[SOLVED] Indexing files (also inside files) for searching

program1 · 04-21-2020, 06:48 PM

In Windows OS, it will index (or you can choose what's indexed) folders, files, and content within individual files, so you can not only search for file names, but also words and phrases within files (txt, doc, pdfs, etc....).

Which Linux distros provide this same capability ?, of not just searching for file names, but text within files of any type ?

If so, how is this done ?

scasey · 04-21-2020, 06:54 PM

Searching within files is done with grep. See man grep. Should be available in any distro.

syg00 · 04-21-2020, 06:59 PM

Did you bother to search ?.
Indexers tend to be a "feature" of the desktop environment although stand-alone versions also exist, so strictly speaking they aren't tied to specific distros. They have had a history of being less benign than the developers claim. Examples include:
- baloo for KDE
- tracker for gnome
- recoll amongst many others for stand-alone

scasey · 04-21-2020, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syg00

Did you bother to search ?.
Indexers tend to be a "feature" of the desktop environment although stand-alone versions also exist, so strictly speaking they aren't tied to specific distros. They have had a history of being less benign than the developers claim. Examples include:
- baloo for KDE
- tracker for gnome
- recoll amongst many others for stand-alone

Indexing is something I turn off as soon as possible on on any Windows ‘puter I’m using.

pan64 · 04-22-2020, 04:01 AM

if I understand well updatedb/locate is what you need and is available on [almost] every distro.

program1 · 04-22-2020, 02:04 PM

Thanks for all your help