Everything Tool

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Everything Tool is a type-safe Python SDK designed to interface with the Everything file search software for Windows. It provides a clean, object-oriented API to harness the full power of Everything's instant search capabilities.

Requirements

This project uses IPC (Inter-Process Communication) to communicate with Everything. Therefore, you must have the full version of the Everything software installed and running in the background. The Lite version does not support IPC.

• Download Everything: You can download it from the official website.

Usage Example

Here is a basic example demonstrating how to use Everything Tool to find the 5 most recently modified Python files on your system.

from everything_tool import Client, Request, Sort, SDKError

try:
    # The client must be used within a 'with' statement to ensure resources are managed correctly.
    with Client() as client:
        print(f"Everything version: {client.version()}")

        # 1. Define which fields to retrieve using Request enums.
        search_flags = (
            Request.FULL_PATH_AND_FILE_NAME | 
            Request.SIZE | 
            Request.DATE_MODIFIED
        )

        # 2. Perform the search with clear, readable parameters.
        results = client.search(
            keywords="*.py", 
            limit=5, 
            flags=search_flags, 
            sort=Sort.DATE_MODIFIED_DESCENDING
        )

        print("\nFound the 5 most recently modified Python files:")
        
        # 3. The results are structured SearchResult objects.
        for item in results:
            size_kb = f"{item.size / 1024:.2f} KB" if item.size is not None else "N/A"
            print(f"- Path: {item.full_path}")
            print(f"  Size: {size_kb}")
            print(f"  Modified: {item.modified_time}")

except FileNotFoundError as e:
    print(f"Error: Could not find Everything64.dll. Please ensure it's in the correct path.\n{e}")
except SDKError as e:
    # Catch specific SDK errors, e.g., if 'Everything' is not running.
    print(f"An SDK error occurred: {e}")

Key Features

Type-Safe Enums

Instead of using raw integer constants, the SDK provides Enum classes for Request, Sort, and FileAttribute. This improves code readability and prevents bugs by allowing static analysis tools and IDEs to catch errors before runtime.

Structured Results (SearchResult Dataclass)

The search methods return an iterator of SearchResult objects. This is a read-only dataclass that provides attribute-style access to results (e.g., result.full_path). It offers a more robust and predictable alternative to dictionaries, with full support for IDE autocompletion.

API Overview

Core Search Method

This is the main function for all queries. Convenience wrappers are built on top of it.

def search(
    self,
    keywords: str,
    match_path: bool = False,
    match_case: bool = False,
    whole_word: bool = False,
    regex: bool = False,
    offset: int = 0,
    limit: int = -1,
    flags: Request = Request.DEFAULT,
    sort: Sort = Sort.NAME_ASCENDING
) -> Iterator[SearchResult]:
    ...

Convenience Wrappers

For common search tasks, you can use these helpful methods:

• search_in_located(path, keywords, **kwargs): Search within a specific folder.
• search_folder(keywords, **kwargs): Search for folders only.
• search_ext(extensions, keywords, **kwargs): Search by one or more file extensions.
• search_audio(keywords, **kwargs): Search for common audio files.
• search_video(keywords, **kwargs): Search for common video files.
• search_image(keywords, **kwargs): Search for common image files.
• search_doc(keywords, **kwargs): Search for common document files.

Reference

Request Fields (Request)

Use these enum members to specify which data fields to retrieve. The default is Request.DEFAULT.

Member	Description
FILE_NAME	File name only
PATH	Path without the file name
FULL_PATH_AND_FILE_NAME	Full path including the file name
EXTENSION	File extension
SIZE	File size in bytes
DATE_CREATED	Creation date
DATE_MODIFIED	Last modified date
DATE_ACCESSED	Last accessed date
ATTRIBUTES	File attributes (e.g., Read-only, Hidden)
RUN_COUNT	How many times the file has been run
DATE_RUN	The date the file was last run
DATE_RECENTLY_CHANGED	The date the file was recently changed
HIGHLIGHTED_FILE_NAME	Highlighted file name
HIGHLIGHTED_PATH	Highlighted path
HIGHLIGHTED_FULL_PATH_AND_FILE_NAME	Highlighted full path and file name
DEFAULT	A composite of FULL_PATH_AND_FILE_NAME, SIZE, and DATE_MODIFIED
ALL	A composite of all available request flags

Sort Orders (Sort)

Use these enum members to control the sort order of the results. The default is Sort.NAME_ASCENDING.

Member	Description
NAME_ASCENDING / DESCENDING	Sort by file name
PATH_ASCENDING / DESCENDING	Sort by path
SIZE_ASCENDING / DESCENDING	Sort by size
EXTENSION_ASCENDING / DESCENDING	Sort by extension
DATE_CREATED_ASCENDING / DESCENDING	Sort by creation date
DATE_MODIFIED_ASCENDING / DESCENDING	Sort by modified date
...and many more	(See Sort enum in code for a full list)

File Attributes (FileAttribute)

These enum members represent Windows file attributes.

Member	Description
READONLY	The file is read-only.
HIDDEN	The file is hidden.
SYSTEM	The file is a system file.
DIRECTORY	The item is a directory.
ARCHIVE	The file is marked for archive.
COMPRESSED	The file is compressed.
ENCRYPTED	The file is encrypted.
REPARSE_POINT	The file has an associated reparse point.

Search Syntax

This SDK supports the complete Everything search syntax. For advanced queries, please refer to the official documentation within the Everything application (Help -> Search Syntax). This includes:

• Operators (!, |, )
• Wildcards (*, ?)
• Modifiers (file:, folder:, ext:)
• Functions (dm:, size:, attrib:)
• And much more.