Effective Searching

[jlittle]

Quotes or no quotes ...

find /home/stuart -type f -name *.desktop

Only if you don't have any files matching *.desktop in the current directory where the command is issued.

<didactic, ignorable explanation>
If you have one, say x.desktop, the shell (bash) will change *.desktop to x.desktop and find will search for x.desktop. If there's more than one, find will give a "paths must precede expression" error. Confusing either way, I submit.

We use double quotes to tell the shell "don't do file name expansion and word separation on spaces". (Single quotes mean don't touch at all.) Understanding what the shell does to command lines before the commands get run is a good idea IMO.
</didactics>

[oshunluvr]

I would just like to check my understanding.

For example
find / -name "insert_filename_here"

I should type the word 'name' (no quotation marks). Should the "insert_filename_here" be uses with quotation marks?

Suppose I know some, but not all of a filename?

Thanks

Quotes or no quotes - both work. I should have added -type f to the command so it would look at only files (a bit faster). You can use wildcards in the name and the / means start at the root directory - in other words search the entire filesystem.

Example: I want to know how many desktop files there are in my home. This lists them all:

find /home/stuart -type f -name *.desktop

and so does

find /home/stuart -type f -name "*desk*"

This lists only files named "desktop"

find /home/stuart -type f -name desktop

and this list desktop or Desktop or dEsktop, etc.

find /home/stuart -type f -iname desktop

I think the find command is one of the most powerful tools in linux. Read up on it.

[anonprivate]

recoll is very good ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

vinny@vinny-Bonobo-Extreme:~$ apt search recoll
Sorting... Done
Full Text Search... Done
kio-recoll/trusty,now 1.20.6-0~ppa1~trusty1 amd64 [installed]
  A Recoll KIO slave for KDE 4

python-recoll/trusty,now 1.20.6-1~ppa1~trusty1 amd64 [installed,automatic]
  Python extension for recoll

python3-recoll/trusty 1.20.6-1~ppa1~trusty1 amd64
  Python extension for recoll

recoll/trusty,now 1.20.6-1~ppa1~trusty1 amd64 [installed]
  Personal full text search package with a Qt GUI

unity-scope-recoll/trusty 1.20.2.4-1~ppa2~trusty1 all
  Recoll scope for Unity

the initial indexing takes a wile (you can stop it on it's first run and set the search path for the indexing to your home DIR's instead of / everything )

but after that it is a very nice search tool


VINNY

I will try recoll (odd name, I would have used recall)

I have installed the programme.

Regarding indexing configuration, I have the tab open, but am not sure what to do next. Can you advise?

Suppose I think that a file might be somewhere on my system. What would be the best search strategy. It may well not be in an indexed folder, however, I see the advantage of indexing.

Let me know what you think.

Best wishes.

[anonprivate]

Form the terminal: locate may work. If not, find will:

find / -name "insert_filename_here"

or

find / -iname "insert_filename_here"

for case-insensitive

I would just like to check my understanding.

For example
find / -name "insert_filename_here"

I should type the word 'name' (no quotation marks). Should the "insert_filename_here" be uses with quotation marks?

Suppose I know some, but not all of a filename?

Thanks

[vinnywright]

recoll is very good ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

vinny@vinny-Bonobo-Extreme:~$ apt search recoll
Sorting... Done
Full Text Search... Done
kio-recoll/trusty,now 1.20.6-0~ppa1~trusty1 amd64 [installed]
  A Recoll KIO slave for KDE 4

python-recoll/trusty,now 1.20.6-1~ppa1~trusty1 amd64 [installed,automatic]
  Python extension for recoll

python3-recoll/trusty 1.20.6-1~ppa1~trusty1 amd64
  Python extension for recoll

recoll/trusty,now 1.20.6-1~ppa1~trusty1 amd64 [installed]
  Personal full text search package with a Qt GUI

unity-scope-recoll/trusty 1.20.2.4-1~ppa2~trusty1 all
  Recoll scope for Unity

the initial indexing takes a wile (you can stop it on it's first run and set the search path for the indexing to your home DIR's instead of / everything )

but after that it is a very nice search tool


VINNY

[oshunluvr]

Form the terminal: locate may work. If not, find will:

find / -name "insert_filename_here"

or

find / -iname "insert_filename_here"

for case-insensitive

[anonprivate]

Thank you for responding.

Evidently, Baloo is installed. However, Configure is blank!. I have no Desktop Search Advanced icon!

KFind is not installed.

How can I activate Baloo?
Will I need to install KFind?

Best wishes.

[LinkBot]

Searching...

FAQ: Baloo links: https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...71-Baloo-links -> Without Baloo - Tools: https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post352719

[anonprivate]

Hi,

I was searching for a file that I knew was somewhere on my hard-drive.

I used Dolphin - Find.

But I did not locate the file.

I tried searching for files that I know exist, yet still the find function failed to locate the files.

Can someone suggest an effective method for finding files on the hard drive.

Thanks