search multiple text documents at one time for key words

[kxboyer]

I need to know FOR SURE that with total commander installed on my windows mobile operating system I can search MULTIPLE TEXT DOCUMENTS for key words contained in the TEXT of those documents ALL AT ONE TIME. I have been on the phone many times with microsoft concerning this operating system and they all initially tell me it can be done with their software, and then eventually have to admit it cannot when they never figure out a way to do it. So the question is if I CAN search MULTIPLE TEXT DOCUMENTS within a folder ALL AT ONE TIME for KEY WORDS contained NOT ONLY IN THE FILE NAMES, but MORE IMPORTANTLY IN THE TEXT of those documents so I know which of my documents contain the key words I am looking for. IF SO ... please tell me HOW.

[woefdram]

It can't be too hard to write a search tool that searches inside a given collection of text files, as a matter of fact I've done so and am using it from time to time. It's however unclear to me what exactly you mean by 'all at one time' and what this has to do with total commander.
The application I have takes the selection of files from TC, presents a gui in which you can specify a phrase to look for and several options, then starts the search. But it searches the files one after the other (fast enough for a human not to notice), although the language I work in provides ways for a multithreaded/multiprocessed search afaik, I just don't have any experience with that.

[Gerry Busch]

Yes, TC Pocket will let you do that. Bring up the "find files" dialogue from the File menu, and you'll see two search fields, the first one is for inputting the file name -- you can use wildcards, such as *.txt. If you leave it blank, all files in the folder will be searched.

The second field is for the text string to be searched for within the file content. Try it; it works! I use it on a regular basis.

[kxboyer]

Thank you very much Gerry

[Sam2]

I have similar problem that kxboyer had. I also have the trouble in finding a PPC utility that can do an universial search. PLEASE let me know:

(a) whether I can use the 'search' function to do a keyword search (not the file name but the keyword contained inside the document) on all the native documents stored in word format (i.e. file name ended with .doc but not .txt) in the handheld running WM6.1; and

(b) would it take long to do such an universial search? (I have about 30 word files).

Thanks in advance.

[Gerry Busch]

I'm using WM5, and have used TC Pocket to search some, but not all Word files for keywords in the content very quickly.

Some Word files on the PDA may appear to be native Word files, but are actually just rich text files with a .DOC extension. I found that out by opening a small .DOC file with TC's built-in text editor. The content was merely plain text with various RTF formatting tags. That's probably why TC was able to find text strings in it.

Word Mobile, at least in WM5, is really nothing more than a pocket version of the Wordpad program found on a PC.

However, if your files are true, native-format MS Word files originally created on a PC, TC Pocket won't likely find the text in them.

Gerry

[Sam2]

Thanks for your quick reply. Gerry.

I just want to clarify. If I save word files in RTF format, can I do the universial search i.e. searching all the RTF files for keywords?

[Gerry Busch]

I just want to clarify. If I save word files in RTF format, can I do the universial search i.e. searching all the RTF files for keywords?

Definitely. In TC's search form, specify *.rtf in the "Search for" field, and your text string in the "Containing text" field.

If some of your RTF files still happen to have a .doc extension, you could even specify the files this way:

*.doc;*.rtf

[Sam2]

Thanks Gerry. You are right. I can use TC's search function on .rtf files.