topic Re: Using ADCENTER to search for text string in AutoCAD Forum

Using ADCENTER to search for text string

mpa-la — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 17:44:39 GMT

Trying to use ADCENTER to search a directory for a drawing with a particular text string in it (mtext, dtext, mleader or qleader). To test I put a unique word in one drawing and saved it in a directory with other drawings. Used ADCENTER to search the directory the dwg is in. Told it to look for any *.dwg filename, then under advanced I added the unique word into the "containing text" line. Search results include every file in the directory. : - \ Btw, I'm using adcenter because nothing else I've tried (windows, agent ransack, Everything Search, DWG Search, Total Search) will reliably search drawings for text. Any ideas?

Re: Using ADCENTER to search for text string

rkmcswain — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 17:55:55 GMT

I can't comment on the search tools in ADC, but have you tried the external tools here? The top 3 or 4 look like they would work.

Re: Using ADCENTER to search for text string

mpa-la — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:39:51 GMT

I tried "And Where Was That" and it didn't work, but I couldn't even get it to find a file by filename when I only had one file on the list to search. It was not the most straightforward software I've ever used. I don't see any others on the list that seem to search for text.

Re: Using ADCENTER to search for text string

pendean — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 22:27:19 GMT

That function is only designed to look in blocks and attributes, like it says on the pop-up:

Or as a field in DWGPROPS in the file:

If you are looking for anything else, it's not an option.

Re: Using ADCENTER to search for text string

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 18:46:52 GMT

Dean Saadallah, I've just been upgraded to AutoCAD 2018 from 2015. In 2015 I successfully used ContentExplorer to search any set of indexed DWG files for any type of text. ContentExplorer is now missing from 2018. There is no way to search a group of DWG files for a character string. It just does not work. Using Windows Explorer does not work. This was a critical tool that I've used for years. Are there any viable alternatives?