Searching for multiple file types

You can search multiple files by using regular expressions or DOS expressions. e.g.

Searching the file types .cpp, .h, .c, .INL the regular expression would be:

\.(cpp|h|c|INL)$

OR, alternatively as a DOS expression it would be:

*.cpp;*.h;*.c;*.INL

Excluding file types

Prefix DOS expression with NOT: to exclude certain file types from being searched. For example, you can search everything but COM and EXE files by setting the file name to the DOS Expression:

NOT:*.exe;*.com

Searching multiple locations

Agent Ransack can search multiple folder paths. In the 'Look In' field separate each folder with a semi-colon e.g.

c:\winnt;c:\tmp

Launching Agent Ransack from Windows Explorer

Agent Ransack can be integrated with the Windows Shell through the Shell Extensions settings. For example, while browsing files and folders in Windows Explorer you can launch Agent Ransack by right-clicking on the folder and selecting 'Agent Ransack...' from the folder's context menu or using the short-cut key combination Ctrl+F.

Common searches

Save your most common search criteria as a SRF file and put a shortcut to the file on the Start menu. Then when you open the shortcut Agent Ransack will start up with your most common search options.

Note: Make sure that Agent Ransack is associated with SRF files in the Shell Integration settings.

Specifying default values via the command line

You can specify the initial values for Agent Ransack through command line parameters. There is even an option to switch off the GUI (Graphical User Interface) and save the results directly to a file, useful when integrating Agent Ransack with other applications. To see a list of valid command line parameters go to the "Help->Command Line Parameters" dialog (or run AgentRansack.exe -h).

Performance effect of word wrapping

Word wrapping is expensive, especially when trying to display a lot of contents. If the Contents View display is slow consider switching Word Wrapping off.

Performance effect of Contents View

If you are selecting a large number of files and do not need to see the search contents of those files it is much quicker to turn the 'Contents View' off, through the "Window->Contents View->Hide" menu option.

Searching Unix and Mac files

Unix and Mac text file formats use a different sequence to mark the end of a line. Windows and DOS use the character sequence CR-LF (Carriage Return - Line Feed) but Unix only uses LF and Mac only uses CR. To instruct Agent Ransack to look for alternative EOL (End of Line) sequences go to the Configuration settings (via the menu option "Tools->Configuration") and select Character Processing.

Testing regular expressions

Test your regular expressions through the "Tools->Regular Expression Tester" menu option.