Quick search
You can use Quick search to locate file or folder quickly.
Usage of Quick Search with search dialog
There are several search methods in Configuration -> Options... -> Quick search. The following paragraphs is based on "Letters - with search dialog". Because you can start search directly in this way, and the dialog can show what you have typed.
With this option, when you start typing letters, the cursor will jump to the next file in the file panel that matches the typed string. Depending on the setting of Configuration -> Options... -> Quick search -> Exact name match, the matching will either start at the beginning of the file names, or it will match the typed string anywhere in the file names. If you have selected "Beginning (name must start with first typed character)" you can still search anywhere in the file names, if you just put an * in the front of the search string.
Incremental filtering mode
There is a QuickSearchAutoFilter parameter in wincmd.ini working as incremental filtering mode.
With the default mode as disabled, the file list will not change view in quick search, only cursor will jump to next match.
With the incremental filtering mode enabled, any type in the search dialog will update the file/folder list to display matched item only. This is a great way to check only item you are interested temporarily. You can also bring out last used search criteria by pressing Ctrl+Shift+S instead of just typing or Ctrl+S.
The incremental filtering mode can be turned on or off with two methods:
1. Edit wincmd.ini directly. Note if you edit it with TC running, closing TC may update the ini according to running parameters which could make your edit lost.
2. With the search dialog on (which can be bring out by start typing, or Ctrl+S, or the other activation method you chose in option), either click the filter icon in search dialog or press Ctrl+S again. The filter icon will be displayed as pressed when the mode is on.
By default TC remembers the state of Ctrl+S between sessions. This can however manually be changed by editing the QuickSearchAutoFilter parameter to either -1 or 2 (see Help section 4b, wincmd.ini).
File or folder named in Chinese characters will be filtered based on the first letter of spell of the Chinese character, i.e. "pinyin".
Search in Folder Tree
If you open the folder tree by select Show - separate tree - 1 tree, you can locate folder that you visited quickly by quick search. Press shift-tab to focus on the tree, then start type to locate to the first match of folder. Note only folders you visited will be expanded in the tree, so you can only locate folder that you visited before or expanded before. If there are multiple matches, use UP/Down arrow to move between matches. Or you can type the last letter of your input again to jump to next match.
Locate file/folder with Everything Search then open with TC
Everything is a lightning fast search utility specially designed for NTFS volumes. You don't need keep a background service to index your files, while every time when you start Everything it will update file index in seconds. Then you can search file or folder quickly. Everything can search all of your files in NTFS volume, so it's more thorough than quick search which only work in current folder in file panel, or visited folder in Folder Tree. Everything
With some customization you can open folder found in Everything with TC, thus you can search file or folder in Everything, then jump to result folder in TC. Add these lines to Everything.ini in Everything installation folder (replace with your own TC installation path):
open_folder_path_command=$exec("d:\app\wincmd\TOTALCMD.EXE" "$parent(%1)")
open_folder_command=$exec("d:\app\wincmd\TOTALCMD.EXE" "%1")
Now you can double click folder listed in Everything and open it with TC, or right click file, select open path to open the folder contained that file with TC.
You may want to limit only 1 TC instance to avoid above operation opening new TC window. Configuration - Options - Operation - Allow only 1 copy of TC at one time.