Search Box Tips

When you are working with the file/folder search box, you want to find files quickly.
The real key to this is making sure you name files logically or include pertinent infor-
mation as metadata to the file. We will discuss this in-depth momentarily. For example,
say you go to a folder and type in the name you are looking for (Expense Report
Germany); immediately all the files that dont correspond disappear, making it easier to
select the file you need. You could also type partial words like exp; the search box
brings up all the files with those letters in the title or within the content.
Another cool feature isthat you can find a file by type: document, picture, or music. In
the search box, just type one of those and it filters out the others. You might want to be
more specific about the type of filefor example, is it a .bmp or .jpg? You can do that,
too, by typing in the extension of the file. (Using wildcards such as *.jpg generates a
clearer search.)
Now lets talk about tags. When you create files, you are asked whether you want to
add any tags . This could make finding files, especially pictures, much
easier, but only if you take the time to set the tag. You can also search by author, but
you could see how that would be helpful only if you have a few items from one author
on your system.

The reason these search filters work is because Windows searches through every-
thingthe name, contents, properties, tags, and so forth. But you might want to search
more selectively. Thats possible, too. For example, you can search by the property you
are looking for by specifying the property and the term separated by a colon. For exam-
ple, entering Name:Disney brings up only the files with Disney in the name.
Tag:Wedding brings up only files with the tags set with the word Wedding (great
for pictures). Modified:11/18/2006 gives you the files modified on a certain date. If you
enter a specific year, it gives you files modified within that year, although that might
be too broad for your search.

Almost any property in the file list headings can be heard. Here is where search
becomes very cool. Lets say you have a document and you dont remember the name
or where you put it but you have it in your hands and its six pages long. You can type
Pages:6 in the Search box and it will find all the documents of that size!
You can also use Boolean filters to refine your search a bit more. For example, you recall
the standard onesAND, NOT, OR (make sure you use capital letters when using these
because otherwise Search thinks these are real words). Even better, you can combine
Boolean filters with the file property searches, for example, Author: Ed AND David
which finds files authored by both persons. You can find more information on Boolean
filters and file properties in the Vista help files.

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