Search for Files or Folders

File Station's Search provides you with options to search and display desired files or folders. You can find files or folders in the current folder, or perform advanced search that covers all subfolders for more refined search results.

For in-depth search into file contents, we recommend you index desired folders (at Control Panel > Indexing Service > File Indexing > Indexed Folder List) and keep Enable file content search (for advanced search) selected.

To perform regular search:

Regular search delivers in-depth search from the current folder down to all its subfolders and files inside.

1. Open File Station and go to the folder that contains the desired files/folders.
2. Enter a keyword in the Search field at the top-right corner to show the search results.
3. To list the most recent 10 searches, click the Search field. To erase all search history, click Clear History.

To perform advanced search:

Advanced search offers various search criteria and operators to help refine the search results.

1. Open File Station and go to the folder that contains the desired contents.
2. Click the magnifying glass next to the Search field at the top-right corner to reveal the advanced search menu.
3. Specify the search criteria below or choose from drop-down menus:
   • Keyword: Enter a keyword to search for files or folders with matching names. To list the most recent five searches, click the Search field.

     Note:

     • You can use wildcards [*] (meaning zero or more characters) and [?] (meaning one random character) in your keywords. For example, [a*n] can represent [action], [attention], or [an].
     • You can use spaces to separate keywords (e.g. [X Y]):
       • For non-indexed folders: List items that contain all the keywords in name (e.g. [X_Y_Z]).
       • For indexed folders (with Enable file content search selected): List items that contain all the keywords in name (e.g. [X_Y_Z]), and files that contain at least one keyword in contents.
     • You can add double quotes ["] at the beginning and the end of keywords to search for exact, case-insensitive matches. For example, ["Synology Inc."] can represent [Synology Inc.], but cannot represent [Synology Incorporation].
     • The operators below can be used for refined search results:

       Operator	Example	Usage
       &&	[X] && [Y]	List matches that contain both [X] and [Y]
       ||	[X] || [Y]	List matches that contain [X], [Y], or both Matches that contain both [X] and [Y] will be listed on the top
       +	+[X]	List matches that contain [X] Only for folders indexed at Control Panel > Indexing Service > File Indexing
       -	-[X]	List matches that do not contain [X] Only for folders indexed at Control Panel > Indexing Service > File Indexing
       !	![X]	List matches that do not contain [X] Only for folders indexed at Control Panel > Indexing Service > File Indexing
       \	\[SpecialCharacter]	Special characters:   +   -   &&   ||    !    (    )    {    }    [    ]    ^    "    ~    *    ?    :   \ List matches that contain a targeted special character above

   • Enable file content search: Search for indexed files with the file content or metadata that match the keywords.
   • Location: Select from the drop-down menu to set the range and depth of advanced search. You can also customize the search scope by selecting any other shared folders listed.
   • File Type: Choose Extension to limit the search range to specific types of files, or choose Any Folder to search for folders only.
   • Date: Choose Modified Date, Created Date or Last Accessed, and then choose a date from the calendar to search for files with matching dates.
   • Size (MB): Choose from equals, is greater than, and is less than, and then enter a size to search for files with matching sizes. (When choosing equals, search results will include files of approximately the same size specified.)
   • Owner/Group: Choose Owner or Group, and then choose from the drop-down menu to search for files or folders belonging to the selected owner or group.

     Note:

     • To perform advanced search, you need to specify Location and at least one other search criterion.
     • If an ISO folder or a remote folder is mounted in an indexed shared folder, you cannot find the files inside via advanced search.
4. Click Search to start the search, or click Reset and specify the search criteria again. When the search is complete, matching files will be listed in the main area of File Station.