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Xubuntu Xenial and I use thunar as file manager. I am also new to LINUX.

I need a right click custom action to search files with wild cards. I implemented the custom action with catfish but this does not allow search with wild cards.

I looked into the find command and would like to use it with the read command to pass the wild card.

I tested the following command in my terminal window and it seems to work:

$(read -p 'wildcard : ');find ~/home -iname '$wildcard'

But where can I display the result?

piscvau
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2 Answers2

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What exactly are you trying to accomplish? While the simple "start typing" search in thunar doesn't have wildcards and needs a match from the first letter, the catfish search that already comes with thunar on Xubuntu is quite powerful (and also cpu intensive).

Simply right click on the folder you wish to search and select the "Find in this folder".

A new window will appear, and it is a simple match search. As long as everything you type matches somewhere you'll get the results back. There is no need for a traditional * as wildcard. Just separate the different 'parts' you want to search with a space. There are plenty of other options, like also searching file contents, exact matches, etc.

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Podesta
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  • From what version it is available? On Thunar 1.6.15 I don't have it – Suncatcher Mar 06 '19 at 19:29
  • @Suncatcher It is there. Do you have catfish package installed? What custom actions do you have on Thunar (Edit > Configure Custom Actions)? – Podesta Mar 08 '19 at 08:36
  • note that catfishi s only cpu intensive because, next to running locate, it immediately fires a find command on search. most of the time, locate is enough (cached database, on most systems updates once per day). the cpu intensive find process can be stopped by clicking the "x" in the search bar after hitting search. doesnt make much sense to me however, I think a pure locate frontent is preferrable – phil294 Dec 06 '19 at 16:59
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For me "just typing" didin't work.

In Thunar press Ctrl-F will call typeahead searchbox, and Strl-F will call searching by pattern.

Suncatcher
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  • As this stands, it looks almost more like a comment than an answer. Please [edit] to expand. Furthermore, how old is "older?" Don't just give a one-liner; explain why you right, ideally with citations. Answers without explanation are subject to removal. – anonymous2 Mar 06 '19 at 20:19