When searching text in files, NEAR finds words within ten words. So ‘Apple
NEAR macOS’ produces results when Apple is within ten words of macOS.EasyFindis a geektoolthatsupports
advancedsearchingof programmingcode,
systemfiles,settingsandotherthingsnot
indexedbySpotlight.Forexample,it has
a fuzzyfindoptionandit canalsosearch
foronekeywordwhenit is neartoanother
keyword.It haslogicaloperatorsAND,OR,
NOT,andalsoBUT,XOR,NEAR,AFTER
andBEFORE.Openthehelpfilefromthe
Helpmenutoseehowtousetheseand
otheradvancedfeatures.Advanced search
techniques
1
Use wildcards
Wildcards represent any character and ‘?’
is one character, ‘*’ is many and ‘[]’ a range.
Eg, search [a-d]*.pdf to find all files beginning
with the letters A to D with a .pdf extension.2
Search hidden locations
Select ‘Package contents’ to search
inside apps in the Applications folder. Select
‘Invisible files & folders’ to search hidden items,
like files in the Trash and system/app folders.Step-by-step Search for files with EasyFind
1
Install and start
Download EasyFind from
devontechnologies.com/apps/freeware
or the App Store. Everything you need is on
this one screen. The search box is at the top.4
Preview search results
Search results appear from locations not
checked by Spotlight or Finder searches. To
preview a file’s contents, select it and press
space or click the Quick Look icon.2
Set the location
Before searching, choose where to
search from the dropdown list on the right. By
default, it searches your home folder, but it can
be set to search all volumes if needed.5
Open a file
Double-click a file to open it in the default
app or Ctrl+click it and select ‘Open with’.
Choose the app to use. Select ‘Reveal in
Finder’ to view the folder containing it.3
Search for folders
In the settings on the left, choose whether
to search for files, folders or both. EasyFind
makes it quicker and easier to select than
using Finder. Enter a word to search.6
Search file contents
EasyFind looks for text inside files when
File Contents is selected. Programmers and
geeks: click the Settings button to open a
panel and choose the file types to search.Image Source: DEVONtechnologies, LLC