What do you use Smart Folders for?

[JPigford]

I've had Tiger since the day it was released and I've yet to find a use for Smart Folders...in either Finder or Mail.

So, I'm hoping I can be inspired by some of you by hearing what you use them for.

 

[Damrod]

Is a burn-folder a Smart Folder as well? Guess not....

So, I'm not really using 'em currently. Just as used as Spotlight is for me. Rarely to never

 

[fryke]

In Mail.app, I've created one very important smart folder: "unread". This way, I have one place to look at for new mail, and the filters still sort them to the right mail boxes. Without this smart folder, I've had to go to every mailbox that has got new mails.

In the Finder, I don't use them. I'm smart enough to file my files to a good folder structure. I know Apple and Microsoft and Google etc. want us to file our files _anywhere_ or just drop them in one big folder and to use search and smart folders to retrieve them, but people who actually do this... I dunno... They're creepy.

 

[Veljo]

Yeah I've never bothered using them.

Fryke, can't you check all of your unread mails from all inboxes in Mail by clicking on the large Inbox icon above all of your accounts?

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Fryke, can't you check all of your unread mails from all inboxes in Mail by clicking on the large Inbox icon above all of your accounts?

That's the way I do it!

 

[symphonix]

I use Smart Folders in Mail, to automatically sort all my regular emails, like newsletters and so on. Its pretty handy in that way.

However, I've never really found a use for them in the Finder. And not for Burn Folders either. I just haven't found a need for them.

 

[Giaguara]

I use the smart anything only in address book (all contacts who have their email address ending at [something.com]; all contacts that are in a certain country etc), in iTunes (all music never listened to) and that's it.

I use mail filtering a lot, and read selectively the emails that are in the inbox. All those other mailboxes (dozens) have a meaning; I check those when I need an update on specific topics. So I REALLY will not even think about creating a mailbox for all [non read] items.

 

[fryke]

Fryke, can't you check all of your unread mails from all inboxes in Mail by clicking on the large Inbox icon above all of your accounts?

Nope. Mails that are filtered to other folders are no longer in the inbox. I have an extensive rule system. Basically, only stuff from people I _don't_ know gets to the inbox.

 

[sirstaunch]

Say if i just been going through newsgroups with Thoth. My download folder becomes pretty large from all (especially junk) files. I want to sort particular files. One way is automator I guess or another is Smart Folder. I can at least gather all .sit files or something and put them aside somewhere else and not even worry about saving the smart folder once done. Just one trick it's usefull for