Editing Sherlock (software)

{{Short description|Defunct web search tool created by Apple}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{refimprove|date=January 2012}}

{{Infobox software
| name = Sherlock
| logo = SherlockLogo.png
| screenshot = Sherlock3.6.2.png
| caption = Sherlock 3.6, Movies channel
| developer = [[Apple Inc.]]
| discontinued = yes
| genre = [[File manager]]<br />[[Search engine]]
| license = 
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20101129083317/http://apple.com/lae/sherlock/ www.apple.com/lae/sherlock/]
| latest_release_version = 3.6.2 (179)
| latest_release_date = 
| operating_system = [[Classic Mac OS]] [[Mac OS 8|8]] and [[Mac OS 9|9]], [[Mac OS X]] (prior to Leopard)
}}
{{macOS sidebar}}
'''Sherlock''' is a now-defunct file and web search tool created by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] for the [[classic Mac OS|"classic" Mac OS]], and carried through to early versions of [[Mac OS X]]. Sherlock was introduced in 1998 with [[Mac OS 8.5]] as an extension of [[Finder (software)|Finder]]'s file searching capabilities. Like its predecessor—System 7.5’s revamped 'Find File' app, adapted by Bill Monk from his 'Find Pro' find program<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/mac_The_Macintosh_Bible_6th_Edition_1996/The_Macintosh_Bible_6th_Edition_1996_djvu.txt|title=The Macintosh Bible, 6th Edition|last=Judson|first=Jeremy|publisher=Peachpit Press|year=1996}}</ref>—Sherlock searches for local files and file contents on a Mac, using the same basic indexing code and search logic found in [[AppleSearch]]. Sherlock extended the system by enabling the user to search for items on the [[World Wide Web]] through a series of plug-ins, which employed existing [[web search engine]]s. These plug-ins were written as [[plain text]] files, so that it was a simple task for a user to write a Sherlock plug-in.

Sherlock was replaced by [[Spotlight (software)|Spotlight]] and [[Dashboard (Mac OS)|Dashboard]] in 2005 with [[Mac OS X 10.4]] Tiger, although Apple continued to include it with the default installation. Since most of the standard plug-ins for Sherlock provided by Apple itself no longer function, it was officially retired and removed in the release of [[Mac OS X 10.5]] Leopard in 2007.

== Data==
The Sherlock 2 search plug-in was an [[SGML]] document, and was typically given the ".src" [[file extension]].  The Sherlock plug-in was composed of three parts, identified by their element names: {{tag|search|o}}, {{tag|input|o}}, and {{tag|interpret|o}} tags.  These elements allowed Sherlock to (respectively) identify a search engine's [[web page]] and the parts that are relevant to searching, as well as returning the results of the search.  There was also a facility for defining how a Sherlock plug-in could update itself.

Sherlock search plug-ins could also be used (with minor modifications) in [[Mozilla]]'s browser suites.  These plug-ins were, appropriately enough, known as Mycroft project plug-ins (named after [[Mycroft Holmes]], Sherlock Holmes' older brother).  Among some of the changes made in the Sherlock file format were the separation of the automatic update element (which formed part of the {{tag|search|o}} element) and the icon (provided in a separate file in Mozilla and part of the [[resource fork]] in Sherlock).

== Sherlock 3 channels ==
The Sherlock 3 search plug-in was a web application, which was downloaded on the fly from a server to ensure the most current version.  As information on the internet is subject to change so quickly, this was one way for Apple to guarantee the up-to-date version.  A channel consisted of a [[web directory]] with an index.  This usually pointed to a sub-directory (usually called "Channel") which contained the code [[XML]], any Script XML, and localized lproj directories (nib file and Localized Text Resources as a plist).

The channels included by default were:
*[[Internet]]
*Pictures
*Stocks
*Movies
*[[eBay]]
*Flights
*Dictionary
*Translation
*[[AppleCare]]

== Current status ==
As Sherlock was never released as a [[Universal binary]], it is not compatible with Mac OS X versions after [[Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard]] and couldn't be launched on [[Intel]] Macs without [[Rosetta (software)|Rosetta]].

==Accusations of plagiarism==
Advocates of [[Karelia Watson|Watson]] made by Karelia Software, LLC claim that Apple copied their product without permission, compensation, or attribution in producing Sherlock 3.{{cn|date = November 2021}} Some disagree with this claim, stating that Sherlock 3 was the natural evolution of Sherlock 2, and that Karelia Software was open that Watson was inspired by Sherlock.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watson Product FAQ |url=http://www.karelia.com/watson/watsonFAQ.html |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=www.karelia.com}}</ref>

== ''Sherlocked'' as a term ==
The phenomenon of Apple releasing a feature that supplants or obviates third-party software is so well known that being {{wikt-lang|en|Sherlock|Sherlocked|italics=no}} has become an accepted term used within the Mac and iOS developer community.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Arment|first1=Marco|title=Sherlocking Myself Just Fine Over Here|url=http://www.marco.org/2013/10/08/sherlocking-myself|access-date=6 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Tsai|first1=Michael|title=The Indie Life|url=http://mjtsai.com/blog/2014/07/09/the-indie-life/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/babbage/2012/07/13/youve-been-sherlocked|title=You've been sherlocked|date=2012-07-13|work=The Economist|access-date=2019-06-06|issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

==Versions==
*Sherlock – introduced in [[Mac OS 8|Mac OS 8.5]].
*Sherlock 2 – shipped with [[Mac OS 9]], new interface, more plug-ins.
*Sherlock 3 – shipped with [[Mac OS X 10.2]], runs only in [[Mac OS X]].
*Sherlock was replaced by [[Spotlight (software)|Spotlight]] in [[Mac OS X Tiger|Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger]] for hard drive searches, and replaced by [[Dashboard (Mac OS)|Dashboard]] for other functionality, but remained as a stand-alone program with its channels. It was completely removed in [[Mac OS X Leopard|Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard]].

==See also==
* [[OpenSearch (disambiguation)]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090301182153/http://developer.apple.com/macosx/sherlock/ Apple: Sherlock 3 Channel Development]
* [http://www.karelia.com/watson/watsonFAQ.html Karelia: Watson FAQ] - See "What is the relationship between Watson and the new Sherlock 3?".
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20031205002111/http://www.karelia.com/developer/watson/ Karelia: Developing Tools for Watson] - See "How does Watson's plug-in architecture compare to Sherlock 3?".
* [http://mycroftproject.com/ MyCroft Project] opensearch & sherlock search engine plug-ins.
* https://wiki.developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/sidebar/Adding_search_engines_from_Web_pages$revision/1525363#Installing_Sherlock_plugins
** https://web.archive.org/web/20090301182153/http://developer.apple.com/macosx/sherlock/

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[[Category:MacOS-only software made by Apple Inc.]]
[[Category:Sherlock Holmes]]