Index This (version 2023-05-15)

[NotNull]

What's this
Choose IndexThis from the context-menu of a folder or drive to have it indexed in a separate, temporary database.
Comes in handy with external USB-disks, network folders, etc.

How it works:
When you choose IndexThis from the context-menu, a new instance of Everything will be started with specific settings for this folder/drive. It will index this folder - using NTFS indexing on local NTFS filesystem; folder-indexing on other filesystems (no ReFS support) - and load the results in memory. Only memory; database will not be written to disk.

Installation

• Extract attached zipfile to a folder somewhere on your system
  ( the folder will now contain IndexThis.cmd and IndexThis.ico )
• Start IndexThis.cmd (by double-clicking it in Explorer, for example)
  You will see one of the following messages:
  Make sure you end up with the "green dialog"
  
  

  

  2023-05-14 18_08_30-.png (36.31 KiB) Viewed 49263 times

• Done.

Technical background:

IndexThis will try to find Everything on your system and use it.
If it finds multiple "Everythings", the newest version will be used
(1.4 as well as 1.5; alpha- and non-alpha versions)

If it can't find anything, you will be prompted to change the set EverythingEXE= line in the script. This points IndexThis for an Everything.exe to be used.
But this should only be needed in edge-cases.



Now you can right-click a drive or folder to index it:

2018-10-26 09_25_05-Window.png (115.4 KiB) Viewed 82503 times

IndexThis 2023-05-15.zip

(13.05 KiB) Downloaded 874 times

Previous version (for Everything 1.4):

IndexThis IndexThis 2019-12-18.zip

(2.42 KiB) Downloaded 1843 times

[therube]

(You forgot something .)

[NotNull]

(You forgot something .)

Man ... it's one of those mondays ...

Will add the attachment to the original post
Thanks for "waking me up"

[NotNull]

Updated version:

• Use a different detection method of NTFS filesystem that doesnt require admin rights
• Check if Everything service is running (needed for NTFS indexing)

The zipfile is in the original post (removed the old version)

[jjk]

Sorry but I am not able to decompress IndexThis.zip
What happens ?
(file length is 1713 bytes)

[ovg]

It seems file is corrupted ...

[NotNull]

Same here: corrupted.
I think something went wrong when moving to the new webhoster (tested downloading another zipfile: also corrupted)

Will upload a fresh version.
New version uploaded.

BTW: Wow, no idea there was any interest in this. You made my day

[katarnyo]

I just have to say thanks
i've used everything allready, but with this extension it is
no compare to other solutions.

absolutely brilliant,sir

[froggie]

Very useful.
Works well with dupe: since the compare is only to the folder/sub-folders selected.
Nice code - made it easy to add additional ini parameters (more columns).

[NotNull]

@katarnyo, @froggie : thanks guys (M/F) ! Appreciated!

[NotNull]

There will be an update for IndexThis in a couple of days. This update should be able to use the (faster) NTFS indexing in more cases.

[froggie]

This is minor, and I should be able to fix it, but it has been far too many years since I wrote cmd scripts :

I keep all my scripts in a directory that has a name similar to "Scripts & Programs & Such" . The ampersands make IndexThis fail. Do you know an easy way to escape the ampresands?

[NotNull]

The ampersands make IndexThis fail. Do you know an easy way to escape the ampresands?

I already wrote an updated version of IndexThis and this (known) issue has (hopefully) been fixed too.
I hope to have some time this weekend for some extra testing.

[NotNull]

Updated version:

• Better handling of special characters like % ^ & ( ) and $
• Use NTFS indexing for NTFS volumes that are not a bootvolume if Everything service is not running
• Added an option to use a different icon in the context menu

(Zipped) script is attached to the original post (replaced the previous version)
Everything icons in different colours can be downloaded here.

[froggie]

Thank you. That does the trick.

[Andreas Sachse]

the state says thanks

[harryray2]

Useful...can this be used in regards to:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10290

Thanks

[harryray2]

Does this work OK with 1.5a?

Thanks.

[NotNull]

Does this work OK with 1.5a?

Thanks.

Not at this moment. I do have my own version that works with 1.5, but not (yet) a version that works with both 1.4 and 1.5.

[NotNull]

Does this work OK with 1.5a?

Thanks.

I just posted an updated version. This supports version 1.5a too.

See opening post for instructions and download


Changes in 2023-05-12

• Rewritten version
• Added support for Everything 1.5 & 1.5 alpha
• Running services and processes are used to find Everything.exe
• Configured path in script is fallback
• Fixed ccontext menu icon
• More support for special characters in foldernames

[horst.epp]

This new version doesn't work for me.
The logic to find Everything is unnecessary complicated and it doesn't work.
Btw. the previous version works flawless for me.

The new version doesn't find Everything64.exe which is running as as service
and also in the background.

After the error message I tried to replace the defintion in line 85
set EverythingEXE="%EverythingEXE%"
with
set EverythingEXE="C:\Tools\Everything\Everything64.exe"
but this doesn't help.

______________________________________________________
Windows 11 Home x64 Version 22H2 (OS Build 22621.1702)
Everything 1.5.0.1346a (x64)
Everything Toolbar 1.0.5.0

[NotNull]

doesn't work for me.

and it doesn't work.

You need to provide more detail than that...

After the error message

... The exact error message for example!

After the error message I tried to replace the defintion in line 85

That should be line 23 or 24 (the SETTINGS section)

unnecessary complicated

How do you know what the idea behind all this is?
It is complicated, but not unnecessary.



Anyway, thanks for testing.
If you want to help: Stop complaining and start helping by giving useful feedback.
If you just want to complain: do it elsewhere.


(found a bug with adding an icon to the contextmenu entry. Luckily the fix will be easy. Next version)

[horst.epp]

The error mesage

Screenshot - 14.05.2023 , 20_16_33.png (5.22 KiB) Viewed 49238 times

After setting the path to everything it starts the Index this from the context menu
but only a few lines like a cmd in the background are shortly displayed
and nothing else happens.

Any suggestions.

[NotNull]

I think that briefly shown line should say something like:

"Use 1.4/1.5 FOLDER/NTFS indexing for "X:\the\folder you selected"
Most likely:
"Use 1.5 FOLDER indexing for "X:\the\folder you selected"

(for testing, you could add a command pause after line 125 saying "echo. Use %EXEversion%%MAJOR% %INDEXMETHOD% indexing for %1" )

Just checking: Did you undo the action in line 85?



I will try to reproduce here.
To my best of knowledge:
- Portable installation (64-bit)
- Everything is installed in C:\Tools\Everything or C:\Tools\TotalCommander\Everything
- File "NO_ALPHA_INSTANCE" in that same folder
- Service installed
- Not running as admin
?


Been testing for 2 days, including scenario above. This issue didn't come up.
IndexThis should at least pick up any running services (only 1.5 in your case) or running Everythings
All in all quite puzzling right now ....

[horst.epp]

I have uninstalled and installed before every new test.
I changed the line 85 back to the original.

The environment is:
- Portable installation (64-bit)
- Everything is installed in C:\Tools\Everything
- File "NO_ALPHA_INSTANCE" in that same folder
- Service installed
- Not running as admin

The error message says:
Invalid XSL format (or) file name.
Invalid XSL format (or) file name.
Invalid XSL format (or) file name.

Use FOLDER indexing for "C:\Documents\Privat"
Press any key to continue . . .

[ChrisGreaves]

I have uninstalled and installed before every new test.

Horst, perhaps uninstalling isn't doing what you expect it to do.
Otherwise what's the point of uninstalling?

Would you like a method to completely remove Everything from your system and then re-install Everything as if it were the first time?
Would you like to be SURE that there was no little file hanging around thwarting your efforts?
Would you like to be SURE that there was no little registry key/data/value hanging around thwarting your efforts?
Cheers, Chris

[NotNull]

The error message says:
Invalid XSL format (or) file name.
Invalid XSL format (or) file name.
Invalid XSL format (or) file name.

Use FOLDER indexing for "C:\Documents\Privat"
Press any key to continue . . .

I remember that error. Bad memories ....
It was a bug in an older version of localized Windows with wmic.exe /format:CSV.
That bug got fixed, at least in localized Dutch Windows (XP? Vista?)
You are running German Windows IIRC, but a much recent version I thought. 10? 11?
So this bug is back ..

Should be possible to work around this.
Fun fact: I used wmic /format:CSV instead of the more common wmic /value to work around another bug in Windows ...


Thanks for the bug report!! No way I would have caught this one (on my non-localized Windows version)

Update follows.

[horst.epp]

I have uninstalled and installed before every new test.

Horst, perhaps uninstalling isn't doing what you expect it to do.
Otherwise what's the point of uninstalling?

Would you like a method to completely remove Everything from your system and then re-install Everything as if it were the first time?
Would you like to be SURE that there was no little file hanging around thwarting your efforts?
Would you like to be SURE that there was no little registry key/data/value hanging around thwarting your efforts?
Cheers, Chris

I was talking about the context menu entry for Index this, not for Everything.
Uninstalling is just invoke the cmd a 2nd time in this case.

[horst.epp]

You are running German Windows IIRC, but a much recent version I thought. 10? 11?

Always the actual fully patched production version of Windows 11.
Currently
Windows 11 Home x64 Version 22H2 (OS Build 22621.1702)

[ChrisGreaves]

I was talking about the context menu entry for Index this, not for Everything.

Quite so. But a mechanism for completely removing all traces of "Everything" has a good chance of being the mechanism for completely removing all traces of "IndexThis"
Further I suspect that "IndexThis" is an addon or plugin, so is likely to have an association with Everything in the registry, so that completely removing all traces of the host program (Everything) might lead to completely removing any traces of IndexThis.

Or, if you prefer, being able to completely remove Index This, and being able to completely remove Everything would give you an absolutely fresh start with IndexThis, which would speed up your working out just what was going wrong.

Once you have found out what is going wrong, you could roll back to your restore Point and make a final fix.

You were asking (nthread) "I still don't understand what the benefit of all the research about uninstalling Everything will be ?"
Cheers, Chris

[horst.epp]

Should be possible to work around this.
Fun fact: I used wmic /format:CSV instead of the more common wmic /value to work around another bug in Windows ...
Update follows.

One note for future versions of Index this.
According to Microsoft WMIC is a deprecated feature for Windows 10 and 11.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windo ... d-features

[NotNull]

One note for future versions of Index this.
According to Microsoft WMIC is a deprecated feature for Windows 10 and 11.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windo ... d-features

Thanks for the heads up!
Yes, I an aware (wmic /? does say so too. In a red font .. )

WMIC is just a wrapper executable for WMI calls. It does nothing special: pass WMI calls to "the system" and report the gotten results back.
WMI itself will not go anywhere as it is a very importan part of "the system".

WMIC is (/was) mainly used in professional IT and I think this is Microsofts way of saying "Stop using CMD".
Based on Windows' backwards compatibility strategy -- which keeps them relevant and in business -- I suspect that at least the coming 10 years, WMIC will still be part of Windows.



Just wrote an updated version of IndexThis, usiing "safe" WMIC calls.
No issues so far, but requires a bit more testing.

[NotNull]

Updated version available (see first post)

Changelog version 2023-05-15

• Workaround for WMIC bugs
• Fixed context menu icon (again)
• Configurable delay before closing console window

Hope this one has less issues (can't test localized Windows, so more or less a shot in the dark)

[horst.epp]

Now it works also for me
______________________________________________________
Windows 11 Home x64 Version 22H2 (OS Build 22621.1702)
Everything 1.5.0.1346a (x64)
Everything Toolbar 1.0.5.0

[NotNull]

[InfoR3aper]

This is a great addition to Everything, Thanks a lot !

[elias_n]

I've been using 'everything' for almost forever.
best ever search tool - nothing compares.
never needed any help until today when I ran into problem trying to search in my new veracrypt drive.
I applied your solution, your Index This, and...
it worked like a charm.
just the over joy and appreciation to thank you, i had registered at this moment to your forum-blog, so i could express my thanks.
and made a small contribution ...

Thanks

[void]

Thank you for your feedback, donation and support.

I am glad to hear Everything is now indexing your Veracrypt drive.

[ChrisGreaves]

I am glad to hear Everything is now indexing your Veracrypt drive.

Void, thanks for mentioning Veracrypt in your post; caught my eye; my backup drives are encrypted with Veracrypt .
@NotNull, as always, thanks for a great piece of work.

Question: It should be noted that “… and load the results in memory. Only memory; database will not be written to disk. …”. This is an on-the-fly index, and the first use that comes to mind is to answer the question “Do I have <this file> somewhere on <this encrypted backup drive>?”, but of course, the backup drive does not need to be encrypted. Am I correct in stating this? That IndexThis is an on-the-fly result in RAM only?
Thanks again
Chris

[NotNull]

Am I correct in stating this? That IndexThis is an on-the-fly result in RAM only?

100% correct.

IndexThis only writes a settings file to the %TEMP% folder (IndexThis.ini, which is basically a simplified Everything.ini)
That is all what happens on disk (so no registry writes either).

[ChrisGreaves]

100% correct.

Thanks, Chris

[demoniak61]

Hi,

I've just installed it (Version 1.5.0.1383a (x64)) with no apparent problem, but when I launch it I get the response "application not found".

thanks

[NotNull]

That is a response from Windows, not an IndexThis error message.

Most likely cause is the context menu entry pointing to a non-existing file/folder.

Solution:

• In File Explorer, browse to IndexThis.cmd
• Double-click IndexThis.cmd
  (This should report that the context menu entry is removed)
• Double-click IndexThis.cmd
  (This should report that the context menu entry is installed)
• Done.

Test if IndexThis now behaves as intended.

[demoniak61]

Hi, thanks for the troubleshooting solution, it's perfect!