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Searching for Files

It can be annoying to have to click through many folders to get to the files that are buried deep within the file system. It is also more natural to think of your files in terms of what they contain (such as the phrase "chocolate chip cookie"), rather than their names and locations (such as C:\Documents and Settings\...\Recipes\cookie12.doc). A simpler way to get to your files is to use Logicle Secretary’s search feature. Besides files, Logicle Secretary can also search for folders and emails in Microsoft Outlook.

To perform a search, just type a keyword or phrase into the search box and press Enter.

The type of the items shown in the search results is determined by the currently selected category. For instance, if the Documents category is selected, the search results will include only documents such as Microsoft Word documents and text files, but not emails or folders. The type of items shown in the search results will change dynamically as you switch among categories.

It may be that the search is too broad (includes too many results). In such cases, you can enter additional sets of search terms (we call these search criteria) by typing into the search box and pressing Enter each time. Logicle Secretary will then only look for items that match the original criterion plus all the additional criteria, thus narrowing the search.

When Matches is selected, Logicle Secretary shows items that match all the checked criteria. Unchecked criteria do not count.

You can see the items that match just a particular criterion by selecting that criterion (this works even if the criterion is unchecked because checking or unchecking a criterion only affects what is shown when Matches is selected).

You can uncheck some criteria to broaden the search if the search is too narrow (returns too few results). Remember you have to select Matches to see the search results that match the checked criteria.

You can also try checking different combinations of criteria to adjust Logicle Secretary’s search behavior.

To perform a brand new search, click Clear List to clear your previous search.

Should I Break Up a Phrase into Individual Words?

It depends on what kind of results you want. The difference between searching for "caramel apple pie" (as one criterion), for example, versus "caramel" + "apple" + "pie" (as three criteria) is that the first search is more restrictive: it only looks for items that have the exact phrase "caramel apple pie". Even text that is only slightly different, such as "caramel and apple pie" (note the additional "and") will not be matched. On the other hand, the second search looks for documents that match all the terms "caramel" and "apple" and "pie", but these terms do not necessarily have to be found together in the exact phrase "caramel apple pie".

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