FolderSizes Help
FolderSizes Scan Filter Rules control how the system matches file and folders, allowing you to limit file system analysis results in many useful ways (e.g. exclude files or folders from analysis by name, age, owner, etc.).
Scan filter rules can either include or exclude the file system objects they match (see Rule Properties section below).
See also: A step-by-step example of using a file rule to report on specific file types.
Rule Types
There are two types of search rules - file rules and folder rules.
This distinction is important, because it provides users with clear and granular control over what types of file system objects are included in file system analysis results.
Add file rules when you want to control precisely which files are evaluated during file system analysis. Add folder rules when you wish to control precisely which folders are traversed during file system analysis.
Adding, Editing, and Removing Rules
The Scan Filter window allows you to create, edit, and delete scan filter rules.
To create a new rule, click the New Rule button, and select either New File Rule or New Folder Rule from the resulting drop-down menu. You will be presented with a rule editor window that allows you to edit the rule's properties (see Rule Properties section below).
To edit a rule, select it in the rule listing and click the Edit button. Select a rule and click the Delete button to remove it. To change the evaluation order of a rule, select it and use the Up an Down buttons to move it (see Rule Processing section below).
Rule Properties
Scan Filter rules have a common set of characteristics, including:
•Type - Rules have a type of either file or folder (see above), specifying the type of file system object to match.
•Action - Either include or exclude, allowing the user to control how search responds to matches.
•Enabled - Rules can be disabled, allowing them to be ignored without removing them from the rule list.
•Description - Allows users to provide their own brief description of what the rule matches.
•Criteria - Allows users to match file system objects based upon name, size, attributes, name length, age, or owner.
Rule Processing
There are a few things to keep in mind with regard to how FolderSizes processes scan filter rules:
1.Exclusion rules always take priority
2.Otherwise, rules are processed in order
3.Rule processing stops at the first match
4.Folder exclusion rules prevent sub-folder recursion
You can create as many rules as you like, and order them however you like, as long as you keep the above in mind.
Rule Criteria
Each scan filter rule can have one or more of the following file / folder match criteria associated with it.
Click any of the following rule criteria types to learn more about how they work:
•Name
•Size
•Age
