Multiple query search or another method. Selecting multiple files from a folder. Help!

Help & Support
1

Hi,

I have a task i'm trying to achieve, hoping someone here can help me out. So far the search function has fallen short. I may be asking too much!

I have a folder of approx. 14,500 files, (all *.zip). I want to remove/move 380 of them, by name. I have the list of names.

I cant figure a way to do this efficiently. The search function has two issues with this; The allowed number of characters in the search field is far too small. And it only works with partial match, so I end up with lots of extra files, as there are lots of partial matches I don’t want.

Anyone got any ideas how i could do this. (it might well be really obvious, but i can't think how to do it.)

Thanks

2

Switch the Tools > Find Files panel to Advanced mode and you can add multiple conditions for name patterns, if the pattern is too long.

Partial matching is optional in both modes.

3

Prefix it with Delete in an editor, place it in a button, and run the button with 380 commands.

SelectEx can do the job a bit more elegantly, should that be your concern :wink:

4

Advanced search doesn't return any results when trying to use a list. Tried different ways of delineating it, space or comma doesn't work. So unless i'm being dumb i think i'd need to add an arguement for each file.

To get around the partial match issue i've added the file type to the name list and will work with the character limit of the simple search, as that allows a list to be used delineated by a space.

5

Thanks, a button might well be the way..

6

If partial matching is off, and normal wildcards are being used, the syntax to match name1.txt or name2.doc or name3.png is:

(name1.txt|name2.doc|name3.png)

There's a quick link to Wildcard Syntax at the top right of the forum:

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