Tagamac

Things, the beautiful tag-based task manager that I’ve mooned over before, has been updated to version 0.9 (beta). This version adds recurring tasks, the ability to choose your Things library location (just hold down option while launching Things), hierarchical tags in the tag drop-down menu, and numerous welcome bug fixes and performance enhancements.

I can’t recommend Things highly enough. I’ve been using it since shortly before I recorded the screencast in November, and my opinion has only improved. Things is simply the easiest, most flexible solution to task management that I’ve found, I have a lot of respect for the developers’ creative vision, and the burgeoning Things community is great. For more information about the 0.9 release, see the blog posts on recurring tasks and the 0.9 release announcement or the release notes. Things is, as always, free to use until its release, and I’ve found it to be extremely stable. Bugs tend to be cosmetic rather than data-threatening.

Code Collector Pro, the tag-based snippets organizer, has been updated to version 1.2, and along with this version the developer has released CodeCollector.net, an online service that allows you to share and sync your favorite code snippets with others (for free!). This version also reintroduces a free “lite” version of the program that doesn’t offer tagging or a number of other advanced features. As of version 1.2, Code Collector Pro now allows you to lock individual snippets to prevent editing, adds drag and drop support to other apps, and introduces some new interface elements to make sorting and using your snippets easier.

For more details, please see the 1.2 blog announcement, Code Collector Pro release notes, and of course CodeCollector.net. Code Collector Pro costs €20 to register. Although the tagging interface in Code Collector Pro is a little bit clunky (you have to use an Inspector-style window to adjust the metadata for any given snippet), this is still an exciting application for anyone who needs to keep track of common code snippets or share them with others.

EagleFiler, my personal favorite file library, has been updated to version 1.3. This is a pretty hefty update with a slew of bug fixes and minor new features. Some highlights: you can now “capture with options”, allowing you to set a variety of metadata when you capture something (instead of forcing you to go back over everything after the fact); Quick Look is now used to display files that EagleFiler doesn’t understand (in OS 10.5 only, of course); an Untagged folder has been added to the Source List (hallelujah!); EagleFiler can now capture from Address Book, Flock, Pages, OmniGraffle, and others (and has improved capture in several applications); and a bunch of other stuff like improved speed/efficiency, less RAM use for large libraries, better Applescript, more frequent checks on the To Import folder, and much, much more.

For the full release notes and a direct link to the download, see the EagleFiler 1.3 blog announcement. This is definitely a worthy version bump to an application that’s already great, and I highly recommend downloading it soon if you’re using EagleFiler.

Punaka, the free file system tagging solution from nudge:nudge, has been updated to version 0.4 (technically beta software, but very stable). Punakea now requires OS 10.5, but if you’re running Leopard it’s well worth a download. Features include the ability to edit tags from directly within the tag browser, a Tags folder that automatically generates a folder structure corresponding to the tags you attach to files (complete with file aliases; this ain’t no smart folder, folks), a new Drop Box folder that will automatically attach tags to any files saved there (by default “untagged”), and numerous interface brush-ups and under-the-hood improvements.

Punakea is an excellent choice if you’re looking for file system tagging, but there is one major caveat: Punakea uses a very unfriendly syntax for Spotlight comment tagging. Although this means you can use spaces in your tags, tagging files by hand using Punakea’s syntax is difficult at best. The program provides workarounds (an excellent, unobtrusive sidebar for one), but to tag with Punakea you generally have to have the program running all the time. For more details about this update, see the release notes. Punakea 0.3.2 is still available for Tiger users.

Together, the file library formerly known as K.I.T., has been updated to version 2.0.8. This minor update includes the option to automatically launch Together at login coupled with the option to hide Together’s library window on launch, improved performance in numerous areas, and a number of helpful bug fixes and minor UI enhancements. If you find yourself running Together constantly in the background so that you can collect your info and notes in one place, this is a good update to download.

For the full story, see the Together release notes. As always, Together is OS 10.5-only.

Yep, the PDF tagging file library from the makers of Leap, has been updated to version 1.7.6 today. This minor update fixes a Leopard TWAIN bug, a problem where Yep would sometimes stop saving tags if Leap was installed, and a number of other small fixes. Additionally, the trial period has been reset, so if you’ve used up your trial and want to give Yep another go, you’re in luck!

As is common for Ironic Software, there are no release notes available unless you download the program or auto-update, although some details are available via MacUpdate. Yep is $34, or $10 when purchased with Leap (for a total cost of $69).

PackRat has been updated yet again to version 1.6. This version fixes a couple of synching problems with the Backpack API as well as adding a preference for using an SSL connection (instead of having PackRat try to figure out whether it should use SSL on synching).

For more details, see the PackRat 1.6 blog post.

Another MailTags 2.2 public beta has been released, this one marked as release candidate 1. Included in this beta is the option to uninstall MailTags if your trial has expired, a reset to the 21 day trial period for all you who want to continue to play with it without registering, various IMAP bug fixes, and a number of new preference fixes and new options to help with managing your tags.

As always, keep in mind that this is beta software (and won’t run on OS 10.4). For more information and to download the beta, see the MailTags for Leopard beta page.

PackRat has been updated to version 1.5.4. This minor update fixes the outstanding problems with Backpack whose recent big update to include multi-user support broke the API and caused a bunch of problems for PackRat.

For more info about the update, see the 1.5.4 blog announcement.

Hot on the heels of the 4.0.1 update, St. Clair Software has delivered Default Folder X 4.0.2. This minor release includes proper behavior in Carbon apps that use sheets on windows with toolbars, corrects selection and window activation problems, and includes a hidden setting to make Finder-click available when the Finder is hidden.

For more information and to download, see the release notes. For those who haven’t tried it yet, Default Folder X expands the capabilities of the OS Save dialog in ways that not only help you roll your own tagging system (if you’re into that sort of thing), but generally make you wonder how you lived without it before.