---
title: MDItem
framework: coreservices
role: collectionGroup
role_heading: API Collection
path: coreservices/file_metadata/mditem
---

# MDItem

## Overview

Overview MDItem is a CF-compliant object that represents a file andthe metadata associated with the file. For functions that expect an MDItemRef parameter, if thisparameter is not a valid MDItemRef, the behavior is undefined. NULL isnot a valid MDItemRef.

## Topics

### Creating an MDItem

- [MDItemCreate(_:_:)](coreservices/1426917-mditemcreate.md)
- [MDItemCreateWithURL(_:_:)](coreservices/1427034-mditemcreatewithurl.md)

### Getting the Type Identifier

- [MDItemGetTypeID()](coreservices/1427168-mditemgettypeid.md)

### Retrieving Metadata Attributes 

- [MDItemCopyAttribute(_:_:)](coreservices/1427080-mditemcopyattribute.md)
- [MDItemCopyAttributes(_:_:)](coreservices/1426980-mditemcopyattributes.md)
- [MDItemCopyAttributeNames(_:)](coreservices/1427066-mditemcopyattributenames.md)

### Data Types

- [MDItem](coreservices/mditem.md)

### Constants

- [Common Metadata Attribute Keys](coreservices/file_metadata/mditem/common_metadata_attribute_keys.md)
- [Image Metadata Attribute Keys](coreservices/file_metadata/mditem/image_metadata_attribute_keys.md)
- [Video Metadata Attribute Keys](coreservices/file_metadata/mditem/video_metadata_attribute_keys.md)
- [Audio Metadata Attribute Keys](coreservices/file_metadata/mditem/audio_metadata_attribute_keys.md)
- [File System Metadata Attribute Keys](coreservices/file_metadata/mditem/file_system_metadata_attribute_keys.md)

## See Also

### Opaque Types

- [MDSchema](coreservices/file_metadata/mdschema.md)

### Related Documentation

- [Spotlight Overview](apple-archive/documentation/Carbon/Conceptual/MetadataIntro.md)
- [File Metadata Search Programming Guide](apple-archive/documentation/Carbon/Conceptual/SpotlightQuery/Concepts/Introduction.html.md)
- [Spotlight Importer Programming Guide](apple-archive/documentation/Carbon/Conceptual/MDImporters.md)
- [File Metadata Attributes Reference](apple-archive/documentation/CoreServices/Reference/MetadataAttributesRef/MetadataAttrRef.html.md)