Spotlight Metadata Attributes
Common Spotlight Metadata Attribute Keys
Spotlight Metadata attribute keys that are common to many file types.
kMDItemAttributeChangeDate |
| Date and time of the last change made to a metadata attribute. |
| Value Type: | CFDate |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAudiences |
| The audience for which the file is intended. The audience may be determined by the creator or the publisher or by a third party. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAuthors |
| The author, or authors, of the contents of the file. The order of the authors is preserved, but does not represent the main author or relative importance of the authors. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAuthorAddresses |
| This attribute indicates the author addresses of the document. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.6 and later. |
kMDItemCity |
| Identifies city of origin according to guidelines established by the provider. For example, "New York", "Cupertino", or "Toronto". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemComment |
| A comment related to the file. This comment is not displayed by the Finder. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemContactKeywords |
| A list of contacts that are associated with this document, not including the authors. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemContentCreationDate |
| The date and time that the content was created. |
| Value Type: | CFDate |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemContentModificationDate |
| Date and time when the content of this item was modified. |
| Value Type: | CFDate |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemContentType |
| Uniform Type Identifier of the file. For example, a jpeg image file will have a value of public.jpeg. The value of this attribute is set by the Spotlight importer. Changes to this value are lost when the file attributes are next imported. This attribute is marked as nosearch. You must specify this attribute key explicitly in a query in order for its contents to be searched. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemContentTypeTree |
| Uniform Type Identifier hierarchy of the file. For example, a jpeg image file will return an array containing “public.jpeg”, “public.image”, and “public.data”. The value of this attribute is set by the Spotlight importer. Changes to this value are lost when the file attributes are next imported. This attribute is marked as nosearch. You must specify this attribute key explicitly in a query in order for its contents to be searched. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemContributors |
| Entities responsible for making contributions to the content of the resource. Examples of a contributor include a person, an organization or a service. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemCopyright |
| Copyright owner of the file contents. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemCountry |
| The full, publishable name of the country or primary location where the intellectual property of the item was created, according to guidelines of the provider. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemCoverage |
| Extent or scope of the content of the resource. Coverage will typically include spatial location (a place name or geographic co-ordinates), temporal period (a period label, date, or date range) or jurisdiction (such as a named administrative entity). Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary, and that, where appropriate, named places or time periods be used in preference to numeric identifiers such as sets of co-ordinates or date ranges. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemCreator |
| Name of the application used to create the document content. For example, "Pages" or "Keynote". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemDescription |
| Description of the kind of item this file represents. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemDisplayName |
Localized version of the file name. This is the localized version of the LaunchServices call LSCopyDisplayNameForURL() / LSCopyDisplayNameForRef() . |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemDueDate |
| Date this item is due. |
| Value Type: | CFDate |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemDurationSeconds |
| The duration, in seconds, of the content of the item. A value of 10.5 represents media that is 10 and 1/2 seconds long. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | seconds |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemEmailAddresses |
| Email addresses related to this item. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemEncodingApplications |
| Applications used to convert the original content into it's current form. For example, a PDF file might have an encoding application set to "Distiller". |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFinderComment |
| Finder comments for this item. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFonts |
| Fonts used by this item. You should store the font's full name, the postscript name, or the font family name, based on the available information. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemHeadline |
| Publishable entry providing a synopsis of the contents of the item. For example, "Apple Introduces the iPod Photo". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemIdentifier |
| Formal identifier used to reference the resource within a given context. For example, the Message-ID of a mail message. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemInstantMessageAddresses |
| Instant message addresses related to this item. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemInstructions |
| Instructions concerning the use of the item, such as embargoes and warnings. For example, "Second of four stories". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemKeywords |
| Keywords associated with this file. For example, "Birthday", "Important", etc. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemKind |
| Description of the kind of item this file represents. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemLanguages |
| Indicates the languages used by the item. The recommended best practice for the values of this attribute are defined by RFC 3066. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemLastUsedDate |
| Date and time that the file was last used. This value is updated automatically by LaunchServices every time a file is opened by double clicking, or by asking LaunchServices to open a file. |
| Value Type: | CFDate |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemNumberOfPages |
| Number of pages in the document. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemNamedLocation |
| The name of the location or point of interest associated with the item. The name may be user provided. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.6 and later. |
kMDItemOrganizations |
| Companies or organizations that created the document. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemPageHeight |
| Height of the document page, in points (72 points per inch). For PDF files this indicates the height of the first page only. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | points |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemPageWidth |
| Width of the document page, in points (72 points per inch). For PDF files this indicates the width of the first page only. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | points |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemParticipants |
| The list of people who are visible in an image or movie or written about in a document. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStringss |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.6 and later. |
kMDItemPhoneNumbers |
| Phone numbers related to this item. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemProjects |
| List of projects related to this item. For example, if you were working on a movie, all of the files could be marked as belonging to the project “My Movie”. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemPublishers |
| Publishers of the item. For example, a person, an organization, or a service. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemRecipients |
| Recipients of this item. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemRecipientAddresses |
| This attribute indicates the recipient addresses of the document. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.6 and later. |
kMDItemRights |
| Provides a link to information about rights held on the document. Contains a rights management statement for the document, or reference a service providing such information. Rights information often encompasses Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), copyright, and various property rights. If this attribute is absent, no assumptions can be made about the status of these and other rights with respect to the document. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemSecurityMethod |
| Encryption method used to make the item secure. PDF files return "None" or "Password Encrypted". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemStarRating |
| User rating of this item. For example, the user rating (number of stars) of an iTunes track. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemStateOrProvince |
| Province or state of origin according to guidelines established by the provider. For example, "CA", "Ontario", or "Sussex". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemTextContent |
| Contains a text representation of the content of the document. Data in multiple fields should be combined using a whitespace character as a separator. An application's Spotlight importer provides the content of this attribute. Applications can create queries using this attribute, but are not able to read the value of this attribute directly. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemTitle |
| Title of the item. For example, this could be the title of a document, the name of an song, or the subject of an email message. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemVersion |
| Version number of the item. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemWhereFroms |
| Describes where the item was obtained from. For example, a downloaded file may refer to the URL, files received by email may indicate the sender’s email address, message subject, etc. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
Image Metadata Attribute Keys
Metadata attribute keys that are common to image files.
kMDItemAcquisitionMake |
| Manufacturer of the device used to acquire the document contents. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAcquisitionModel |
| Model of the device used to acquire the document contents. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAlbum |
| Title for the collection containing this item. This is analogous to a record label or photo album. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAperture |
| Aperture setting used when the image was created. This unit is the APEX value. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemBitsPerSample |
| Number of bits per sample. For example, the bit depth of an image (8-bit, 16-bit etc...) or the bit depth per audio sample of uncompressed audio data (8, 16, 24, 32, 64, etc..). |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemColorSpace |
| Color space model used by the document contents. For example, “RGB”, “CMYK”, “YUV”, or “YCbCr”. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemEXIFVersion |
| Version of the EXIF header used to generate the metadata. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemExposureMode |
| Exposure mode used to acquire the document contents. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Expected Values: | 0 (auto exposure), 1 (manual exposure), 2 (auto bracket) |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemExposureProgram |
| Type of exposure program used by the camera to acquire the document contents. Possible values include: Manual, Normal, Aperture priority, etc. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemExposureTimeSeconds |
| Exposure time used to capture the document contents. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | seconds |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemExposureTimeString |
| Time when the document contents were captured. Typically this corresponds to when a photograph is exposed. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFNumber |
| Diameter of the aperture relative to the effective focal length of the lens. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFlashOnOff |
| Whether a camera flash was used to capture the document contents. |
| Value Type: | CFBoolean |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFocalLength |
| Actual focal length of the lens, in millimeters. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | millimeters |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemHasAlphaChannel |
| Whether the image has an alpha channel. |
| Value Type: | CFBoolean |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemISOSpeed |
| ISO speed used to acquire the document contents. For example, 100, 200, 400, etc. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | ISO Speed |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemLayerNames |
| Names of the layers in the file. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemMaxAperture |
| Smallest F number of the lens in APEX value units, usually in the range of 00.00 to 99.99. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemMeteringMode |
| Metering mode used to acquire the image. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Expected Values: | Unknown, Average, CenterWeightedAverage, Spot, MultiSpot, Pattern, Partial |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemOrientation |
| Orientation of the document contents. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Expected Values: | 0 (landscape), 1 (portrait) |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemPixelHeight |
| Height, in pixels, of the contents. For example, the image height or the video frame height. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | pixels |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemPixelWidth |
| Width, in pixels, of the contents. For example, the image width or the video frame width. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | pixels |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemPixelCount |
The total number of pixels in the contents.. Same as kMDItemPixelWidth * kMDItemPixelHeight. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | pixels |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.6 and later. |
kMDItemProfileName |
| Name of the color profile used by the document contents. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemRedEyeOnOff |
| Whether red-eye reduction was used to take the picture. |
| Value Type: | CFBoolean |
| Expected Values: | 0 (no red-eye reduction mode or unknown), 1 (red-eye reduction used) |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemResolutionHeightDPI |
| Resolution height, in DPI, of the item. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | dots per inch (DPI) |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemResolutionWidthDPI |
| Resolution width, in DPI, of the item. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | dots per inch (DPI) |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemWhiteBalance |
| White balance setting of the camera when the picture was taken. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Expected Values: | 0 (auto white balance), 1 (manual) |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
Video Metadata Attribute Keys
Metadata attribute keys that are common to video files.
kMDItemAudioBitRate |
| Bit rate of the audio in the media. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemCodecs |
| Codecs used to encode/decode the media. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemDeliveryType |
| Method used to deliver streaming media. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Expected Values: | "Fast Start", "RTSP" |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemMediaTypes |
Media types present in the content. For example, a QuickTime movie may return: kMDItemMediaTypes = (Sound, Video, "Hinted Video Track", "Hinted Sound Track") | kMDItemMediaTypes = (Sound, Video) | kMDItemMediaTypes = ("MPEG1 Muxed") |
|
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemStreamable |
| Whether the content is prepared for streaming. |
| Value Type: | CFBoolean |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemTotalBitRate |
| Total bit rate, audio and video combined, of the media. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemVideoBitRate |
| Bit rate of the video in the media. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
Audio Metadata Attribute Keys
Metadata attribute keys that describe an audio file.
kMDItemAppleLoopDescriptors |
| Specifies multiple pieces of descriptive information about a loop. Besides genre and instrument, files can contain descriptive information that help users in refining searches. |
| Value Type: | Array of CFStrings |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAppleLoopsKeyFilterType |
| Specifies key filtering information about a loop. Loops are matched against projects that often differ in a major or minor key. To assist users in identifying loops that will "fit" with their compositions, loops can be tagged with one of the following key filters: "AnyKey", "Minor", "Major", "NeitherKey", or "BothKeys". "AnyKey" means that it fits with anything (whether in a major key, minor key or neither). "Minor" fits with compositions in a minor key. "NeitherKey" doesn't work well with compositions that are in major or minor key. "BothKeys" means it fits with compositions that are in major or minor key. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Expected Values: | "AnyKey", "Minor", "Major" , "NeitherKey", "BothKeys" |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAppleLoopsLoopMode |
| Specifies how a file should be played. Tagged files can either be loops or non-loops (e.g., a cymbal crash). "Looping" indicates if the file should be treated as a loop. "Non-looping" indicates the file should not be treated as a loop. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Expected Values: | "Looping", "Non-looping" |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAppleLoopsRootKey |
| Specifies the loop's original key. The key is the root note or tonic for the loop, and does not include the scale type |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Expected Values: | "C", "C#/Db", "D", "D#/Eb", "E", "F", "F#/Gb", "G", "G#/Ab", "A", "A#/Bb", "B", "NoKey" |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAudioChannelCount |
| Number of channels in the audio data contained in the file. This integer value only represents the number of discrete channels of audio data found in the file. It does not indicate any configuration of the data in regards to a user's speaker setup. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAudioEncodingApplication |
| Name of the application that encoded the audio of the document. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAudioSampleRate |
| Sample rate of the item's audio data. The sample rate is a float value representing Hz (audio_frames/second). For example: 44100.0, 22254.54. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | Hz (audio_frames/second) |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemAudioTrackNumber |
| Track number of a song or composition when it is part of an album. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemComposer |
| Composer of the song in the audio file. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemIsGeneralMIDISequence |
| Whether the MIDI sequence contained in the file is set up for use with a General MIDI device. |
| Value Type: | CFBoolean |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemKeySignature |
| Musical key of the song in the audio file. For example: "C", "Dm", "F#m", "Bb". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemLyricist |
| Lyricist of the song in the audio file. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemMusicalGenre |
| Musical genre of the song or composition contained in the audio file. For example: "Jazz", "Pop", "Rock", "Classical". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemMusicalInstrumentCategory |
| Specifies the category of an instrument. Files should have an instrument associated with them ("Other Instrument" is provided as a catch-all). For some categories, such as "Keyboards", there are instrument names which provide a more detailed instrument definition, for example "Piano" or "Organ". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemMusicalInstrumentName |
| Specifies the name of instrument relative to the instrument category. Files can have an instrument name associated with them if they have certain instrument categories. For example, the "Percussion" category has multiple instruments, including "Conga" and "Bongo". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemRecordingDate |
Recording date of the song or composition. This is in contrast to kMDItemContentCreationDate which, could indicate the creation date of an edited or "mastered" version of the original art. |
| Value Type: | CFDate |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemRecordingYear |
| Year the item was recorded. For example: 1964, 1995, 1997, or 2003. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemTempo |
| Tempo of the music in the audio file. A floating point value. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | Beats per Minute (BPM) |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemTimeSignature |
| Time signature of the musical composition contained in the audio/MIDI file. For example: "4/4", "7/8". |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
File System Metadata Attribute Keys
Metadata attribute keys that describe the file system attributes for a file. These attributes are available for files on any mounted volume.
kMDItemFSContentChangeDate |
| Date the file contents last changed. |
| Value Type: | CFDate |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSCreationDate |
| Date that the contents of the file were created. |
| Value Type: | CFDate |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSInvisible |
| Whether the file is invisible. |
| Value Type: | CFBoolean |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSIsExtensionHidden |
| Whether the file extension of the file is hidden. |
| Value Type: | CFBoolean |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSLabel |
| Index of the Finder label of the file. Possible values are 0 through 7. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Expected Values: | 0 through 7 |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSName |
| File name of the item. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSNodeCount |
| Number of files in a directory. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSOwnerGroupID |
| Group ID of the owner of the file. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSOwnerUserID |
| User ID of the owner of the file. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSSize |
| Size, in bytes, of the file on disk. |
| Value Type: | CFNumber |
| Units: | bytes |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemPath |
Complete path to the file. This value of this attribute can be retrieved, but can't be used in a query or to sort search results. This attribute can’t be used as a member of the valueListAttrs array parameter for MDQueryCreate or MDQueryCreateSubset. |
| Value Type: | CFString |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Available in OS X v10.4 and later. |
Deprecated Metadata Attribute Keys
Metadata attribute keys that have been deprecated.
kMDItemFSExists |
| This attribute is deprecated and was never implemented. |
| Value Type: | CFBoolean |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Deprecated in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSIsReadable |
| This attribute is deprecated and was never implemented. |
| Value Type: | CFBoolean |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Deprecated in OS X v10.4 and later. |
kMDItemFSIsWriteable |
| This attribute is deprecated and was never implemented. |
| Value Type: | CFBoolean |
| Framework: | CoreServices/CoreServices.h |
| Header: | MDItem.h |
| Availability: | Deprecated in OS X v10.4 and later. |