10.9: Assigning Tags by keyboard shortcut in Finder

I'm not sure if this has been covered sufficiently already, but I've heard lamentations by various writers about the lack of a keyboard shortcut to bring up the file-tagging popup in the Finder. While none is provided by default, one can easily be set up.

In previous versions of OS X, the File menu had Label: followed by the row of colored cells. In Mavericks, the row of tags is still there, but the un-selectable Label: has changed to the selectable Tags…, which opens the tagging popup menu next to the selected file.

This process may already be familiar to MacOSXHints readers. Go to System Preferences » Keyboard » Shortcuts » App Shortcuts and click on the + button.

In the window that appears, set the Application to be the Finder, and enter Tags… in for the Menu Title. (To type the ellipsis character, use Option+semicolon, rather than three periods.) And then, of course, set your preferred shortcut. I like using Cmd+Opt+T.

[crarko adds: Handy. I hope this kind of customizing does not disappear in Mavericks' successor. I fear the worst.]

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10.9: Assigning Tags by keyboard shortcut in Finder
Authored by: gabester on May 05, '14 08:23:34AM

Thank you for figuring this out... Keyboard assignment of tags' predecessor labels has been invaluable to me over the years for managing files; it seems obvious now that I look at the keyboard viewer to see the ellipsis keystroke. It's unfortunate that this cannot be used to directly apply a specific tag but I'll settle for being able to select a file and hit my preferred keystroke and use the arrow and enter keys to assign the tag. A one-step solution would be superior; most likely accomplishable via an AppleScript and the script menu.

Some of those older hints for viewers following along from home:
10.7: Set Finder Labels from the keyboard
10.7: Set Label toolbar icon to your choice of colors
Automatically attach color labels to files

Kind of gives you a sense of functionality lost, eh?

Edited on May 05, '14 08:23:51AM by gabester

10.9: Assigning Tags by keyboard shortcut in Finder
Authored by: ordnanceelf on May 05, '14 12:24:44PM

It is indeed possible to assign individual tags using the keyboard:

1) Invoke the tags pop-up with your assigned hotkey - e.g. ⌃⌘T.
2) Type the first letters of your preferred tag, and OS X will autocomplete it for you.
3) Press tab/enter to complete the tag and enter to confirm.

10.9: Assigning Tags by keyboard shortcut in Finder
Authored by: dzurn on May 06, '14 10:22:01AM

Sad, to be reminded of the Tags display fiasco in Mavericks. I hate the little colored dots to show the tag, instead of coloring the background of the text label.

There's people on the Apple discussion boards who just tell everyone to suck it up, move on, but this is a really disappointing failure.

---
Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change.

10.9: Assigning Tags by keyboard shortcut in Finder
Authored by: gabester on May 07, '14 10:00:15AM

dzurn, I totally agree that the current tags implementation is NOT the best replacement for the visual cues labels previously provided. Personally I'm disappointed that Apple didn't take leadership on this to implement just 3 primary-color-only tags and then allow overlays to get other colors, and to do this with the more obvious visual effect of labels.

On the plus side capability of tags to be applied without limitation does have advantages. Hopefully the implementation will improve in the next OS release to provide both better visual feedback and more robust display.

10.9: Assigning Tags by keyboard shortcut in Finder
Authored by: chaloots on May 08, '14 08:15:35AM

Always on the lookout for keyboard tag tweaks, I followed your suggestions. However, on attempting to enter the ellipsis (it *was* required prior to assigning the actual shortcut, no?) in App Shortcuts, the entry of Option+semicolon produced not the desired ellipsis but the icons for option and semicolon.

Curiously, the entry of those same two characters worked as desired both in TextEdit as well as in this comment.

What'd I get wrong or misunderstand?

Edited on May 08, '14 08:17:28AM by chaloots

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