Set Criteria to Add or Extract Files

You can select multiple files to add or extract. You can also set filters to screen this initial set of selected files so that only the files that meet specified criteria are actually added or extracted. Files that do not meet the criteria are filtered out.

For example, you can specify that only text (*.txt) files are added even though files of other types are selected too.

The special criteria for screening files are called filters: they filter out files that do not match the filter criteria. You can use filters both when adding and when extracting. The same filters are available for both operations, but you can save different settings for each operation separately.

Filters are applied to the files you initially select to add or extract. The filters determine whether a given file that you initially select is ultimately included or excluded from the set of files added or extracted.

Note: You can also use filters to select files in an archive. See here for information.

There are many filter options you can set. When you use filters, a file must match at least one filter option and not be excluded by any others in order to be included.

To access filters for files to add to an archive:

1.  Select Options from the Application Menu.

2.  Select the Compression category.

3.  Select Advanced from the Filter drop-down menu list to enable the Edit Filter button.

The Filter drop-down menu offers these three choices:

4.  Click Edit Filter to open Filter Properties to the General tab.

How to Use the Filter Controls

You can apply any or all of the filters described below.

To include or exclude files based on their attributes

Check the box for each attribute type that you do not want to exclude. For example, check Hidden to include selected files that have this attribute set.

Files that have an attribute that is unchecked are excluded even if they also have an attribute that is checked: Clearing an attribute unconditionally excludes files that have that attribute; checking an attribute includes files that have that attribute only if no other criterion excludes the files.

To include or exclude files based on file name, location, or type

1.  Specify files by name or by file name pattern:

• Use the Browse button to find files and to enter their names and path in the field.
• Enter a file name pattern—for example, *.txt or my03??.doc—in the field to the left of the Add Item button.
• You can edit file names and patterns

2.  Choose Add Item to add the file specification to the list underneath.

The entry is added with a blue to indicate that matching files are to be included (if no other filter excludes them).

3.  Use Exclude/Include to mark a file specification pattern for use as an Include or Exclude pattern.

This button enables you to flag a file specification pattern to use to exclude files instead of to include them. A pattern for files to include is flagged with a blue +; a pattern for files to exclude is flagged with a red X. ClicktExclude/Include to switch the flag from blue to red and vice versa on patterns selected in the list.

Editing File Names

You can edit the names and patterns in the File name field. For example, if you just want all the .txt files but not the other files in myfolder, you can change myfolder\*.* to myfolder\*.txt.

You can also enter a file name pattern by itself— for example, *.txt or my03??.doc. A file name pattern picks out all files whose names match the pattern.

So, for example, *.txt matches all files (in the folders searched) whose names end in .txt. Pattern *.htm? matches all files that end in .htm or .html (along with any other file with a four-letter extension beginning with .htm).

An advantage of using file name patterns, particularly if you are building a list to use again, is that patterns pick out all files that match. So even if new .txt files are added to a folder after you create your list, the pattern *.txt will match them the next time you use your list.

Remove Entries from an Include List

To load a previously saved list of patterns: Click Load List to open a standard Open dialog. From here you can open the text file containing the list you want to use.

To filter files by date and size

To reset filter settings to their original defaults: Choose Default in Filter Properties.

To record your filter settings and leave Filter Properties open: Choose Apply.

To record your filter settings and close Filter Properties: Choose OK.