I want to create a filter that checks 5 folders for *.lnk and url's.
Can I put +1 folder path in the Find - Folder field?
How do I search for url's?.
How can I save this as a filter, so I can regularly check it?
Well, sort of. If there are 5 specific folders that you want to look at, and no others, then I don't think you can do that. You can just type "C:" and click "Search subfolders", though.
URLs as in, actual internet shortcut files, or just any file with an URL in it? If it's internet shortcut files: *.url If it's any file with an URL in it: put "http://" into the "containing text" box on the search window.
[quote]
How can I save this as a filter, so I can regularly check it?[/quote]
I save my most commonly used filters as a button so I can check them any time. That might be your best bet, too, that way you can check just the 5 folders you want to check and skip the whole search thing all together. However, if you're looking for any file that has an URL in it, you won't be able to do that with filters. If you're looking for *.lnk and *.url files, that one's easy:
Set SHOWFILTERFILENAME=*.(lnk|url)
Throw that command into a button. I also like to make my filter buttons as "Three Buttons," so I can click on the button to apply the filter, and right-click on the button to take it off when I'm done. To make a button to clear the filters:
Set SHOWFILTERFILENAME =""
Hope this all is what you're looking for. Let us know.
--chriscrutch
For 5 specific folders I'd use a batch file (actually I'd use 4NT but here I'll use a batch file), one DOpus filter, and dopusrt to do this. Before I go any further however I should mention the following will only work on Windows NT or newer operating systems. Anyone using an older version of Windows can jump right to the next message.
The first step would be to set up your DOpus filter. The following should be a screenshot of a simple filter that looks for files which end in .url or .lnk (disregard the folder used in this filter, it will be automatically replaced by the folders you want to filter when you run the batch file).
Ok the next step would be the batch file which follows and really isn't as scary as it looks.
REM BEGIN BATCH FILE @echo off & setlocal ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSIONrem Number of folders to filter
set CNT=5
rem full path names of folders to filter
set folder1="C:\test folder\folder 1"
set folder2="C:\test folder\folder 2"
set folder3="C:\test folder\folder 3"
set folder4="C:\temp"
set folder5="C:\test folder\folder 4"
rem name of dopus filter to use
set FILTER=test filter.flt
REM DO NOT EDIT BELOW THIS LINE!
for /L %%A in (1,1,%CNT%) do (
dopusrt /cmd Find FILTER NAME "%FILTER%" I^
N !folder%%A!
)
REM END BATCH FILE
Paste the above script into a new empty text file and save it to your disk somewhere but don't close it yet. While you have the batch file open change the 5 folders near the top of the batch file to be the 5 folders you want to filter. For example replace
"C:\test folder\folder 1"
With one of your folder paths. Note the use of double quotes around the path and the ending \ at the end of the folder. Make sure you include those in your paths as those are critical to this working.
The other thing you will need to change in the batch file is the name of the filter. Replace
test filter.flt
in
Set FILTER=test filter.flt
With the name of the filter you have saved to do this.
Now save that batch file one more time and double click on it with DOpus. If all goes well you should see 1 output window pop up and 5 FIND filter dialog boxes (the dialog boxes will be right on top of each other so you will need to move them around to see all 5. In each FIND filter dialog box should be the one of the folders you want to filter. Simply press the FIND button to filter that folder, and go to the next FIND dialog box and press FIND to filter the next folder. If everything went right you should see something like this on your screen.
Thank you very much for the time you put in to answering my questions.
I will try the suggestions and report back.
Why use a (although pretty nifty) batchfile when you can use just Opus Power 
Create an Advanced Search with the following parameters
If you search on multiple drives this still works....
Gr
Jeroen
This is true. Only instead of using SUBFOLDER in the dialog I would use SUBCLAUSE then LOCATION so a subfolder in any level of the source folder could be filtered. Myself I'd still use the batch file method as it's fast and only deals with the exact folders specified instead of examining the entire source folder or drive.
I'm curious... raymmm... do you really HAVE to have a filter for this or is it just running the 'find' operation and getting it's results that is important? This simple series of commands would work in a regular Dopus button similar to what JohnZ proposed:
sync:dopusrt /cmd Find NAME *.(lnk|url) IN "c:\folder 1" CLEAR
sync:dopusrt /cmd Find NAME *.(lnk|url) IN "d:\folder 2"
sync:dopusrt /cmd Find NAME *.(lnk|url) IN "d:test\folder 3"
It still opens up separate find dialogs and lister windows the way JohnZ's batch method does - but it automatically runs the find operation (and ONLY against the specified folders for speed like JohnZ critiqued) so you don't have to click any additional buttons.
Just to add MY particular personal preferences... 
Specifically because any of the methods suggested so far either open up so many windows (be great if this could be avoided) or search more folders than you need to and only screen the results with a subfolder match or clause, I would go with a variation on chriscrutch's suggestion. I would open each of the specific folders you want to 'search' in a new Lister, set the 'show file filter' like chris mentioned, and if any of these folders you want to screen for URL and LNK files have subfolders, enable Flatview with th grouped option, then save the lister as a custom layout. And when you want to go 'find' these files in tese folders, either goto the Settings->Lister Layouts... menu and select the saved layout, or create a button to load it... easy.
Good point there Steje, that approach hadn't occurred to me. Your method effectively does the same thing as my batch file approach but all from within DOpus.
I have to admit it's almost second nature for me to look for solutions to problems by way of scripting, and when I do that sometimes, like this time, I overlook a way to do it without the scripts.
Ha... well then I finally got you back a little bit on this one then. I think I recall a few times where you may have chimed in with a simpler or more immediate method of doing something after I've gone off on a steje-word marathon .
I'm curious... raymmm... do you really HAVE to have a filter for this or is it just running the 'find' operation and getting it's results that is important?
Only the find.
Thanks to everyone for help.
I have a program that lists *.lnk & *.url in these locations:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu
C:\Documents and Settings\RMM\Start Menu
C:\Documents and Settings\RMM\Favorites
I need to list all lnk/url to remove duplicates, "Readme" links, uninstall links, things like that.
I'd like a list of all lnk/url in those folders so I can remove dups, then find "Readme" links, uninstall links and remove.
It now occurs to me that I could use (somehow) Find Duplicate Files, and a detailed Find for the "readme", uninstall files.
I'm going to try your suggestions in Find Duplicate Files.
I'd still like to get one collection of results when I find all the "readme", uninstall files.
How do you guys insert those images? I have SnagIt, I can capture the image I want to show you, but how do I insert it into the image?
I've attached what I have as a file. (tried but couldn't - message png refused)
Can I get the find to exclude a file. For example, I'd like to exclude from the Find the lnk for "Notepad". I include in the Find note.lnk. This finds Notepad, but I want to exclude Notepad.lnk from my Find results. Can that be done?
Ok, related question.
How can I tell Find Duplicate Files to search for dups in following 4 dirs only?
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu
C:\Documents and Settings\RMM\Start Menu
C:\Documents and Settings\RMM\Favorites
Hmm... it's really a shame - I guess you can't run the duplicate file finder utility against a File Collection. The reason all of us suggested you run the regular 'Find' operations in separate 'Find' commands for each folder is because Dopus does not yet allow for a 'single' Find op to run against multiple folders... It's a seriousness limitation to an otherwise fine set of features offered by Dopus.
For a regular find op it's not sooo big a deal when you want to search a 'known set' of multiple folders because as you may have noticed, you can run multiple ops where the first 'Clears' any previous find results while the subsequent ops simply add the results to the previous search. The same approach won't work for a Dupe search, because each separate Dupe Find will only look for dupes within the scope of each inidividual search... Being able to run a Dupe Find against a File Collection would have been a workaround.
Your best bet is to go back and indeed create a filter for *.(lnk|url) and run a Dupe Find against the common parent dir for the folders you mentioned - Documents And Settings. Hopefully, filtering on just those 2 file types will cut down the time on what could otherwise be a very long search.
[quote]How do you guys insert those images? I have SnagIt, I can capture the image I want to show you, but how do I insert it into the image?
I've attached what I have as a file. (tried but couldn't - message png refused)[/quote]
Upload it to the internet somewhere then click the the insert image button in the reply box to link your message to the url of that image.
Sure you can. In a filter add NOMATCH to exclude a file or directory. Or you can use the SHOW FILES box to filter your files or the HIDE FILES box to hide certain files and so on. I prefer the latter method myself it's fast and easy to do.
On the subject of folders, Can anyone shed some light on this...I'm getting stuck
I want to create a filter for synchronizing folders.
Sometimes I sync from the root of a drive into a folder somewhere.
So I want to create a filter that will not sync the following main folders (i.e. folders with these names that occur only in the folder displayed in my lister):
- System Volume Information
- Recycled
- Recycler
I want all other Hidden and System files and folders to be synced.
I'd like to know how to set this up using only
• Match/No Match
• Subclause
• Name
Thanks in advance for any ideas
You might try something like this:
Bear in mind that in the above image my test locations of:
C:\test folder\source\New Folder
C:\test folder\source\New Folder (2)
would have to be changed to the folders you want to exclude.
Viola, I nailed my own question!
@JohnZeman: Thanks for your help. However, I arrived at a working filter yesterday. I just got hung up on some issues that I'll be testing, and logging with GPSoftware.
@Other People Learning Filters: Folks, there are some tricks to DOpus Filters, and some issues.
• Trick When using a Subclause to filter several files or folders out (as opposed to filtering them in), be careful of using double negatives! When using a subclause to filter several options out, the elements of the subclause should be set to Match, not No Match. Only the main subclause heading should be set to No Match. (My screen grab below displays a working example of this.)
• Issue When using a defined filter with the Synchronize Utility, and performing a two way copy, the defined filter only applies to objects in the Source Lister! I will be writing up my complete testing analysis on this, and sending it off to GPSoftware as an issue (either a bug report, or an enhancement request). I believe, the defined filter should apply to both folders involved in a two-way copy, or that the user should at least be able to optionally apply the filter to both folders.
[quote]• Use filter
Lets you specify a file filter or wildcard pattern for the synchronize operation. Only files that match the specified filter will be compared.[/quote]Source: Directory Opus User Manual
• Issue The DOpus Filter system has another issue that I will test further, document throughly, and send off to GPSoftware. Basically, you cannot use the Location field to filter in Flat View. If someone else is able to do this successfully, please contact me privately. So far, this issue seems to be specific to the Location Field and Flat View.
The screen grab below displays a working filter that I use with Synchronize to filter out:
• The System Volume Information folder located in the root of any drive, and any files inside of it.
• The Recycler (NTFS) folder located in the root of any drive, and any files inside of it.
• The Recycled (Fat32) folder located in the root of any drive, and any files inside of it.
• Any Hidden System folder located in the root of any drive (usually left behind by an install program, especially those by Windows Update).
Note that you can also include filters inside of other filters. I'm thinking of including this filter inside all of my filters, as I'll never want these folders and files involved in any Synchronize operation.
[quote]raymm wrote:
Ok, related question.
How can I tell Find Duplicate Files to search for dups in following 4 dirs only?
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu
C:\Documents and Settings\RMM\Start Menu
C:\Documents and Settings\RMM\Favorites[/quote]
First, you only have three folders listed (the first two are the same). So I assume you are looking in Favorites and Start Menu for two users.
Here's the way I would do it:
Using the Location field in conjunction with the wildcard character "*" at the end of each folder allows duplicate file finder to find duplicates inside the folders listed, as well as in any subfolder levels under them. 
raymm wrote:
[quote]
How do you guys insert those pretty images? I have SnagIt, I can capture the image I want to show you, but how do I insert it into the image?[/quote]
JohnZeman wrote:
Ummm, how do I upload an image "to the internet somewhere"?