Helper

Show HoudahSpot menu bar item


HoudahSpot may add a "status item" to the global menu bar. These are shown to the left of those provided by Apple (Clock, AirPort, ...).

Clicking the menu bar item reveals the BlitzSearch window. This acts as a complete replacement to the standard Spotlight UI. It lets you start of your search with the same convenience as the standard Spotlight menu. Yet down the road you will find all the power and customizability that exists only in HoudahSpot. 

You may also right-click the menu bar item to reveal an actual menu which gives you easy access to your HoudahSpot templates.

Enable global hot keys


Hot keys allow you to bring HoudahSpot to the front in a blink of the eye.

The first of the three hot keys activates the BlitzSearch feature. It allows you to start a search with the same convenience as the standard Spotlight menu.

Two more hot keys are defined. The first one brings HoudahSpot to front as is. You would use that to continue working with an existing list of search results. The second one brings HoudahSpot to front and immediately opens a new query document.

Enable HoudahSpot Tray window


The HoudahSpot Tray is where file tagging happens. It may be enabled and configured in the Helper section of HoudahSpot Preferences.

The Tray is available from any application. It hides at the edge of the main screen and is activated by moving the mouse to the edge of the screen while holding the optional modifier keys.

Drag a file to a tag to assign it that tag. Drag a file to the file well to be presented with a window to enter any number of tags.

Select tags and double-click to start a search. Hold down the option key while double-clicking to match any of the selected tags.