To provide a better search experience, WinCatalog maintains and uses a fast search index. This feature is optional and turned on by default for all catalog files.
Each modern computer has several processors, the high search speed is reached by iterating data in parallel threads on different processors. Best performance may be achieved when the catalog file and the search index are located on SSD drives.
The Fast Search Index is a subset of files located inside the ".wincatalog" folder. WinCatalog creates the folder automatically in the same folder where the catalog file is located. All index files are combined one level deeper under the folder named after the catalog file.
If you move or copy your catalog file to another location, please consider moving or copying the corresponding index folder with all the index files. However, if you don't move or copy the index folder, it will be created automatically in the new location when you open your catalog file for the first time (if the new location is not read-only storage, like CD or DVD).
If the option to use the Fast Search Index is turned off, WinCatalog will use the catalog file for searching.
To configure the Fast Search Index, turn it on or off, please click the Catalog button (left from the Main tab of the Ribbon toolbar), and then click the Search Index button.
Search Index Options
The current state of the external search index
The current state, location, and size of the external (fast) search index.
Mark or unmark the "Use external search index" checkbox to enable or disable the external (fast) search index.
If the external search index was not previously created, and you turn it on, the index will be created when you click the OK button.
If the external search index exists, but you turned it off, all files will be deleted from the disk and WinCatalog will perform searches using the catalog file only (works slower than using the external search index).
Each modern computer has several processors, the high search speed is reached by iterating data in parallel threads on different processors. Best performance may be achieved when the catalog file and the search index are located on SSD drives.
When the catalog file is stored on slower drives, especially on optical drives (DVDs, CDs), or shared in a local network and accessed via a slow network connection, the high number of parallel threads may cause the search index to work slow because of low disk speed. In that case, you may want to limit the number of parallel threads to 2 for slow network drives and slow external hard drives or to 1 for optical drives.
Save these settings as default values for new catalog files. By default, when you create a new catalog file, WinCatalog will turn the external (fast) search index on and will not limit the number of parallel threads. Changing the settings and applying them as default values for new catalog files changes this behavior.
