# Search

The Search window allows searching for files inside the shares of on-line users. You can search for one or more keywords and optionally use filters as described below. When your search query is ready, press the Search button to send out the search request to the hub(s) you are connected to; these hubs will then forward the search request to all of their connected users.

When a client matches a search request, it sends the results back to the requester. These results then show up in the search results list of the Search window.

You can open several independent Search windows and define different search arguments in each, thus allowing you to process multiple searches simultaneously. Be careful though, it sometimes happens that search results show up in the wrong window (this is a deficiency of the NMDC protocol, and should never happen with ADC hubs).

Note that search requests are sent out only once, when the Search button is pressed. After that - until that button is pressed again - the sole purpose of the Search window is to show results received by DC++ that: either match the search query (NMDC); or match the search ID (ADC).
(This means that users who have logged in after you pressed the Search button won't send you any search result unless you repeat the search.)

You may not start or repeat searches as fast as you like. There is a minimum interval of a few seconds between two searches defined in DC++. You will get a countdown message in the Status bar if you try to search sooner than allowed and will be able to repeat the search only when the client is ready to search again. Besides, some hubs also limit searches by checking for forbidden keywords or by blocking repeated similar searches sent in a too small amount of time. Some hubs have predefined minimum search intervals for all searches or some even totally block searches if you are in passive mode.

Search hits with TTH are always matched to the Download queue and new sources are automatically added to the queue items unless they were removed or marked as "bad" sources before. The filelists of all newly discovered sources will be automatically matched for possible other queued files if the Automatically match queue for search hits setting is enabled. Activating that option can generate lots of filelist traffic when large amount of new sources are found for queued files.

If you often get too few search results or no results at all, refer to the Search troubleshooting FAQ.

## Search options (left)

Search for
  This is the set of search strings to search for. Words beginning with "-" will be filtered away.
Purge
  Clear the contents of the search history.
Search
  Start searching for the set of search strings defined above. Note; you may not start too many searches in a small amount of time.
Size
  Filter away files depending on their file size.
File type
  Filter away files depending on their file type (extension). Not all possible extensions are included in some file type groups. If you search for newer or obscure file types, then it is recommended to use the Any option and include the file extension in the search string instead. Options other than Any, Directory & TTH are ignored for searches on ADC hubs.
Only users with free slots
  Filter away files depending on the user's free slots.
Hide files already in share
  Filter away files that are already in share.
Hubs
  Search only selected hubs.

## Results list (right)

Columns:

File
  The file name.
User
  The user's nick name.
Type
  The file's extension (file type).
Size
  The file's size.
Slots
  x/y: x slots available of a total y.
Path
  The path in the user's file list where the file is stored.
Connection
  The user's possible line speed in upload.
Hub
  In which hub the user is in.
Exact size
  The exact size of the file.
IP
  The user's IP.
TTH root
  The TTH root for the file.
CID
  The unique ID that DC++ use to identify other users.

## Status bar

Unnamed checkbox
  Toggle the displayment of the search options.
# items
  The amount of items that are displayed in the window.
# filtered
  The amount of files that have been filtered away from the view.