Selector problem

[IanWorthington]

I have a selector that excludes the (ever-changing, ever-growing) database created by Google Desktop Search from my backups.

 

Windows path of file or folder matches pattern D:\Documents and Settings\Ian\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Google Desktop Search, selecting all enclosed items

 

This works fine, but isn't very generic, yet when I introduce wildcards, eg:

 

D:\Documents and Settings\*\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Google Desktop Search

 

or: *\Documents and Settings\*\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Google Desktop Search

 

or even: ends with Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Google Desktop Search

 

the selector does *not* exclude this folder.

 

Am I misunderstanding something here?

 

ian

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[natew]

Hi

 

Try using the path "includes" rule instead of "ends with". Path selectors are tricky because they often depend on slashes being at the right places.

 

Thanks

Nate

[IanWorthington]

Hmm.

 

Works with: path contains Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Google Desktop Search

 

but still *not* with: path contains *\Documents and Settings\*\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Google Desktop Search

 

Is that expected?

[natew]

Hi

 

I don't think you can use wildcards in path selectors. From what I can tell the rules for folders and files may be different when it comes to wildcards.

 

You may have better luck breaking the selector into two parts with an and contintion.

 

Path starts with C:\blah\blah\blah

 

And

 

Path ends with \path\path\path

 

Thanks

Nate

[Cbarnhorst]

Wildcards are for filenames, but not for paths.

[natew]

Hi

 

I assume that is a Windows limitation?

 

Thanks

Nate

[IanWorthington]

That would certainly explain it!

 

Thanks guys.

 

Be nice if Retrospect warned me that my syntax was invalid. Or, even better, supported it!

 

ian

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