around, (very) clumsy as it may be, but nonetheless covers (nearly) all the bases.

Click to expand...

File Meta is a ready made app. Only problem, it doesn't let you automatically add the Tags to the InfoTip so, I showed you how it's possible to fix that manually, but it shouldn't be too hard to come up with a program or script that lets you automate that extra step for all of the filtetypes you want. But there's another caveat, as File Meta doesn't let you do the same for folders. It only works for filetypes so, for folders, you'll need yet another solution. Here's how that can be done manually: Manually change a folder's meta data
But then, you'll still need a program or script that lets you automate that part also. I know I could do it, but will probably take a pretty long time to finish the thing.

hdmi said:

File Meta is a ready made app. Only problem, it doesn't let you automatically add the Tags to the InfoTip so, I showed you how it's possible to fix that manually, but it shouldn't be too hard to come up with a program or script that lets you automate that extra step for all of the filtetypes you want. But there's another caveat, as File Meta doesn't let you do the same for folders. It only works for filetypes so, for folders, you'll need yet another solution. Here's how that can be done manually: Manually change a folder's meta data
But then, you'll still need a program or script that lets you automate that part also. I know I could do it, but will probably take a pretty long time to finish the thing.

Click to expand...

Do it @hdmi you will be rich! Anyone who does any archiving type of work, from librarian to taxonomist to astronomer, will want your app!

The caveat, of course, is that the guy behind QTTabBar has been at it for a long time too, and he hasn't finished!

Haydon said:

Do it @hdmi you will be rich! Anyone who does any archiving type of work, from librarian to taxonomist to astronomer, will want your app!

The caveat, of course, is that the guy behind QTTabBar has been at it for a long time too, and he hasn't finished!

Click to expand...

I wanna bet that void is going to win this. lol