find MS-DOS Command

Type: External (2.0 and later)

Syntax:

FIND [/V][/C][/I][/N] string [d:][path]filename[…]

Purpose: Finds and reports the location of a specific string of text characters in one or more files.

Discussion

FIND is a filter command (reads from input, transforms it, and outputs it to the screen, to a file, or to a printer). FIND searches for a string of characters you enter in the files you name. The program will display the lines that contain the specified string. You must put double quote marks before and after the characters to be searched for. If the string you are searching for already has quotes around it, you must use a double set of quote marks.

If you do not enter a filename, the program will prompt you for one when the program starts. Wild card characters are not allowed.

Options

/V – Displays all lines not containing the specified string. /C – Displays only the count of the number of lines that contained a match in each of the files. /I – Ignores the case of letters in the string search. /N – Displays the found line preceded by the relative line number.

Example

You can use FIND to search more than one file. For example, to find the string: access is important in both the file EXAMPLE1.TXT and EXAMPLE2.TXT on the diskette in drive B, enter

find access is important b:quotes1.txt b:quotes2.txt

FIND will display the found lines first from the file QUOTES1.TXT and then from the file QUOTES2.TXT.