How to use startwith?

[TheBestPessimist]

I would like to search for the little poopies that macos creates, the files which start with "._".

I expected `startwith:"._"` to work, but it does not. I attached a screenshot of what i want to search for.

[TheBestPessimist]

I am sure such files exist and are indexed by Everything, because i can search for them by full name:

[NotNull]

Most likely cause: Match Path is enabled (Menu => Search )
That will make Everything search the entire path (C:\.... ). Startwith:C:\ would list your ._ files (among thousands of others).

2 solutions:
- (temporarily) disable Match Path
- change your search to: nopath:startwith:._


EDIT:
Just remembered that there is a third option. It was discussed here.
Basically: change the following setting to match_start_of_filename_with_caret=2 and search for

^._

(untested)

[froggie]

try nopath:startwith:._ or uncheck match path in search.

@void: is this the way it is supposed to work?

[NotNull]

@froggie: see my Edit for a link to a discussion on this topic.

[TheBestPessimist]

@NotNull thanks, confirmed it works. _Now let's see what that option breaks in the future._

[NotNull]

The only thing I found so far with the caret to mark the start of the file is if I used startwith:^ to find files starting with a ^, one would use one of the following instead:
- startwith:^^
- startwith:"^"
- ^^

That last one is obviously the better one for a lazy person like me

[froggie]

@NotNull:

I don't understand what the discussion you pointed to has to do with startwith: -- ^ does not seem to work the same as startwith: and startwith: is unaffected by the match_start_of_filename_with_caret setting.

The question is why "startwith:._ " gives no hits at all when match path is checked (not too many, as you indicated in your reply)

[NotNull]

The question is why "startwith:._ " gives no hits at all when match path is checked (not too many, as you indicated in your reply)

From that thread:

^ should match the start of the full path (when match Path is enabled)

Full path = filename including path, i.e. C:\folder\file.txt.
So startwith:notepad will find nothing as there is no full path that starts with notepad

^ does not seem to work the same as startwith:

Do you see different results when using

^abc

vs.

startwith:abc

? They should be the same.
(when Match Path is unchecked and match_start_of_filename_with_caret is set to either 1 or 2 )

[froggie]

Thanks. That makes it clearer.

So if ^ and startwith: are conceptually the same, shouldn't match_start_of_filename_with_caret affect both (or there should be an equivalent parameter for startwith:), since the same logic applies?

[void]

The recommend way for Everything 1.5+ is:

startwith:name:._

startwith:
name:



For Everything 1.4:

nopath:startwith:._



Search -> Match Path will force Everything to match the full path and name.



Please consider the following search:

\._

So if ^ and startwith: are conceptually the same, shouldn't match_start_of_filename_with_caret affect both (or there should be an equivalent parameter for startwith:), since the same logic applies?

^ and startwith: are the same internally.
Using match_start_of_filename_with_caret=2 applies nopath: ( ^ is the same as nopath:startwith: )

[froggie]

\._ Great. Simple and uncomplicated.

[TheBestPessimist]

> The recommend way for Everything 1.5+ is:
>
> startwith:name:._

Thanks, that works just as well too!