Author Topic: 'Everything' is one FAST file search engine (Read 108387 times)

nosh · « **on:** September 26, 2008, 10:29 AM »

Lifehacker blogged about Everything, a search app similar to AvaFind (mini review), yesterday.
Both these are file name, and not context indexing tools. Both index files in realtime, unlike the universal favorite, Locate.

Some ways in which Everything differs from Avafind -

Boolean & Regex support.
Highlighting the searched text within results.
It doesn't allow blocking specific folders from being indexed
No recently launched/downloaded files panes like Avafind
Eerily fast indexing (seeing is believing!)

Everything is under 300 KB & free. I'd say it still has some important features missing but this app looks very promising, totally worth taking for a spin.

justice · « **Reply #1 on:** September 26, 2008, 10:41 AM »

I thought Locate did (at least near) realtime indexing?

http://screencast.com/t/BArrKyPd

nosh · « **Reply #2 on:** September 26, 2008, 10:54 AM »

It doesn't track newly added files. I'll uninstall everything else once it starts doing that. I believe the feature ranks high on the author's to-do list, so I suppose it's just a matter of time. *fingers crossed*

yksyks · « **Reply #3 on:** September 26, 2008, 04:51 PM »

Thanks nosh for the heads up. The speed of indexing is really amazing. But it wouldn't be me not to point out some problems--besides some more special features missing (compared to locate32):

doesn't properly sort Unicode filenames
always case-sensitive search for accented characters
doesn't comply to system setting "Single-click to open"
no simple way to search for extensions (the recommended method like ".mp3" searches for the string within the filename, not real extensions)
no saved searches

This all works in locate32. "Everything" beats it in the indexing speed and real-time file monitoring, though.

nosh · « **Reply #4 on:** September 26, 2008, 09:58 PM »

I agree yksyks - I didn't even bother comparing the thing to Locate coz the sheer flexibility & depth of features the latter provides would probably take other devs years to incorporate into their apps, assuming they even bothered. This is strictly for the "must-have-realtime" crowd, which is why I compared it to Avafind. I can't wait for Locate to fill in the few remaining blanks (realtime indexing, recently launched/changed/added file panes, highlighting of searched terms within results...) so we can have the perfect (filename) search app.

justice · « **Reply #5 on:** September 27, 2008, 02:55 AM »

wow it is fast. two tips, theres a ftp/http server so other users can remotely search your system (impressive), and if you search for *.ext then it seems to work on extensions only. It did scan insanely fast and searching is instant. Thinknig its worth having next to locate.

Also if you got a fileserver or backup server just run everything and one of the servers and you'll have instant access to its files remotely

yksyks · « **Reply #6 on:** September 27, 2008, 03:35 AM »

Justice, you're right. I just followed the example on theirs page, but using "*.ext" searches properly the real extensions.

CleverCat · « **Reply #7 on:** September 27, 2008, 08:35 AM »

Yikes - it found the Hosts file in a couple seconds!

Copernic never found it...and took a lot of CPU!

yksyks · « **Reply #8 on:** September 27, 2008, 02:12 PM »

Seconds? It is supposed to find it in a fraction of a second! (And it does on my system.) On the other hand, Copernic is not supposed to find it at all--unless you specifically tell it to search in Windows folder, which doesn't make sense IMHO.

(I noticed in this forum that filename indexing applications (like locate32) are often compared or even mistaken for content indexing applications (like Copernic). These are very different in many aspects, and both have theirs places even on a single system.)

CleverCat · « **Reply #9 on:** September 28, 2008, 02:02 AM »

I timed it - under a second...

I told Copernic to search Windows - still never found it...

kimmchii · « **Reply #10 on:** September 28, 2008, 03:33 AM »

great stuff,

thx for the thread.

yksyks · « **Reply #11 on:** September 28, 2008, 03:35 AM »

I suppose the problem with Copernic is that it cannot be configured to scan files with blank extension, which is the case of HOSTS file. But again, I never use Copernic for searching for filenames only, despite it's supposed to support it.

CleverCat · « **Reply #12 on:** September 28, 2008, 06:41 AM »

Ah - is that why!

Curt · « **Reply #13 on:** September 28, 2008, 07:49 AM »

I am very impressed with Everything

and I expect it will replace my BareGrep Pro demo
- but none of them are supporting Unicode!

Now to nag the author for support of Unicode!

- he already has promised to implement it "in a future version".

f0dder · « **Reply #14 on:** September 28, 2008, 08:34 AM »

If an application is initially written without unicode support, it can be a very nasty task supporting it later on... A fair amount of ansi<>unicode problems can be caught pretty easily (but requires boring manual fixes), but a lot of stuff requires manual walking through the codebase...

Darwin · « **Reply #15 on:** September 28, 2008, 09:03 AM »

I expect it will replace my BareGrep Pro demo
-Curt (September 28, 2008, 07:49 AM)

BareGrep Pro is so easy to use, unbelievably fast, searches and displays content (if you want it to), and doesn't require indexing, though...

Darwin · « **Reply #16 on:** September 28, 2008, 09:47 AM »

Wow. After posting above, I downloaded and installed Everything. It is impressive. However, I'm not sure why the indexing feature is necessary, given the speed of non-indexing alternatives like LookDisk, SearchGT, FileLocator Pro/AgentRansack, BareGrep Pro, etc.?

CGA · « **Reply #17 on:** September 29, 2008, 03:52 AM »

If possible, a FARR plugin based on this program would be nice.

CleverCat · « **Reply #18 on:** September 29, 2008, 05:08 AM »

Wow - soon FARR will be all we need!

yksyks · « **Reply #19 on:** September 29, 2008, 05:36 AM »

I just contacted the author of Everything and here's his response:

I am currently implementing unicode support for Everything which will be available soon.

Good news for all users, bad news for an eventual FARR plugin developer, though... But I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

yksyks · « **Reply #20 on:** October 27, 2008, 03:55 AM »

"Everything" 1.2.0.317b is available for beta testing. It now supports Unicode and has some more new features and enhancements.

Any news regarding FARR plugin implementation?

xbeta · « **Reply #21 on:** November 03, 2008, 03:29 AM »

"Everything" 1.2.0.317b is available for beta testing. It now supports Unicode ……
-yksyks (October 27, 2008, 03:55 AM)

Yes, It support Chinese 中文 now. And I 'll provide a Chinese language Pack.
Thanks for the news.

Also, one reader from my blog are waiting for the FARR plugin.

Curt · « **Reply #22 on:** November 03, 2008, 07:12 AM »

samer the freeware genius is very excited with Everything!

http://www.freewareg...ram-for-ntfs-drives/

yksyks · « **Reply #23 on:** November 08, 2008, 03:15 AM »

New beta 1.2.0.322b just released. Unicode sorting fixed now.

city_zen · « **Reply #24 on:** November 08, 2008, 01:31 PM »

I've just tried Everything and I too am impressed by its speed

Since my default search tool has been so far the Total Commander search feature, I'm wondering if anyone has succeeded in integrating the two programs. I can easily add a toolbar button in TC to launch Everything, but how do I "export" the search results from Everything back to TC? Can it be done? Any ideas? Thanks