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Search Syntax Guide

Complete Guide to FileFortress Search Syntax
Master search operators, patterns, and advanced techniques

What You'll Learn
  • Basic and advanced search syntax
  • Search operators and modifiers
  • Pattern matching techniques
  • 20+ practical examples
  • Performance optimization tips

Overview

FileFortress provides powerful search capabilities across all your connected cloud storage. This guide covers everything from basic searches to advanced filtering techniques.

Basic Search Terms

The simplest way to search is by providing a term. FileFortress will search for files containing that term in their name or path.

Simple Term Search

filefortress search "report"

Finds all files with "report" in their name (case-insensitive by default).

Case-Sensitive Search

filefortress search "Report" --case-sensitive-term

Finds files with exact case match for "Report".

Filtering Options

Combine your search term with powerful filters to narrow down results.

By File Extension

Single extension:
filefortress search "budget" --extensions pdf
Multiple extensions:
filefortress search "invoice" --extensions pdf,docx,xlsx

By File Size

Minimum size:
filefortress search "video" --size-min 100MB
Size range:
filefortress search "photo" --size-min 1MB --size-max 10MB

By Modification Date

Relative time:
filefortress search "document" --modified-after "7 days"
Specific date:
filefortress search "report" --modified-after "2024-01-01"

By Media Type

Images only:
filefortress search "vacation" --media-type image
Documents only:
filefortress search "contract" --media-type document

By Remote Storage

Specific remote:
filefortress search "backup" --remote-name "Google Drive"
By provider type:
filefortress search "archive" --remote-type s3

Advanced Filtering

Directory Depth

Minimum depth (skip root files):
filefortress search "config" --min-depth 1
Maximum depth (limit recursion):
filefortress search "readme" --max-depth 3

Exclusion Patterns

Exclude temporary files:
filefortress search "data" --exclude "*.tmp,*.bak"
Exclude directories:
filefortress search "log" --exclude "archive/*,old/*"

Metadata Filtering

The --meta option provides powerful metadata-based filtering. See our Metadata Filtering Guide for comprehensive coverage.

Quick Metadata Examples

Photos by camera:
filefortress search "IMG" --meta "exif.cameraMake=Canon"
High-resolution images:
filefortress search "photo" --meta "image.width>=4000"
Files by owner:
filefortress search "" --meta "owner.email~=company.com"

Output Options

View Formats

Summary

--view summary

Quick overview with counts

List

--view list

Detailed file listing

Tree

--view tree

Hierarchical tree view

JSON

--view json

Machine-readable format

Export Results

filefortress search "report" --extensions pdf --save-to-file reports.txt

Save search results to a file for later reference or processing.

20+ Practical Examples

Document Management

1. Find recent invoices:
filefortress search "invoice" --extensions pdf --modified-after "30 days"
2. Find large documents:
filefortress search "" --media-type document --size-min 10MB
3. Find spreadsheets modified this year:
filefortress search "budget" --extensions xlsx,csv --modified-after "2024-01-01"

Photo Management

4. Find photos from specific camera:
filefortress search "" --media-type image --meta "exif.cameraMake=Canon"
5. Find high-resolution photos:
filefortress search "photo" --meta "image.width>=4000" --meta "image.height>=3000"
6. Find photos taken after specific date:
filefortress search "IMG" --meta "exif.takenAt>=2024-01-01"

Storage Management

7. Find large files across all storage:
filefortress search "" --size-min 1GB --view summary
8. Find old files for archival:
filefortress search "" --modified-before "365 days" --size-min 100MB
9. Find files in specific remote:
filefortress search "backup" --remote-name "Backblaze B2"

Development & Code

10. Find source code files:
filefortress search "" --extensions cs,js,py,java
11. Find configuration files:
filefortress search "config" --extensions json,yaml,xml,ini
12. Find README files:
filefortress search "readme" --extensions md,txt --max-depth 2

Media Files

13. Find videos:
filefortress search "" --media-type video --size-min 100MB
14. Find audio files:
filefortress search "music" --media-type audio
15. Find images by type:
filefortress search "" --extensions jpg,png,gif --size-max 5MB

Advanced Combinations

16. Complex document search:
filefortress search "report" --extensions pdf,docx --modified-after "30 days" --size-min 1MB --remote-type gdrive
17. Exclude temporary and backup files:
filefortress search "data" --exclude "*.tmp,*.bak,*~,backup/*"
18. Find shared files:
filefortress search "" --meta "sharing.shared=true" --remote-type gdrive
19. Find files by hash prefix:
filefortress search "" --meta "hash.md5^=d128a6ef"
20. Export search results for processing:
filefortress search "invoice" --extensions pdf --view json --save-to-file invoices.json

Performance Optimization Tips

Use specific file extensions when possible to reduce search scope
Limit search to specific remotes with --remote-name or --remote-type
Use --max-depth to avoid deep directory traversal
Combine filters to narrow results early in the search process
Use --view summary for quick counts without full file listing

Common Pitfalls and Solutions

No results found

Possible causes:

  • Index not up to date - run filefortress remotes scan
  • Filters too restrictive - try removing some filters
  • Case-sensitive search - remove --case-sensitive-term
Search is slow

Solutions:

  • Add file extension filters
  • Limit to specific remote with --remote-name
  • Use --max-depth to limit recursion
  • Consider using find query with saved queries for complex searches
Too many results

Solutions:

  • Add more specific search terms
  • Use file extension filters
  • Add date range filters
  • Use --view summary to see counts first

Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

Category Option Example
Basic search "term" Simple search
--case-sensitive-term Case-sensitive matching
Filtering --extensions pdf,docx File types
--size-min 1MB --size-max 100MB File size range
--modified-after "7 days" Recent files
--media-type image Media type filter
Location --remote-name "Google Drive" Specific remote
--remote-type gdrive Provider type
Advanced --meta "key=value" Metadata filtering
--exclude "*.tmp,temp/*" Exclusion patterns
Output --view summary|list|tree|json Output format
--save-to-file results.txt Export results

Related Resources

search Command
Complete command reference
View Reference
Metadata Filtering
Advanced metadata techniques
Learn More
find query Command
Saved queries and composition
View Reference