TraX

TraX finds stuff...

This file is a manual for using the TraX utility on BeOS.
TraX is a tool for finding files on your Disks.
Its features include:

Can search any file-system type. *
Can search within specified folders
Can search for included text
Has logical operators: and , or , not, ( , )
Regular expression matching
High Speed.

This manual includes information for users and developers.
Sections marked with contain information for users.
Sections marked with contain information for developers.

Using FastTraX

Overview
The Name Panel
The File Panel
The Date Panel
See also: The Results Window , Globs

Using TraX

Overview
Find In
The Options Panel
Putting together the criteria
Searching by Name
Searching by Extension
Searching by Size
Searching by Modified
Searching by Created
Searching by Kind
Searching by Contains
Using conjunctions and grouping
See also: The Results Window , Scripting TraX , Globs , Regular Expressions

The Results Window

Overview
Selecting Items
Invoking Items

Scripting TraX

Overview
The Window Layout
Setting the Folder
Setting PopUps
Setting Edit Boxes
Setting Options
Adding Panels
Starting the Find
Setting Colours
Setting Focus
An Example: SearchHeaders.sh

Globs

Overview

Regular Expressions

Overview

Move information, particular developer information needs to be written, but at this stage is has been more important to me to get this into the hands of users. I intend to document the code a fair bit more, and give some details for anyone who wants to contribute, but for now, this is it.

Tim Vernum 27th June 1999

Footnotes
"any file-system type"
Searches FAT & BFS drives. Can theoretically search any file-system that BeOS can mount with a POSIX interface
"High Speed"
TraX is based upon GNU findutils, which are very fast.
I believe that libfind.so, which TraX uses to find files is close to the fastest way to find files without having precached information (such as indices)
Thus TraX will not be as fast as a BeOS query using an index, but because TraX doesn't rely on indices, it can offer more features.

TraX

Contents

Footnotes