Copyright ©1995 by NeXT Computer, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

IXFileFinderConfiguration



Adopted By: IXFileFinder
Declared In: indexing/IXFileFinder.h



Protocol Description

The IXFileFinderConfiguration protocol defines methods for controlling how an IXFileFinder builds and updates its index, and how it treats various files and properties of the file system.  This information is kept in the file finder's store, so your code doesn't have to re-establish a configuration each time it uses the file finder.



Method Types

Managing attribute parsers setAttributeParsers:
getAttributeParsers:
Generating descriptions setGeneratesDescriptions:
generatesDescriptions
Enabling automatic updating setUpdatesAutomatically:
updatesAutomatically
Setting file system options setCrossesDeviceChanges:
crossesDeviceChanges
setFollowsSymbolicLinks:
followsSymbolicLinks
setScansForModifiedFiles:
scansForModifiedFiles
Ignoring files setIgnoredTypes:
ignoredTypes
setIgnoredNames:
ignoredNames



Instance Methods

crossesDeviceChanges
(BOOL)crossesDeviceChanges

Returns YES if the file finder indexes files stored on physical devices other than the device that the primary directory (the file finder's root path) is on, NO if it doesn't.  For example, if the user has a hard disk mounted in the file finder's primary directory, this method will return YES if the file finder indexes and searches files on that disk.  The default is NO.

See also:  setCrossesDeviceChanges:



followsSymbolicLinks
(BOOL)followsSymbolicLinks

Returns YES if the file finder follows symbolic links when building or updating indexes, NO if it ignores them.  The default is NO.

See also:  setFollowsSymbolicLinks:



generatesDescriptions
(BOOL)generatesDescriptions

Returns YES if the file finder generates descriptions for the files it indexes based on their contents, NO if it doesn't.

See also:  setGeneratesDescriptions:



getAttributeParsers:
getAttributeParsers:(List *)aList

Empties aList and fills it with the IXAttributeParsers used by the IXFileFinder.  These are the objects the file finder uses to parse files when building or updating indexes.  The sender of this message is responsible for creating and freeing the List, but shouldn't free the objects put in the List.  Returns self.

See also:  setAttributeParsers:



ignoredNames
(char *)ignoredNames

Returns a string containing a newline-separated list of names of files that the file finder ignores when building or updating indexes, or performing queries.  The file names are relative to the file finder's root path.  The sender is responsible for freeing the string returned by this method.

See also:  setIgnoredNames:, ignoredTypes



ignoredTypes
(char *)ignoredTypes

Returns a string containing a newline-separated list of extensions of files that the file finder ignores when building or updating indexes, or performing queries.  A file type is determined by the file finder on the basis of its extension or a brief examination of its contents.  The sender is responsible for freeing the string returned by this method.

See also:  setIgnoredTypes:, ignoredNames



scansForModifiedFiles:
(BOOL)scansForModifiedFiles:

Returns YES if the file finder scans files in the background, checking their modification times against those recorded in its index, and updating the index for files that have been modified.  Returns NO if the file finder doesn't perform this background scanning.

See also:  setScansForModifiedFiles:



setAttributeParsers:
setAttributeParsers:(List *)aList

Replaces the IXAttributeParsers used by the file finder with those in aList and frees any of the previous set of IXAttributeParsers that the file finder will no longer use.  These are the objects the file finder uses to parse files when building or updating indexes.  Returns self.

See also:  getAttributeParsers:



setCrossesDeviceChanges:
setCrossesDeviceChanges:(BOOL)flag

If flag is YES, the file finder will index files on physical devices other than the one its primary directory is on.  If flag is NO, it will ignore other devices.  The default is NO.  Returns self.

See also:  crossesDeviceChanges



setFollowsSymbolicLinks:
setFollowsSymbolicLinks:(BOOL)flag

If flag is YES, the file finder will follow symbolic links when building or updating indexes.  If flag is NO, the file finder will ignore symbolic links.  The default is NO.  Returns self.

See also:  followsSymbolicLinks



setGeneratesDescriptions:
setGeneratesDescriptions:(BOOL)flag

If flag is YES, the file finder will generate descriptions for the files it indexes based on their contents.  If flag is NO, it won't generate descriptions.

See also:  generatesDescriptions



setIgnoredNames:
setIgnoredNames:(const char *)names

Replaces the file finder's set of ignored file names with those in namesnames should be a string containing a newline-separated list of names of files to ignore.  Returns self.

Each file name should be the name alone, with no path before it.  Any files in the file finder's subtree of the file system with that name will be ignored.

See also:  ignoredFilenames, setIgnoredTypes:



setIgnoredTypes:
setIgnoredTypes:(const char *)types

Replaces the file finder's set of ignored file types with those in typestypes should be a string containing a newline-separated list of file extensions for the types of files to ignore.  Returns self.

See also:  ignoredTypes, setIgnoredNames:



setScansForModifiedFiles:
setScansForModifiedFiles:(BOOL)flag

If flag is YES, the file finder will scan files in the background, checking their modification times against those recorded in its index, and updating the index for files that have been modified.  If flag is NO, the file finder won't perform this background scanning.

See also:  scansForModifiedFiles



setUpdatesAutomatically:
setUpdatesAutomatically:(BOOL)flag

If flag is YES, then the file finder records out of date index references whenever a query is performed, and updates its index in the background based on that information.  If flag is NO, no index checking or background updating is done.  The default is YES. Returns self.

See also:  updatesAutomatically, IXFileFinderQueryAndUpdate protocol



updatesAutomatically
(BOOL)updatesAutomatically

Returns YES if the file finder checks its index whenever a query is performed, and updates it in the background, NO otherwise. The default is YES.

See also:  setUpdatesAutomatically:, IXFileFinderQueryAndUpdate protocol