Enable Explorer in Vista, Windows 7 and later to see, edit and search on tags and other metadata for any file type
In Windows XP, Explorer could see and edit metadata (for example comments or tags) for any type of file. In Vista and later, this has been possible only for certain types of file, such as Office documents, JPEGs and MP3s.It is pretty clear that Microsoft originally intended to ship a broader capability. What this package does is just wire up pieces that are already there: the fact that the core functionality is delivered by one 17K DLL (64-bit, release build) and some registry settings tells you how close Microsoft got. This piece connects Explorer's ability to see and edit metadata with NTFS's support for storing property data in an annex to a file.
One reason why this was never shipped is that all works well when the file is moved around between NTFS drives, but the metadata is lost when a file is, say, emailed, or moved to a FAT file system. Also, if your files are still being edited, then you need to check that associated metadata is preserved on save. Some file editors, rather than update the file in place, save updates using a write-new-file, delete-original-file, rename-new-to-original strategy that loses any metadata held in the annex to the original file. You do need to be aware of these limitations, but think of being able to add metadata to txt files, pdfs, anything, editable directly in Explorer! And, to help with unfriendly editors and non-NTFS transfers, I've included support for exporting the metadata to a separate file, and importing it again to reapply it to the original file (or indeed to a different file).
The final element of the package is a file association manager, to turn file metadata support on (and off) per file extension, which is how Explorer knows to allow you to see and edit the metadata. This will not let you interfere where Explorer already knows how to handle a file type, it only allows you to add metadata support for file types that aren't already covered by Windows or 3rd party software. And because Windows Search uses the same property system (from Vista on), you can also search using your metadata, both in Explorer and from the Start Menu.
To get started, see Getting Started. Once you've had a go, any feedback, positive or negative, from a rating to a review, would be much appreciated.
NEW File Meta 1.2 is now available for download from the Downloads page. This is not yet the recommended release (except for Server deployment), but will become so soon, barring unexpected problems. Changes are: the inclusion of command line support; support for selecting multiple extensions in File Association Manager; and property handler modifications to reduce disk footprint, especially when indexing.