Search
Summary
This page describes the Search page: the search criteria, running a search, and the search history.
- Search for files in the catalogs of the selected device, or directly in a connected drive.
- Combine criteria to narrow the results:
- the file name, with one or several search texts,
- the file attributes: type, size and date,
- the file metadata: text, image or video dimensions, duration,
- the folder criteria: list folders only, or only tagged folders,
- find duplicates, or differences between 2 devices.
- Re-use the criteria of a previous search from the history.
The results open in the Results page, to the right of the Search page: see Search results.
Where to search
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Catalogs | Searches in the catalogs of the device selected in the Selection: a catalog, all the catalogs of a storage device, or of a virtual device. With no device selected (All), searches in all catalogs. |
| Connected drive | Searches directly in a folder of the computer or of a connected drive, without a catalog. Type the path, or use Select the path. Useful to search in a folder that has no catalog, or to see recent changes without updating a catalog first. |
Search criteria
The criteria are grouped in sections. The checkbox in front of a section title turns the whole section on or off without losing what was entered in it. The same applies to the checkboxes in front of a single criterion (Type, Size, Date...).
File name
text
The text to look for. It can be one or several search texts, one per row:
- + adds a row, − removes it (the last row cannot be removed),
- a file is found when it matches any of the rows,
- the cross in a row empties it.
Buttons next to the rows:
- Paste the text from the clipboard: replaces the rows with the content of the clipboard, one row per line. Useful to search for a list copied from a spreadsheet, a text editor or a file manager.
- Clean the search Text from characters such as _ - . ,: replaces these characters with spaces in every row.
Pasting several lines with Ctrl+V into a row adds them as new rows. Enter in any row runs the search.
with
How the words of each row are matched:
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| All Words | All the words of the row are found, in any order (default). |
| Exact Phrase | The row is found as typed, words in the same order. |
| Begins With | The file name starts with the row. Only with File names only. |
| Any Word | At least one word of the row is found. |
| Regex | The row is a regular expression (PCRE2 syntax). An invalid expression finds nothing. |
A "word" is a group of characters separated from another by a space.
in
Where the text is looked for:
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| File names only | In the file names (default). |
| File names or Folder paths | In the file names and in the folder paths. |
| Folder path only | In the folder paths only. |
case sensitive
Upper- and lower-case letters are treated as different.
exclude
Files are left out of the results when they match any of the exclude rows. The exclude rows work like the search rows: +, −, paste and clean.
File attributes
Type
Only files of one type. When Type is not checked, all types are searched.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| All | No type filter. |
| Audio | Audio files (mp3, ogg, wav, flac...). |
| Image | Image files (jpg, png, gif, raw...). |
| Text | Documents and text files (pdf, docx, odt, epub...). |
| Video | Video files (mp4, mkv, avi, mov...). |
| Other | Files of none of the types above. |
| None | Files with no recognized type. |
File types are recognized from the system's file type database, so the exact list of extensions follows the system.
Size
A minimum and a maximum size, each with its unit: Bytes, KiB, MiB, GiB or TiB.
Date
A minimum and a maximum modification date. Select a date opens a calendar, with shortcuts: Now, 1 day ago, 1 week ago, 1 month ago, 1 year ago.
File metadata
Criteria on information stored inside the files. They need catalogs created or updated with the Include metadata option (see Create).
| Criterion | Description |
|---|---|
| Text | Text in the metadata, such as an artist, album, title or author. |
| Size | Width and Height in pixels, each with a minimum and a maximum (images and videos). |
| Duration | Minimum and maximum duration, as hours:minutes:seconds (audio and video). |
Folder criteria
only list folders in results
The results are the folders that contain matching files, instead of the files.
Tag
Only files in the folders that have this tag. Tags are assigned in the Tags page.
Duplicates
Finds files that are probably the same file in several places.
On: what two files must have in common, one or several of:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Same file name. |
| Size | Same size. |
| Date | Same modification date. |
| Checksum | With =, same checksum: the content is identical. With ≠, different checksum: same name or size, but a different content. |
Checksums are available only for catalogs created or updated with the Include checksum option (see Create).
Scope:
- Within selected device: duplicates inside the selected device,
- Compare two devices: duplicates between Device 1 and Device 2, for example a computer and an old laptop.
Differences
Compares two devices, Between and And, for example a folder and its backup. Finds the files present in only one of them, or present in both but with a different value on the fields chosen in On: Name, Size, Date, Checksum (= or ≠, as for Duplicates).
Differences is available only when searching in Catalogs.
Duplicates and Differences cannot be used at the same time.
Running a search
The buttons at the top of the page:
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| Search | Runs the search. Enter in a text field does the same. |
| Pause / Resume | Pauses the running search and resumes it. |
| Stop | Stops the running search. The results found so far are kept. |
| Reset | Puts all criteria back to their default values. |
| History | Opens the search history. |
| Close | Closes the Search page. |
The progress of the search is shown in the activity panel.
A search cannot start while a catalog is being created or a device updated: Search is disabled in the meantime.
Search history
Every search is saved in the history of the collection, with its criteria and the device it was run on.
History opens the list of past searches. Each line shows the date, the device searched (or All), and a summary of the criteria.
Clicking a line restores all its criteria and the selected device. Click Search to run it again.
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| Keep Last 10 | Deletes all but the 10 most recent searches, after confirmation. |
| Clear | Deletes the whole history, after confirmation. |
| Cancel | Closes the history. |
Development
- See the backlog of Search development.