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Search Settings window

This window helps customize search settings. One can say it is the most significant window. The result of scanning depends mostly upon how correct you made settings here.

The Requirements for duplicate matches chapter points out what is to be compared. Files not answering these conditions will be discarded. For example, if you compare files by names, and two ones have different filenames (differ at least one character), then they will be considered different. To tell the truth, if filenames are equal, it does not mean that these files will be really identical. They must meet all other parameters.

This chapter includes such options:

  • Same name -- searches for files with identical names.
    • Ignore extension -- compares filenames not using extensions (e.g., dance.jpg and dance.bmp, or untitled.txt and untitled.wav).
  • Same date and time -- discards files with different last modification date.
  • Same size -- searches for files of same size.
  • Same type -- compares types of files. As result, files with the same extension will be enclosed in the same group (for example, abc.txt, c1000.txt, untitled.txt). This lets avoid comparison of files certainly containing different information.
    • Customize -- lets flexibly customize type comparison. Here you can choose extensions that belong to the same group. For instance, to compare JPEG-images you may select the following group of extensions: *.jpg, *.jpe, *.jpeg. Using ? or *, input wildcards of files to compare to each other. Different file groups must be written into separate lines. A single line must contain a single group. Entries inside a group must be separated with whitespaces. Examples of wildcards: *.jp* or *.jpg *.jpe *.jpeg or *.mp3 *.ogg *.wma *.wav.
  • Similar name -- compares filenames trying to determine how files are similar (for example, similar name may be like icon.bmp, icon.wbmp, coin.bmp, icon1.bmp, join.bmp etc). Sliderbar position at the right indicates how much filenames must be similar. The higher value, the more similar are filenames.
    • Ignore extension -- compares filenames not using extensions.
    • Ignore exact names -- excludes files with exact filenames from groups. If searching for files with similar names, the identical filenames are found then they will be skipped. It is concerned the files with names exact to the first file in the group only.
  • Use plugins -- performs file comparison using plugins.
    • Customize -- chooses plugin to use in scan process. Also here you can obtain information about every plugin and customize their individual settings.
  • Same content -- performs byte-to-byte comparison. Files are considered same if their contents are coincident fully or by specified per cent.
    • Use quick comparison -- this option is only available if Same content is checked. If checked, the program will use quick sort algorithm of comparison. It gives a frequentative growth of scan speed. But on the other hand not all duplicate files may be found. If unchecked, all duplicate files will be found, but it will take much more time.

The Compare files chapter is only available if Same content is checked. It gives opportunity to perform byte-to-byte comparison, beginning from the start or end of files. It is reasonable to use comparison of files beginning from the end, if they have not same sizes and differ at the beginning mostly. To read further about this and described below options, go here.

The Consider files same chapter is also available if Same content is checked. During scan process the program reads bytes from files by turns and compares in pairs. If the quantity of coincided data is more or equal to a specified per cent, then these files are considered same. You can input any real number from 0 to 100. When given 100 per cent, then files will be considered duplicate if their contents are absolutely identical.

The Find files which size chapter discards files by size. You may exclude from search, files with lengths less or bigger than specified size. Also if Same size is unchecked, comparison of files with size difference more than specified number of bytes. For example, you typed 16384. Then files with sizes of 213456 and 199533 bytes will be compared, but files with sizes of 240573 and 199533 bytes will not. Also you can ignore zero-length files.

The Shortcuts chapter has the only option Resolve shortcuts during scan. If during scan, shortcuts are found then destination files or folders will be included in the search.

In addition to that, there is a possibility to add or remove files from search by attributes in Find files with attributes and Search folders with attributes chapters. If an attribute is unchecked then all files and folders with this attribute set will be excluded from search. If checked then all files and folders with this attribute cleared will be excluded from search. If grayed then all files and folders will be scanned no matter this attribute is set or not.


© Oleksandr Roslov aka TR da Alien, 2004-2006
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