Help for "Find files or folders" inadequate

  • Thread starter Thread starter Agent Friday
  • Start date Start date
A

Agent Friday

This is part question and part comment... I'd like to see the help topic
improved, but an immediate answer would be nice too...

In the help topic "Search for a file or folder", the line:
3. Type part or all of the name of the file or folder, or type a word or
phrase that is in the file.
seems to imply that you can either enter enter part of the filename, OR text
to find inside the files, when in reality you can enter both.

Also missing in the help:
- You can join multiple filespecs using semicolons
- If you're looking for a small filename (like help), you may get a huge
number of mathes that CONTAIN the word help, because the default behavior is
to match any substring in the filename. You can force it to use
whole-name-only matches by encloseing the name/filespec in quotes. How this
combines with multiple filespecs, I do not know...
- You can enter multiple words, and how that works
- How do you enter a phrase, as opposed to multiple single words. Do you
enclose it in quotes? Or is any series of 2 or more words treated as a
contiguous phrase?

The last one is what I'm trying to find out. I know I can figure it out by
running a couple experiments, but I don't have time right now.

Thanks!
-Agent
 
No kidding. Are you really sure you want to use XP's 7-year old built-in
search utility to find words and phrases when there are so many better
(and free) choices?
 
Agent Friday said:
This is part question and part comment... I'd like to see the help topic
improved,
Click to expand...

Ain't gonna happen, now or ever.
but an immediate answer would be nice too...

In the help topic "Search for a file or folder", the line:
3. Type part or all of the name of the file or folder, or type a word or
phrase that is in the file.
seems to imply that you can either enter enter part of the filename, OR text
to find inside the files, when in reality you can enter both.

Also missing in the help:
- You can join multiple filespecs using semicolons
- If you're looking for a small filename (like help), you may get a huge
number of mathes that CONTAIN the word help, because the default behavior is
to match any substring in the filename. You can force it to use
whole-name-only matches by encloseing the name/filespec in quotes. How this
combines with multiple filespecs, I do not know...
- You can enter multiple words, and how that works
- How do you enter a phrase, as opposed to multiple single words. Do you
enclose it in quotes? Or is any series of 2 or more words treated as a
contiguous phrase?

The last one is what I'm trying to find out. I know I can figure it out by
running a couple experiments, but I don't have time right now.
Click to expand...

WHUPS... I was gonna help you but I just checked my watch and I'm
short on time too. Seeya...
 
Agent Friday said:
This is part question and part comment... I'd like to see the help topic
improved, but an immediate answer would be nice too...

In the help topic "Search for a file or folder", the line:
3. Type part or all of the name of the file or folder, or type a word or
phrase that is in the file.
seems to imply that you can either enter enter part of the filename, OR text
to find inside the files, when in reality you can enter both.

Also missing in the help:
- You can join multiple filespecs using semicolons
- If you're looking for a small filename (like help), you may get a huge
number of mathes that CONTAIN the word help, because the default behavior is
to match any substring in the filename. You can force it to use
whole-name-only matches by encloseing the name/filespec in quotes. How this
combines with multiple filespecs, I do not know...
- You can enter multiple words, and how that works
- How do you enter a phrase, as opposed to multiple single words. Do you
enclose it in quotes? Or is any series of 2 or more words treated as a
contiguous phrase?

The last one is what I'm trying to find out. I know I can figure it out by
running a couple experiments, but I don't have time right now.

Thanks!
-Agent
Click to expand...

They aint gonna change it. But for all your searching needs, two words:

Agent
Ransack
 
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