Really stupid find parameter question

Help & Support
1

I've just tried to find a string in a bunch of plain text files, and for some reason, I've somehow either turned something extremely important within DOpus on or something just as important off, because the search fails to find any content strings that include an open parenthesis.

So if I have the string :

function blahdipfaff(quarnarkle : string);

in one or more text files, getting Opus to search within those files, by

  1. right-clicking on the containing folder, then
  2. choosing "Search", then
  3. using a blank filename and
  4. type the partial string:
blahdipfaff(quarnarkle

then the find shows no results in the search window.

Using any other combination of filenames and wildcards has the exact same effect. So I'm reasonably certain that it's not a permissions or hidden/system/RO type issue.

I'm not (knowingly) using ANY advanced search features, and no time or size or other constraints. You should be able to verify this behaviour by simply cutting and pasting this text, and try it for yourself.

However, if I/we use the search terms :

blahdipfaff

or

quarnarkle

... (without modifying any other field or control on the search form) then the find results display the files in which those strings occur as expected.

This somewhat... unexpected... behaviour has caused me some (well, for now let's just call them) "concerns" in the past 12 hours due to my (obviously incorrect) assumption that a plaintext search term such as this example (with no regexps enabled, no wildcards, and no other filters) would find that text in those files.

Obviously, I was assuming the text was in the target files, which I've now discovered was actually the case in at least 2 of 20 files that have since been lost. This has made me somewhat unhappy.

But obviously, I've done something to cause such a wildly inaccurate search result, so I'd really appreciate any help with finding what I've overlooked/confused/misunderstood.

I can't seem to find any reference to pattern sensitivity in the online help or anywhere else, so of course I know this is something I've busted. So please be gentle with me!

Thanks.

2

Brackets are a wildcard character (along with *, ~, etc) and need to be "escaped" with an apostrophe to search for a literal char. So e.g. function blahdipfaff'(quarnarkle : string');

3

Thanks so much jon, I actually was trying out different quoting styles when I got your response (I hadn't actually tried too much, I was just deleriously happy that the BSOD that killed my project also killed the deletion that I though was permanent.
Perhaps it might be helpful to point that out just a little more clearly in the help? I did search for search parameters and wildcards, but that was a lot of stuff to read in a hurry! Ditto for the forum.
But thanks once again for such a quick response, I appreciate it!

4

How and where do you think it could have been "pointed out" that you would have seen it? :slight_smile:

5

That's a REALLY good question! :slight_smile:

The first place I immeejitly looked for info was the "Opus Find" help page(s).

There's quite a bit of (excellent!) info and links to file filtering, and the use of some of the advanced fields, but not a lot that I can see to do with how the text pattern expressions could be used.

Naturally, now that I've had some time to sit down and try searching for the NON-obvious alternatives (i.e. the Regular Expression syntax Appendix), perhaps some more direct access to that appendix in all the places where such syntax could be used would be helpful.

So, for example, anywhere a search pattern must (or can) be used that might involve regexps of any flavour a mention of the fact that a regexp will be applied, and perhaps a direct link to the appendix would seem to be useful.

I just naturally assumed (there's that word again) that if the search term was a regexp, it would have been pointed out to me - or at least (in this particular instance) a fairly horribly syntactically incorrect regexp dialog box flagging a very badly formed regexp syntax could have been helpful.

If I had seen the reg or exp search patterns in the text, I would probably have twigged a lot earlier. But I didn't and I didn't (squared).

Again, I do apologise if this is just a complete lack of familiarity with a very basic subset of the product's features, I'm still yearning for a paperback manual/bestseller...