Using hashtags in filename: anything I can do with this?

[rkaplan16]

I create hashtags when naming files that I save to my Mac. I have a lot (thousands) of PDF files with author names, years, topics, and more.

For example, I have a PDF:

#vanderdeiden #thompson #cantley #2009 Understanding the Warburg effect - the metabolic requirements of cell proliferation #seyfried #smt #mmt #mitochondria #warburg

Other topics may include #exercise, #nutrition, #igf, #mtor, ... and so on.

Is there any way that Hazel can create folders or some organizing system where I can see an alphabetical list of all of the different hashtags I created?

It would be a big help for me, or anyone looking for a topic in particular, and then seeing what files have the associated hashtag.

Ideally, I might look something like an alphabetical index that are sometimes provided on web pages, or the back of a book.

Any help is appreciated.

[Mr_Noodle]

It might make more sense to create a Smart Folder for that.

Also, is there a reason why you are using hashtags in the name instead of tags in Finder? It might be a better place to put them.

[rkaplan16]

It might make more sense to create a Smart Folder for that.

Also, is there a reason why you are using hashtags in the name instead of tags in Finder? It might be a better place to put them.

Thanks for your help. I’m not familiar with the utility of smart folders, but will look into it.

The reason I use hashtags was because of an app called “Mihand” that integrated with Dropbox. It would create tags of labels for any hashtags within the file name as well as any folders created in Dropbox. But I don’t think Mihand exists anymore.

Not only that, when I searched in Finder for something like “insulin”, it would return thousands of files, many unrelated. But if I searched “#insulin”, it would only return the specific files and folders I created with that hashtag, which is convenient.

I would love to at least be able to create a sortable list (even an .xls) with all of the hashtags I created, or if there is a way to turn the hashtags into labels, that would be fantastic. I have already created thousands of hashtags.

[rkaplan16]

Also, is there a reason why you are using hashtags in the name instead of tags in Finder? It might be a better place to put them.

Another reason why I used hashtags is because I share a Dropbox with other users. So it serves as a database that I would like it to be easy for a user to go in “blind” and be able to find a file.

For example, a user might want to know if we have any papers on PCSK9 inhibitors, and so they might naturally search “PCSK9” and come up with any papers that I labeled as such.