Search text inside multiple PDF files

[coba]

Hello Forum!

Simple question:
Is there a way to search for text inside searchable and non-opened multiple PDF files?

Thank you in advance,
Coba

[Willy Van Nuffel]

In PDF-XChange Editor, you can do this via Edit > Search.
In the Search pane, at "WHERE would you like to search", click the tiny arrow at the right of "Please choose...".
Now, via "Browse for folder", you can 'select' a folder (one folder at a time) and so add multiple folders to search in.
Via the "Options..." button, you can mark/check to also "Look in Sub-Folders".

More detailed information in the on-line manual:
https://help.pdf-xchange.com/pdfxe6/search_ed.html

[coba]

Thank you very much for your prompt response, Willy Van Nuffel. As in two out of three previous posts of mine, and lots of other users, your answers are very instructive and helpful.
Unfortunately, "Browse for folder", although perfect in other cases, isn't what I am looking for right now. In this case, I would need the same function but as "Browse for file" and the option to select multiple files kept within different folders, rather than a specific folder. That is why I referred to files in the first place, although I should be more clear...

So, I'll rephrase my question:
Is there a way to search for text inside searchable and non-opened multiple PDF files kept within different folders?

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hello Coba,

Thanks for clarifying the situation.
No I am afraid that this is not currently possible.
You will either need to e.g. make copies of those files that you put in a common folder, or open them first - and then perform the search over the already opened files.

Regards,
Stefan

[Willy Van Nuffel]

Hello Coba and Tracker Support,

Myself, I am not really sure if Coba tried to add "more than one" folder in "WHERE would you like to search?". Maybe just tried with one folder?
Adding multiple folders is possible by repeating the "Browse for folder..." action.
After doing that, you can launch a search in multiple folders (and in this means, in multiple PDF-files) at the same time.

If Coba would indeed prefer to assemble/compose a list of specific files and then launch a search only in these files, then I am afraid - just like Stefan already answered - that this is not possible with the current version of PDF-XChange Editor.

What one could also do (as a work around), is put or move the files - that you would like to search in - in a subfolder of the folder where they currently are stored. In this way, you can still use the "Browse for folder..." action and add all the subfolders (with the files where you would like to search in) to your search list and then launch the search. What do you think about this?

Best regards.

[coba]

Good morning Stefan and Willy,

Thank you both for your answers and instructions.
Willy, once more you were right. I didn't try to add "more than one" folder. It wasn't obvious to me that this could be done. I tried it now. This was my experience:
When I chose a second folder it wasn't obvious at all that it was actually added, I had the feeling that I was replacing the first folder, since repeating the action replaces the address of the first folder with "browser for folder". And when choosing the second folder one sees only its address, not both addresses. Only by opening the box again, one can see all the added folders. Stefan, maybe this could be a future improvement of this feature's outlook, what do you think?
Now, the problem with this suggestion is that the more the folders, then the more the files. So, while I want to search, say, 15 files, then selecting, say, 2 folders, would end up searching, e.g., 150 files... You see the negative outcome both in time and space, right?
Furthermore, the "browse for folder" feature might sometimes not be practical for the search even of one folder. Take the same numbers. If, e.g., I want to search 15 files and the folder contains 150 files. [And, some folders contain even more. Although this might seem bad file and folder managing, it isn't. All the files are in their place, inside a lot of sub-folders. It's just that I keep a quite rich, and always expanding, e-library].
The work around for all this, is what both of you suggested: creating a folder and moving or copying there the needed files. And in my case, this is far more fast and practical from adding folders. So, I will stick to that. But still, it is time consuming: If I annotate the files searched, then I need to go back in the folder of each file and replace the initial files with the new ones...
Now, I understand I might seem naggy by pointing out the negatives of the suggestions made. That's why, I want to make clear that those are negatives regarding only my personal needs and for the file-use that I, personally, want to make. As I wrote in previous response, "browse for folder" is perfect; it's just not what I'm looking for right now. And it seems that this applies for searching just one folder as well as for the "add more than one folder" feature. So, if a "browse for files", both in different and the same folder feature could be implemented in the Editor, that would be absolutely practical! What do you think? Did I manage to buy a ticket to the dev. team for this request?

Best regards!

P.S.: I just discovered the "accept this answer" option, which marks a post as Solved. So, I went back to some previous posts of mine and did that. I wonder: could this option be set so that one could accept two answers as solving the issue?

[Timur Born]

The most convenient way still seems to be to use the "All Opened documents" search option. If you need to search the same files over and over again then you could save those open files as a Session.

[coba]

Thank you, Timur. Yes, in some cases your suggestion seems more helpful than copying the files in a new file. I' ll make use of that also!
Because my last reply was a bit extensive, in order to point out the practical problems that my request can solve if implemented, let me now express it in a nutshell:
a "browse for file" feature to search text in non-opened files kept either in the same folder or in different folders.

Best regards!

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hello Coba,

I've just created the FR ticket:
#4040: FR: "browse for file" feature that can search text in non-opened files kept either in different folders.
I changed the wording from your suggestion slightly - but have also explained in details inside the ticket body the actual requirement.

Will let you know as soon as a decision is made on this feature request.

Regards,
Stefan

[coba]

Hello Stefan,

I really appreciate the considering, thank you.
I'll be waiting for the decision.

Best regards!

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

[coba]

Hello Stefan,

two years later, I wonder what was the fate of the ticket you created regarding my feature request.

Best regards!

[TrackerSupp-Daniel]

Hello Coba,

You will be happy to hear that the request was accepted, although it is a bit low priority. We began development on it this march, and unfortunately I cannot provide a timeline for this quite yet. Likely it will still be some time before it is available.

Kind regards,

[coba]

Hello Daniel,

thank you for your response. Indeed, happily I received your news on my request. Keep on! I 'll be waiting for the new feature!

Best regards!

[Paul - Tracker Supp]