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The new update to Leopard, 10.5.2, lets you have it your way: the new-style Dock "stacks" that Leopard wrought, or the simpler Dock folders of Tiger (10.4) and earlier versions of OS X. Users everywhere are happy: this is the sort of choice that makes an interface great. (For more on using 10.5.2's Dock, see Getting to Know the New Stacks.)

However you like your Dock folders to behave when clicked, how about having folders whose contents change dynamically? This could be a folder that shows all files you've opened in the past three days, or all Apple Pages files, or all TextEdit files that contain "Project" in the title and are less than one month old.

Easy as pie! When you perform a search in Spotlight or using the Finder, OS X lets you save the results as a Saved Search folder. Search for all Apple Pages documents, for example, and OS X will not only show you the returned list of files, but let you save the search itself as a folder. Open that folder, at any time, and voila, you'll see that list of Apple Pages documents, updated to the present second. (Search for "Spotlight" in your Help menu to read your Mac's built-in documentation on the topic. That'll answer any questions about how to get started.)

So what about that Dock? You've guessed it by now: just drag one of those Saved Search folders to the Dock. (They probably live within <your home directory>/Library/Saved Searches; if you don't find them there, do a search for your Saved Search folders. : )

Interestingly, once placed in the Dock, a Saved Search folder doesn't work the same as a regular folder in the Dock. None of the nifty 10.5.2 display options are there; no fans, grids, or lists. A click simply opens the saved search in the Finder. It's still useful for instantly enacting a search, but a wee dull in execution.

So here's another fun idea: instead of a single Saved Search, place the whole Saved Searches folder, the one containing all the individual folders, into the Dock. That Saved Searches folder can be set to display as a grid, fan, or list. Great! But alas, as a list, the individual search folders within still can't be accessed from the Dock like regular folders can be. You'll only have the option of clicking on one of the folders, causing it to open normally in the Finder.

The Saved Searches folder in the Dock. The search folders within it can be clicked to open in the Finder, but can't be traversed within the list (as indicated by the lack of "open triangles" to the right of the folder icons).

It'd be nice if those individual searches could be traversed from within the Dock, but there may be sound technological reasons for not allowing that. The most probable one: building each search does take some time, even for the speedy Spotlight technology, and that lag may prove a clumsy thing within lists.

Even with that limitation, making your saved searches readily available within the Dock can be a handy thing. Experiment and have fun.