Quick Start

Installation

  1. Please run AFSETUP.EXE and choose [UNZIP] to extract all files into your selected folder. e.g. C:\afsearch. If you downloaded the ZIP version, you can use WINZIP/PKZIP to extract files
  2. In Windows Desktop, Click on [Start]->[Run], then execute c:\afsearch\afsearch.exe (replace c:\afsearch with your own path)
  3. As soon as AFSearch laucnhed, you can try to search for the keyword 'AFSEARCH', or 'FAICO'. If you see a search result screen, then you have installed AFSearch successfully!

Creating an Index

To begin searching, AFSearch first needs to generate an index of all the files that will be used in the searching process. By default, AFSearch is distributed with a built index of its help file (include this file)

  1. Start AFSearch.
  2. Under the Index menu item, choose the [Create New Index] menu item.  Specify a location where the index files will be stored. You can create multiple index files which index different folders. Use [Select Index] to set/change the current active index file.
  3. You can define the type of files to scan via Index->[File Extension]
  4. You may now specify which directories you want to add to the index database. Select the Add To Index menu item, and specify the directory that contains the files you wish to index. 
  5. After you have select and indexed a directory, the [Directory Description] menu will auto popup, which allows you to add a description to the directory you indexed.
  6. Once you have added all the directories you want to your index, you are ready to begin searching.

Searching the Index

 As an application
  1. Go back to the main screen of AFSearch once you are finished making your indices.
  2. You are now ready to perform searches!  Enter the keywords you wish to search for in the text box under Keyword(s):.  Click the Start button or hit the Enter key on the keyboard to begin searching.

 As an LocalHost CGI program
  1. Click on [Index] -> [Generate Local Search Form]
  2. You will see a field selection form, click OK to select all fields
  3. A search form will be opened in your browser, you can perform searches directly in the search form.
  4. For real projects, you can save this search form, and modified its interface as needed
  5. Refer the LocalHost CGI section for more details about LocalHOst CGI mode.

Running the program first time

  1. The default setting saves index files inside the sub-directory [index] under afsearch.exe's folder
  2. By default, all files inside the sub-directory [help] are indexed. You can try to search for keywords such as "afsearch", "HTML" to test the search function.
  3. You can start to index your own files by select the Add To Index menu item.
  4. You can also use Destory Index to remove the default index files, and rebuild your own index files in any directory of your own choice.