How to find empty files?

[voidme]

For example: this command does not find files which start with zero's:
startwith:hex:binary:content:000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
It should search in all files which content is not indexed.
For now, I assume if the file starts with 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000, the file is empty.

[void]

Use the fromdisk: search modifier to bypass your content index.

fromdisk:startwith:hex:binary:content:000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

fromdisk:



Use whole:content: to match files with no content. (file size might still be > 0)

whole:



Use size:0 to match empty files.

[hamid56]

dear david
by fromdisk:startwith:hex:binary:content:000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
surprisingly we can find all iso and dcm and some other extension that have started with many zero file at header but not empty file.

[void]

To find files that are all NULL characters:

regex:binarycontent:^\x00*$

binarycontent:



To find files that start with one or more NULL characters:

startwith:hex:content:00
-or-
regex:binarycontent:^\x00+

[therube]

To find files that start with one or more NULL characters:

regex:binarycontent:^\x00+
-or-
startwith:hex:content:00

Is that correct? [YES - see below]
Is binarycontent: looking for files that contain ONLY nul?
Is startwith: looking for files where the first byte is a nul?

I have a ubcd.iso.
The file starts with a number of nul (but is certainly not all nul).
The binarycontent: does not find ubcd (& is a timely search [scan of the data] at that).
The startwith: immediately finds ubcd.iso.

[therube]

Oh that's weird.

regex:binarycontent:^\x00+

Is there some sort of limit with that?
Or bug?

With smaller files (9 bytes or 32,768 or 58,353,664), that does find files that start with any number of nul.
But with a larger file, it fails?
(In this case "larger" is only 692,897,792 bytes)


Oh, it must be an x86 issue.

Code: Select all

failed to alloc 1025603363
failed to alloc 1025811579
failed to alloc 1025864362
failed to alloc 1025711180

So yes, regex:binarycontent:^\x00+ is correct.
Though with x86 Everything you can run out of "memory" on larger files.

[void]

regex:binarycontent:^\x00+

is terribly inefficient.
This will load the entire file into memory to perform the search.

startwith:hex:content:00

will only load 1 byte of the file to perform the search.

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

So: is there a swift solution for a layman - in form adding a Filter?

How would Filter would need to look like in order to single out all empty files, no matter of what format they might be?

[void]

To me, a file filled with NULLs is not empty.

Your results may vary.



To find files that have no size or are filled with NULLs:

size:0 | < startwith:hex:content:00 regex:binarycontent:^\x00+$>



To make a filter to find these files

• In Everything, from the Search menu, click Add to filters....
• Change the Name to: Empty or All NULLs
• Change the Search to: size:0 | < startwith:hex:content:00 regex:binarycontent:^\x00*$>
• Click OK.

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

I added this to my Everything as a Bookmark

Thank you for the info

[voidme]

regex:binarycontent:^\x00+

startwith:hex:content:00

will only load 1 byte of the file to perform the search.

I don't think that works (on my computer).
If I do:
startwith:hex:content:0000000000000000
The result is quicker than instant, and no files are found, while I know there are files starting with 0000000000000000.

[void]

Everything will never index content as binary.

Please make sure you use the fromdisk: search modifier.

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

So I have this Bookmark for finding zero size folders / NULL content files

Code: Select all

size:0 | < startwith:hex:content:00 regex:binarycontent:^\x00*$>

and it does work. But using it I cannot search for names of items like in case of e.g.

Code: Select all

file:!.   

which allows me to [easily] add characters after the set-up expression's end [because I included 3 white spaces at the end of it for better readability in the Search Edit field i.e. I added a wide margin for better handling of searched for names]

Can this Bookmark for empty items be reworked to such form that I would allow for writing at its end of whatever characters in order for them to be additionally searched for in names? Or does this regex expression touches limitation of Everything in regards to Bookmarks - which can be worked around with usage of the File Lists feature?

I know I can expand it to

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size:0 | < startwith:hex:content:00 regex:binarycontent:^\x00*$> file:   

and

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size:0 | < startwith:hex:content:00 regex:binarycontent:^\x00*$> folder:   

but that splits the search into two and increases the Bookmarks from 1 to 3. And also: that first one does not use the Highlight in rows of found items - i.e. it only is applied by Everything for the folders one; so I think I found a bug. This glitch / dichotomy happens also If I use Filers set to

Code: Select all

Search
size:0 | < startwith:hex:content:00 regex:binarycontent:^\x00*$> file:
Macro
bin<search>

vs.

Code: Select all

Search
size:0 | < startwith:hex:content:00 regex:binarycontent:^\x00*$> folder:
Macro
bin<search>

[and which Filter feature would be in this case a second workaround aside from using File Lists]