voidtools forum

Hello all,
How can I search for a combination of a partial filename and file extension using wildcards?

Let's say I'm looking for pictures taken in London that I've bulk-renamed London-1.jpg, London-2.jpg and so on. In Windows Search, I would enter London*.jpg. How do I get the same results using Everything?

Perhaps this is a poor example, but basically any partial filename, but only with a specific extension. Search for Invoice*.pdf rather than invoice* that would list all my invoices in .doc, docx, printed PDFs and so on.

Please'n'thanks.

It should works. Check if you have not turned the regex, and you have unchecked the "Math whole filename when using wildcards" in the Tools | Options | Search

By default, if you will, basically any simple search term is a "wildcard".

So:

> LONDON {space} .jpg

is one way to do it.

Or:

> LONDON ext:jpg

Or:

> LONDON- ext:jpg

then there is something not set right. For search term london by itself I get hundreds of hits of all sorts; folders, .mp3, .jpg, .bmp and so on.

Entering any of the suggested search parameters and I got no results at all.

Thus if I'm looking for my team roster's Excel spreadsheets (all filenames before the period will contain the search string NJDXA and have the extension .xls or .xlsx) none of the following searches had any results at all:

NJDXA .XL*
NJDXA ext:xl*

I'm guessing I have something in settings mis-set.

Check what you have enabled under Search.
You shouldn't necessarily need anything enabled there, in particular Regex.

While '*' might mean "anything" (not really, but), in DOS, it does not in Everything.

If you want to find file names that include ".xl", then enter just that, ".xl".

That will find:

> .xl, .xls, .xlst, supercalafraga.xlst.ic.expi.alidoucious.

Now combine that with NJDXA {space} .xl

Will find:

> NJDXA.xl, NJDXA.xls, NJDXA.xlst, supercalafraga.NJDXA.xlsticexpialidoucious


Case is immaterial unless you specify it.
If your search is .xl, what comes before or after .xl is immaterial.
All that matters is that .xl is found - somewhere.

Path is not searched - unless you include it.
So without Path, .xl would not be found in:

> C:\TMP\NJDXA.xl\NJDXA\file_results_08242016.TXT

OK, problem found; Regex had been checked. Not sure what that does (and that means I probably will never need it), but unchecked and all is good. usually a search for just a partial file name is all I need but sometimes partial + extension makes all the difference.

Thanks again.