Searching. Again...

[StepHock]

I'm using 2022U.

My file-name convention comprises a two-letter country code followed by a four-digit year, a two-digit month a three-letter ID code and a numeric sequence. There is a stop (period) between each component:

UK.2020.04.ABC.0001
BR.2021.06.ABC.0001
etc.

The folder structure is year\country-code

I am trying to make a smart colection or dynamic search based on the three-letter code (ABC in the examples), however it appears I can't.

Any suggestions? It needs to be dynamic, as these files are continually being added to, and it would be extremely time-consuming to add a clause to the search parameters each time.

This otherwise excellent DAM is fast becoming unusable because of the search restrictions.

[Emil]

This otherwise excellent DAM is fast becoming unusable because of the search restrictions.

Since years the db and it's search functions are completely obsolete: Extraordinary slow and missing lot's of functions too.

For the search you describe I use Everything. Search results appear instantly while typing the search phrase. The search results may be selected (e.g CTRL-A) and drag'droped into a category in AC. I have 5,6 million items in my Everything DB.

However this isn't a "Smart Collection" of course, there isn't any dynamic smart collection at all in AC. There's just renamed "Saved Searches".

[Greyfox]

StepHock


Quite possibly I am not understanding exactly in what form you want the search to be....

If you assigned the three character "code" as a keyword, then the Quick search would find all the images containing the three characters you typed in.

Alternatively, if you want to base it just on the filenames, then in the search pane, under "search for files or folders named" type in *ABC* (where the ABC is what ever specific code you want) , and then click on start.

[StepHock]

Hi Greyfox.
What I really wanted was a 'smart' collection... I hadn't realised that the search reads a string from anywhere within the filename. It works well enough. Thank you!

[Greyfox]

Hi Greyfox.
What I really wanted was a 'smart' collection..

The metadata search keys available in "smart collections" are the same ones available in the search pane properties box, but AFAIK smart collections can't use search keys based on the filename, where as the search pane can (not in the properties box, but in the files section).