This Python Search Script Is Fast

[shanenin]

I have been messing around with searching for files on a computer(using python). I wanted to search for all files on my c drivce that end with '.avi'. this little script found them in 16 seconds. A similar search with windows search feature took 50 seconds.

import os

for i in os.walk('c:/'):
    for j in i[2]:
        if j.endswith('.avi'):
            base = os.path.abspath(i[0])
            print "%s\%s"%(base, j)
            
raw_input('enter retrun to exit')

[jcl]

Search is a bit odd. It seems to do a depth-first search under Documents and Settings and breadth-first, with no obvious ordering, everywhere else. But not quite. It almost makes sense. Could just be because of what I'm searching for, I guess.

It doesn't surprise me that your script is faster. It would surprise me a bit if it was consistently faster.

Edited September 26, 2005 by jcl

[shanenin]

I tried to do something different, it still seems quite faster. I searched for all files containing the string 'the' in the titile, and are more then 1mb in size. To keep it even I had windows search all hidden and system folders also. this python script did it in 18 seconds, the windows search feature did it in 48 seconds.

import os

def pysearch(word):
    for i in os.walk('c:/'):
        for j in i[2]:
            if j.rfind(word) != -1:
                base = os.path.abspath(i[0])
                full_path = "%s\%s"%(base, j)
                if os.path.getsize(full_path) >= 1024000:
                    print full_path 
                
                
pysearch('the')

raw_input('enter retrun to exit')

edit added later//

the windows search may be doing some other useful(or bloatful) stull that the python search is not doing.

Edited September 26, 2005 by shanenin