Text search program for Word docs

[John Askins]

The text search programs I've tried for OS X can't search multiple
Word .doc files for text strings, though they can handle .rtf files
fine. I don't want to convert my many .docs to .rtfs in order to
quickly search them, if I can avoid it.

(I should note that the .docs I want to search mostly originated in
Word for Windows. Not sure if this matters.)

Anyone know of an OS X text search utility that works on .docs? Or a
batch .doc-to-.rtf converter that doesn't require knowledge of Visual
Basic?

 

[Elliott Roper]

The text search programs I've tried for OS X can't search multiple
Word .doc files for text strings, though they can handle .rtf files
fine. I don't want to convert my many .docs to .rtfs in order to
quickly search them, if I can avoid it.

(I should note that the .docs I want to search mostly originated in
Word for Windows. Not sure if this matters.)

Anyone know of an OS X text search utility that works on .docs? Or a
batch .doc-to-.rtf converter that doesn't require knowledge of Visual
Basic?

The Finder? Works here. Although I have not yet worked out while the
'still working' spinner does not stop.

Try a command-f in finder. Set it to search in specific places and set
name ends with .doc and content includes .. well whatever you are
looking for.

I'm on Panther, yet I'm pretty sure it worked in Jag.

 

[Dayo Mitchell]

The Finder? Works here. Although I have not yet worked out while the
'still working' spinner does not stop.

Try a command-f in finder. Set it to search in specific places and set
name ends with .doc and content includes .. well whatever you are
looking for.

I'm on Panther, yet I'm pretty sure it worked in Jag.

Sherlock in OS 9 did text searches inside files, so long as the files had
been indexed. I've been wondering if that function had been axed. Sounds as
though it was retained when Sherlock went back to a regular Find File
program. However, you may need to index the files first? (in OS 9, one
used to be able to right-click on particular folders and Index Selection,
instead of indexing the whole hard drive). Presumably MacHelp will give you
full details on Finder capabilities.