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Handout 12

This document provides techniques for effectively searching files using advanced search syntax in File Explorer, including the use of Boolean operators and date filters. It also explains how to save searches for quick access and utilize filters and grouping to manage large sets of files. Overall, these methods enhance the efficiency of file retrieval and organization.

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9 views2 pages

Handout 12

This document provides techniques for effectively searching files using advanced search syntax in File Explorer, including the use of Boolean operators and date filters. It also explains how to save searches for quick access and utilize filters and grouping to manage large sets of files. Overall, these methods enhance the efficiency of file retrieval and organization.

Uploaded by

pargostilum
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Instituto Superior del Traductorado – DIEGEP 5649 Information Search Techniques

Handout 12: Search Filters

See that search box in the upper right corner of the File Explorer window? Type a word or two in there
and you can find any file in the current folder that contains your search term, either in the file name
or (for file types that are fully indexed) in the body of the file.

But there’s an entire advanced search syntax, complete with Boolean operators, parameters, and
operators. My favourite is the
datemodified: operator, which accepts
actual dates but also understands
relative dates, like today, this week, last
week, this month, and last month.

If you want to see all the Excel


spreadsheets you’ve worked on so far
this month, for example, just enter this
in the search box:

type:excel datemodified:this month

If you want to see all the translations:

translation datemodified:this month

The search syntax assumes you want to


find files that match both criteria, treating the query as if you had added the AND operator between
the two terms.

Pin saved searches to Start

So maybe you didn’t like that last tip because the idea of typing commands in a box seems too retro.

But what if you could save those searches, so you could


just click a shortcut to show only files that you worked
with in the past week or two? You can, and the search
results will always be relative to the current date.

Start in the folder or library you want to use as the


search scope – that could be your synced OneDrive or
Dropbox files, your local Documents folder, or a
network store, for example.

Enter datemodified:(this week OR last week) in the


search box. Be sure to include the parentheses and
capitalize the Boolean OR.

Because you’ve just run a search, File Explorer politely


switches the ribbon to the Search tab, where you can
click Save Search and give those parameters a name. The search gets saved, logically enough, in the

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Instituto Superior del Traductorado – DIEGEP 5649 Information Search Techniques

Searches folder in your user profile. Right-click that saved search to pin it to the Start menu, or drag it
onto the File Explorer icon on the taskbar to add it to the jump list.

Use filters to find files faster

Typing in the search box is one way to narrow a large group


of files to a more manageable one, but it’s not the only way.
Filters are an even easier way to point and click your way to
search success.

Start in the folder or library you want to search, and then


use the button in the lower right corner of a File Explorer
window to switch to Details view, which arranges your files
into columns. Now look to the right of each heading, where
you’ll find a small arrow. Click that arrow to show a filter list
for the data in that column. By clicking a check box or two
(or three), you can cut a very large list of files down to size.

The date navigator is much more powerful than it looks at first glance. Use the calendar to zoom in or
out and narrow or expand your view of the contents of a folder or a search. Initially, the calendar
shows the current month, with today’s date highlighted. Click the month heading to zoom out to a
display showing the current year as a heading with the current month highlighted. You can then drag
or hold down Ctrl and click to select multiple months.

Group files

Everyone knows how to sort files–


just click a column heading to sort by
that value, and click again to reverse
the sort order.

But you can also group files by date,


size, or type, making it much easier
to see similar files in a folder or a set
of search results. The Group
command is on the View tab of the
ribbon. It’s also available when you
right-click in the File Explorer
window.

Each group gets its own heading in


File Explorer, with a count of how
many items are in that group. You
can right-click a heading to expand or collapse it. You can also collapse all groups to produce a neat
breakdown of groups, with the number shown beside each one.

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