Attributes

To use this capability, select the attribute check boxes that you'd like to match during search operations. This facility has two operating modes that determine how file attributes are matched.

In this mode of operation, a file system object encountered during scanning will be considered a match if it utilizes any of the selected attributes. For example, if you set the "directory" switch in this mode, any directory will be matched - even if that directory also has other attributes (such as "hidden" or "system") set.

Essentially the reverse of the above - any file or folder encountered will be considered a match only if it matches all of the selected attributes. For example, if you set the "directory" switch in this mode, only directories that have no other attribute associated with them will match (e.g. folders that also have "hidden" or "system" attributes set will not be returned).

Attribute	Meaning
Archive	The file or directory is an archive file or directory. Applications use this attribute to mark files for backup or removal.
Compressed	The file or directory is compressed. For a file, this means that all of the data in the file is compressed. For a directory, this means that compression is the default for newly created files and subdirectories.
Directory	Identifies a directory (folder).
Encrypted	The file or directory is encrypted. For a file, this means that all data in the file is encrypted. For a directory, this means that encryption is the default for newly created files and subdirectories.
Hidden	The file or directory is hidden. It is not included in an ordinary Windows directory listing.
Normal	The file or directory does not have another attributes set. This attribute is valid only if used alone.
Not indexed	The file is not to be indexed by the content indexing service.
Offline	The file data is not immediately available. This attribute indicates that the file data has been physically moved to offline storage. This attribute is used by Remote Storage, the hierarchical storage management software.
Read-only	The file or directory is read-only. Applications can read the file, but cannot write to it or delete it. For a directory, applications cannot delete it.
Reparse point	The file or directory has an associated reparse point.
Sparse	The file is a sparse file.
System	The file or directory is part of the operating system, or is used exclusively by the operating system.
Temporary	The file is being used for temporary storage. File systems attempt to keep all of the data in memory for quick access, rather than flushing it back to mass storage.