How to Add a Search Filter to Windows Explorer

[MJacobs]

When I'm browsing local/network drives in Win7, the Search box (upper right in any Explorer window) only offers two filters "Date Modified" and "Size".

The "Add a Search Filter" is grayed out. Frustrating!!

-------------------
Here's some info on search filters that are available to be added-- but I haven''t figured out how to add them yet:

•Date Created: Searches according to when the file was created. You can select the date (or a range of dates) from a mini-calendar that appears.

•Kind: Search for files of a specific type as selected from the drop-down list that appears when you click the Kind option.

•Type: Searches based on certain file types by extension, such as .pdf, .jpg, or .docx.

•Name: Searches by filename. You can enter all or part of the filename in the search text box after the Name filter.

•Tags: This filter lets you search for a file by the tags assigned to it. Enter one or more tags after the Tags filter in the Search text box.

•Authors: Search for file by a particular author. Enter an author name after the Authors filter in the Search text box or select the name from the drop-down list that appears. (This filter is called Artists when searching audio files.)

Your support and guidance is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED! (this is my first post)

Thanks,
Mark...

 

[Brink]

Hello Mark, and welcome to Seven Forums.

This may help. Be sure to look at the yellow TIP box in OPTION TWO as well.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/36599-search-windows-7-a.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[MJacobs]

Thanks. I reviewed this page before posting-- but unfortunately it does not directly answer my question-- how to add a Search Filter. Why is "Add a Search Filter" grayed out? Is it contextual? Are available options based on whether a drive is indexed or not?

I do, however, have additional search filters when I'm using the Search box within Librares. However, using Windows Explorer on a local or network share, I only have two filters available: "Date Modified" and "Size".

Is there a registry key I can add?

 

[Brink]

"Add a Search Filter" is just a title, so it will always remain grayed out. To actually add a search filter, you would need to click in the search box, click on a filter (ex: Date modified), select the options in that filter, then repeat to add another filter to the search. You will only have the filters available under "Add a Search Filter" to use though.

 

[MJacobs]

Ridiculously obvious question-- Why would Microsoft word a "title" like a "command"?! Better to have: "Available Searches".

I DO very much appreciate your reply-- but it still does not address the problem. For example, how would I search by Author without typing the search phrase "Author:". Why isn't author an available option, as "Date Modified" and "Size" are? Our users will not learn or use Advanced Query Syntax.

Does this involve indexing or not?

THANK YOU!

 

[Brink]

Mark,

Unfortunately, unless the filter was listed under "Add a Search Filter" to select from, you would have to manually type the "Author:" search option in the search box.

The Windows Blog

 

[fredphoesh]

Hello guys,

Is there any way to return to XP type search? I find this windows 7 searching VERY irritating, confusing, and not as user friendly... for example I cannot search a file where the search request forms part of the NAME of the file. The options seem to be missing and the only two user choices are DATE and SIZE... which is really annoying when XP had so much more to make a search specific.

What are microsoft doing with this Win7 search, it is really awful.

Sadly,

Mark.

 

[testybar]

I DO very much appreciate your reply-- but it still does not address the problem. For example, how would I search by Author without typing the search phrase "Author:". Why isn't author an available option, as "Date Modified" and "Size" are? Our users will not learn or use Advanced Query Syntax.

I very much agree. The UI for searching the file system in Windows 7 Explorer is absolutely brain-dead.

Yes, have a simple search box for just providing a bit of text to search for, but Windows MUST MUST MUST provide an expanded drop-down box (or something: design it right program managers!) that allows "point and click" selection of other properties, such as size, filename, modified date, etc. We should not have to memorize the Advanced Query Syntax to get to these slightly more advanced searches. It's really sad that I can search the entire Internet with more ease and richness (both!) than my local hard drive.

 

[Mike Connor]

If you want to search directories in Explorer, you might like to try this;

http://www.sevenforums.com/customization/151865-classic-shell-add-buttons.html#post1302948

<Add a search filter using Everything>

Regards....Mike Connor

 

[FliGi7]

Ridiculously obvious question-- Why would Microsoft word a "title" like a "command"?! Better to have: "Available Searches".

I DO very much appreciate your reply-- but it still does not address the problem. For example, how would I search by Author without typing the search phrase "Author:". Why isn't author an available option, as "Date Modified" and "Size" are? Our users will not learn or use Advanced Query Syntax.

Does this involve indexing or not?

THANK YOU!

Windows search provides filters based on the tags present in the files being searched. This is the reason that Authors changes to Artists when searching Music files. So, yes, it does depend on what is indexed in the current folder you are searching. Therefore, when you're searching a networked drive that is not indexed, it has no idea what files are in there and can't intelligently and preemptively provide the Authors tags based on knowledge that there are files with Authors attributes in there. Does that make sense?

What happens when you just search an author's name without using the search filter?

 

[fafhrd]

I would suggest a 3rd party route:

Search My Files

is as flexible and comprehensive as you could wish for in a filesearch tool.

And you could turn indexing off.

 

[Vektor67]

This one is actually quite easy you'll notice the format explorer uses when you add the filter i.e "Artist:" I was able to use any meta field found within my "Audiobook" Library(Libraries are always indexed).The same wasn't true accessing that same folder directly from it's "My Computer" hierarchy although I've designated that directory as one containing music, Libraries apparently have higher priorities,
I dig libraries now that I've gotten used to them, at first glance they seemed ubsurd, not so anymore.

I stumbled accross this thread as for audiobooks you don't need high bitrates at all, it's only a voice and mp3 players only so large I wish to filter out everything over 128 and downscale it so I simply typed Bitrate:128 and voila explorer kicked in with options for the meta field I was interested in and magically the search turned into this; bitrate:near cd quality over 128 kbps .
I'ts probably dependant on how you've "customized" a particular directory i.e. music,images,movies ect as you'll note
each directory so customized looks different than it's fellows. Good luck, cheers