Documentation
For a quickstart in how to install and run tracker read here.
Refer to the download to see how to download the tracker-packages for your favourite distribution.
The list of the application using Tracker can be found here.
Choose what to index
Tracker comes with a GUI (Gtk2) interface to choose what and how index. From a terminal digit: tracker-preferences to fire up the preferences dialog.
You can always tune your tracker behaviuor writing directly the config file under ~/.config/tracker.cfg.
Command line
Tracker has several command line:
- tracker-tag for setting and searching tags/keywords
- tracker-extract FILE this extracts embedded metadata from FILE and prints to stdout
- tracker-query this reads an RDF Query that specifies the search criteria for various fields.
Following the Fredesktop.org standards
From 0.6.0 Tracker follows the freedesktop.org standards:
- configuration -- ~/.config/tracker/tracker.cfg
- data -- ~/.local/share/tracker
- index cache -- ~/.cache/tracker
Autostart Tracker
Tracker should be alredy added to your session if you use a Desktop Enviroment that respects the freedesktop spec.
- In Gnome check your Session Property and enable Tracker if is not already.
- In KDE check your Autostart program and enable Tracker if is not already.
- In XFCE check your Session Manager and enable Tracker if is not already.
Applications using Tracker:
Nautilus
Nautilus may not ship with tracker integration for all the distro so you should compile it. The following distro has the support for tracker already compiled (you don't need to do the job ):
- Debian Unstable
- Fedora
To compile Nautilus with tracker integration just compile version Nautilus (ver 2.13.4 or above) after you have installed the package tracker-devel. If you have compiled tracker by your own you don't need anything else. Nautilus should auto detect the Tracker library and automatically add the tracker support. Check the Make report. Nautilus Home Page
For Ubuntu Feisty there is a debian package of Nautilus with tracker support here. It's not an official package, but feel free to try it.
For the tagging support, and how is the development status watch here: http://www.johnstowers.co.nz/blog/index.php/2007/02/06/a-metadata-enabled-gnome/
Deskbar
A package should be available to install the deskbar handler, if it is not provided with the tracker-search-tool. On Debian/Ubuntu is called libdeskbar-tracker. Deskbar Home Page
Kio-find
Kio-find is a KIO slave that allows KDE's file manager Konqueror to access tracker's indexing database. find_applet adds a search box to the kicker bar. Kio-Find Home Page
Daze
Daze is a small note-taking/annotation tool. A bit in the spirit of Tomboy, but with a considerably smaller feature scope. Daze Home Page
Catfish
Catfish is a handy file searching tool for linux and unix. Basically it is a frontend for different search engines (daemons) which provides a unified interface. Catfish Home Page
Affinity
Affinity is a desktop search tool, which hopes to provide a quick way to get at all the different information on your desktop. It achieves this by having various back-ends, but implemented through one standard interface. Affinty Home Page
PaperBox
PaperBox is a metadata-driven document browser. It is based on Tracker, desktop indexer and metadata store. It is able to retrieve information about all the documents present on your desktop, and presents them in a convenient way. It lets you organize your documents by tags, which are shared across all Tracker-based applications. PaperBox Home Page
Gabasa
Gabasa is a spotlight like frontend for tracker.Gabasa Home Page
Nemo
Nemo is a new way of managing files. Or rather not manage files. Currently it's a cross between a calendar and a file browser with labels. It's a free/open source GTK application written in C#.Nemo Homepage
If you know an application using tracker let us know Contacts