How To Search For Directory Listings 2

Following from How To Search For Directory Listings 1 on how to accurately locate directory listings, now it is time to apply some of the advanced operators to filter out the unwanted results. Here are 4 ways to narrow your result of directory listings.

Narrow Results by Site
Use the site operator to narrow results to a particular site's directory listing.

Example: intitle:index.of "parent.directory" site:wikipedia.org

Narrow Results by Sub-Directory
Use the inurl operator with the name of the sub-directory to narrow results to that sub-directory. The following example returns only directory listings that contains sub-directories with the name "admin".

Example: intitle:index.of "parent.directory" inurl:admin

Narrow Results by File Type
Use the filetype or ext operator.

Note that when combined with directory listing search, Google blocks the results from displaying the more popular audio and video file formats such as mp3, mp4, wma, wmv, ogg, avi, etc. The only popular video file format I have found that still works in such searches is the Flash Video format (flv). To overcome this, submit the filetype as an ordinary search term. This, however, does not guarantee that the results will contain your desired file type.

No result example: intitle:index.of "parent.directory" ext:mp3

Narrow Results by Specific File

This is easy if you have throughly understood the basic and advanced operators. Just include the file name and extension you wish to locate. Use double quotes to restrict your search further. Use the OR and period operators to expand your search.

Example: intitle:index.of "parent.directory" "this.is.an.example.mp3"

How To Search For Directory Listings 1

Directory listing has several features that you can make use of to locate actual listings in Google's search results.


The most obvious is the Index of phrase that appears in the title of all directory listings. However, you will realize that simply submitting intitle:index.of will simply not work that well - Google returns far too many false results. To prevent this, we can make use of other key phrases that appears on directory listings, such as Parent Directory and Last modified.

Examples:
intitle:index.of "parent.directory" password OR passwd OR pw
intitle:index.of "parent.directory" image OR img
intitle:index.of "parent.directory" +mp3

Name, Size, and Description do not serve as good search terms because they are too common even when combined with the inanchor operator. You can add more search terms with other operators to narrow your search results. inurl and filetype are good operators for combinations in this case.

Another method to filter out false results is to make use of the server version located at the bottom of directory listings. Try to include the phrase server.at in your search query.


Note that some directory listings do not include server information, so use the server.at phrase a last resort if Google returns millions of hits even after refining your searches.

phonebook, rphonebook Google Operators

The phonebook operator

The phonebook operator is a specialized Google operator for searching public residential phone numbers by a person's name. It cannot be used with other operators or search terms.

Example: phonebook:santa claus

Use the adjacent map link on the search results to view the location on Google Maps.

The phonebook operator was originally more flexible when it was first introduced. It allowed users to search for names and narrow results by adding in the residential or business area of the person you are looking for. It was also made to combine a search within both residential and business phone book listings instead of using the rphonebook and the obsolete bphonebook operator separately. Unfortunately, Google has revised this operator such that you can only search by names now. The business phone number search capability has also been removed.

The rphonebook operator

Today, the rphonebook operator still survives. It has the same functionality as the phonebook operator and will return identical search results.

Example: rphonebook:santa claus

You can choose to remove your own phone number from Google's phonebook listing by submitting a removal request via the Google Phonebook Name Removal page. Do note that this will only remove your name from Google's listing and not from other search engines or webpages.

define Google Operator

Use the define operator to list definitions of the submitted word(s).

Examples: define:lol

Unlike other operators, Google does not expand the search term(s). You have to enter the search term(s) with the exact spelling of the word(s) as intended. As such, this operator frequently shows no results when multiple words are used.

Examples:

define:rain cats and dogs

define:raining cats and dogs

define:rained cats and dogs

Definitions of some symbols and nothing will display unpredictable results.

Examples of unpredictable results:

define:!

define:

The define operator cannot be used with other operators.

related Google Operator

The related operator searches for sites that are related to the submitted URL in terms of sites' contents. The MathWorld example below shows sites that are related to mathematics.

Example: related:mathworld.wolfram.com

This operator follows the same rules as the link operator - an invalid URL will convert the related operator into a search term and this operator should not be combined with other operators or search terms.

Use this operator when you have exhausted your list of related search terms, or if you need a quick and broad scan of a site's related contents you are completely clueless about. Note that this operator may sometimes show unrelated sites.

You can use the info operator or click on the Similar link in the results list to perform the same search.

It might be interesting to note that Wikipedia will almost always be listed in the results when you use this operator.

info Google Operator

The info operator shows a site's summary and provides links to the cache, related, link, and site search, if available. Just like the cache operator, this operator requires a valid URL for it to work.

Example: info:www.google.com

As mentioned earlier, this operator is basically the cache, related, link, and site operators rolled into one and is useful as an all-in-one replacement for these operators.

daterange Google Operator

Use the daterange operator to find pages that are indexed by Googlebot within the date range specified. The dates submitted must be in the Julian date format and the fractions should be omitted for this operator to work properly. Make sure you use an accurate Julian date convertor to get the correct date.

Example: daterange:2452671-2452671 columbia

Like the numrange operator, a hypen is used to separate the two dates. This operator is useful for narrowing down all search results to a certain date like in the above example.

The numrange operator requires at least one proper search term and can be combined with other operators.

An additional note: Use Google's advanced search to locate only fresher, up-to-date information. It's easier that way.

numrange Google Operator

The numrange operator

numrange is a powerful operator. It can be used for searching numbers within a desired range. You can use it to search for business contacts, addresses, and more. The following example searches for numbers from 1200 to 1230. Use a hypen (-) to separate the lower and upper bound of the two numbers.

Example: numrange:1200-1230

The .. operator

The .. (period period) operator is a shorthand for the numrange operator.

Example: 1200..1230

Both operators return identical results and can be combined with other operators and search terms.

Due to Blogger's Terms of Service and personal ethics, I can only provide the above basic examples. Google does offer some protection against malicious queries with the numrange operator though:

Some protection = Limited protection, it is still possible to work around this "apology". Use this operator wisely and be wary when making payments online!

cache Google Operator

Google saves "snapshots" of pages that its Googlebot has crawled. You can view these snapshots via the Cached link in the search results.

Another method is to use the cache operator. Using this operator takes you directly to the cached version of a page.

Example: cache:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googlebot

The cache operator follows the same rules as the link operator. It should not be used with other operators or search terms; doing so will convert the operator into a search term. Invalid URLs will also convert the cache operator into a search term.

It is always easier to access the cached version of a page via Google's search results compared to using the cache operator. However, bear in mind that with the cache operator, you (or any other potential hacker) can dig up old pages that were removed from the search results for whatever reason.

Update

Webmasters of secure sites usually do not allow Google's caching. Such sites will not show the Cached link and will not produce any results with the cache operator.

inanchor, allinanchor Google Operator

The inanchor operator

The inanchor operator searches the anchor of a link, and not the actual URL. What is an anchor of a link?

An example of a link: Google Expert Tips. The anchor of this example is the displayed text 'Google Expert Tips'. Underlying the more readable and meaningful anchor text is the actual URL of the page. The HTML code looks like:

The inanchor operator searches within the anchor text "Google Expert Tips" in this case. This operator can be used with other operators.

Example: inanchor:scholarship inanchor:form inanchor:application site:edu

See the link operator for more details.

The allinanchor operator

The allinanchor operator searches for all search terms submitted. The following example will show the same results as the above.

Example: allinanchor:scholarship form application site:edu

This operator should not be combined with other operators. Use multiple inanchor operators if you are combining with other operators.

ext Google Operator

The ext operator is very similar to the filetype operator. They are so alike that most people simply ignore the difference and use them interchangeably, or drop filetype operator entirely for the ext operator since it is easier to enter on the keyboard.

Originally, the ext operator is a shorthand for the numrange operator. However, it is soon replaced by the newer, further shortened version of the numrange operator: the .. (period period) operator. So eventually (and very naturally), the ext operator became an extension search operator just like the filetype operator.

Use the ext operator for the more uncommon file types because it usually produces a deeper and faster search. The filetype operator on the other hand performs better with common file extensions.

See filetype operator for more information.

link Google Operator

The link operator searches for HTML links to a particular page.

Example: link:ntu.edu.sg

Note that Google shows the number of hits as usual, followed by "linking to ntu.edu.sg". This indicates a correct link search.

Take care that the link submitted should be a valid URL. An invalid URL will cause the link operator to become an ordinary search term.

This operator should not be used with other operators or search terms; doing so will convert the link operator into a search term.

Compare the link operator with the site operator. The site operator shows no result for an invalid URL whereas the link operator shows results of different context depending on the validity of the URL submitted.

You can use sub-domains to narrow search results. A neat trick is to use this operator to search for backlinks to a particular page of your site. Note that the results may not be the same as those shown in Google Analytics or Google Webmaster Tools.

filetype Google Operator

The filetype operator allows you to search for pages that end with a particular file extension, i.e. restricts a search to a certain file type.

Example: filetype:xls OR filetype:doc OR filetype:pdf site:nus.edu.sg +answers

Note that from the above example, you can view PDF files with Google Docs by clicking on Quick View. Google will also convert documents into HTML for viewing. You can view a document in HTML format by clicking on the View as HTML link.

This is useful when you do not have a required document viewer installed on your computer. However, it is always better to view the documents in their original format as the HTML conversion is not perfect - some of the contents may be missing.

Almost every file extension can be searched for. FILExt has a comprehensive list of file extensions. This operator can effectively narrow your document search when used with the site and / or intitle operators. Note that using a NOT operator with the filetype search term will not produce any results.

Examples that will not show any results:
filetype:txt -inurl:txt
filetype:txt -txt

A related operator is the ext operator.

site Google Operator

One of the more useful operators, the site operator is used to restrict a search to a particular URL or domain name. It is commonly used to search within a known website.

Example: site:americanexpress.com travel

Note that Google matches the domain names from right to left instead of the usual left to right. Therefore, all URLs used with the site operator must end with a valid registered top-level domain name.

Include sub-domains to narrow the search results.

Examples:

site:home.americanexpress.com travel

site:home.americanexpress.com/home travel

Compare the difference in the number of hits between all the above examples.

inurl, allinurl Google Operators

The inurl and allinurl operators are used for finding search terms in a URL.

The inurl operator
Example: inurl:simpsons mypod

Advanced example: inurl:robots.txt -inurl:html filetype:txt -search

The allinurl operator
Similar to allintitle, this operator restricts all search terms after it to URLs only.

Example: allinurl:simpsons mypod

The allinurl operator should not be combined with other operators. Use multiple inurl operators with basic operators instead, if necessary.

Note that these operators may return unpredictable results when used with search terms that includes symbols and special characters.

allintext Google Operator

Use the allintext operator to restrict a search to only within the text of a page. This excludes search terms found in titles and URLs.

Example: allintext:text only

This operator is rarely used; only in situations where you would like to narrow your search results to text only. Note that Google may highlight the titles or URLs if the search terms is also found in the them. This operator should not be combined with any other operators.

intitle, allintitle Google Operators

Use the advanced operators intitle and allintitle to search within the title of a Web page. Again, for the benefit of all, the title of a page is located within the title tag of a HTML document. For pages without titles, the operators will return hits based on the topmost text of that page.

The title of message posts applies when searching in Google Groups.

The intitle operator

Examples:

intitle:disney.land

intitle:casino.resort "free.membership"

Advanced examples:

intitle:"index of" mp3

intitle:"index of" password OR passwd OR pass

The allintitle operator

Google will find every single search term or phrase after the allintitle operator in the title of a Web page.

Examples:

allintitle:disney land hong.kong

allintitle:index.of private

Note that the allintitle operator may yield unpredictable results when used with other advanced operators.

Google Advanced Operator Rules

Before learning Google's more advanced operators, we have to keep in mind some general rules.

Advanced operator syntax

An advanced operator has the following syntax: advanced_operator:search_term or advanced_operator:"search_phrase". These are the only two correct ways to use an advanced operator.

There cannot be any spaces between the advanced operator, the colon, and the search term or search phrase. A space between any of them will change the advanced operator into a search term.

Example of correct usage: inurl:money. All results have the word 'money' in their URL. Add a space in between: inurl :money, the inurl operator becomes a search term. Try it.

The search term or phrase to be used with an advanced operator follows the same general search rules.

Basic operators that are added in front of a search term will be ignored. Example: inurl:+money is the same as inurl:money. Another example: inurl: +money. inurl becomes a search term and 'money' becomes just an ordinary forced-include search term.

Basic operator combos

Combination of an advanced operator with multiple search terms that use basic operators follow the basic operator rules that has been covered until now.

A correct example: insurance +inurl:money -bank. Submitting this tells Google to show results that has 'insurance' in title, text or URL, to show results that must have 'money' in URL, and not to show results that has 'bank' in title, text, or URL.

Using the + operator with an advanced operator search phrase will invalidate the function of the advanced operator. Compare these two results: inurl:"money tree" and +inurl:"money tree".

Advanced operator combos

Advanced operators can be combined into a single search and basic operators can be used as well. They follow the general search rules and the basic operator rules. However, do take note that not all advanced operators can be combined and some advanced operators cannot be combined at all.

Google Wildcard Operators

First off, for the benefit of non-geeks (and those who have never played Uno before), a wildcard is a single character used to represent a set of pre-defined characters or words. A single character wildcard represents a single character, and a single word wildcard represents a single word. Google accepts both single character and single word wildcards.

The * operator

The * (asterisk) operator is the Google single word wildcard. Try this example and compare the results: world round and world * round. With the * operator, Google will attempt to keep the order of words while matching the wildcard word.

You can also use double quotes with wildcards for a semi-flexible phrase search. For example, "* white and the * *" forces Google to include the common words, match at least the same number of words, and keep the order of those words.

Use the * operator to represent 'normal' words or you will end up with unpredictable results. Avoid using it for single characters or symbols.

Do not use a wildcard for a group of missing letters within a word. It is better to rely on Google to provide alternatives for a search term that is mis-spelled or cannot be found.

Note that Google may not provide alternatives for extremely uncommon words or words that are of different language from the Google native language you set.

The . operator

Google recognizes the . (period) as a single character wildcard. It is normally used in combination with other operators or with multiple search terms.

There are three rules in the wildcard representation. (1) It is used to represent any printable or extended ASCII character when searching URLs, (2) it represents any printable or extended ASCII character except alphabets and numbers when searching titles and text, and (3) it represents any printable or extended ASCII character except alphabets and numbers when searching URLs with the inurl operator.

Confusing? To keep things simple and results predictable, use the . operator only for wildcard symbols. Based on my experience, the . operator is best used to (1) loosely couple multiple search terms together, such as for general queries: how.to.get.to.city.hall, (2) to replace hypens and spaces in serial number based queries such as CAB.12569.X, and also (3) for source code related searches.

Summary

Pareto Principle - here's the 20% takeaway that gives you the 80% effect: Use the * operator as a wildcard for a single word, and use the . operator as a wildcard for a single symbol.

Google Inclusion and Phrase Operators

Submit tiger or rabbit to Google search. Notice that Google removes the word 'or' from the search terms. In fact, Google ignores very common words. What if, under certain circumstances, you would like to include the word 'or' as a search term?

There are two tricks to force Google to include a search term:

The + operator

The + operator is the opposite of the NOT operator. It forces Google to include a search term within a query. Just add a '+' immediately before the term you would like to include.

For example, try this: tiger or rabbit versus tiger +or rabbit. Note that the number of hits is significantly different between the two queries. Use this operator wisely, to your own advantage, to expand or narrow down your search results.

The double quotes

Encasing a search term with double quotes (") is functionally the same as adding the + operator in front of the term. Submitting tiger +or rabbit and tiger "or" rabbit will result in identical number of hits and results.

Encasing multiple search terms within double quotes results in an exact phrase search. An exact phrase includes all search terms and takes into account the order of the search terms. Try these and note the difference in results: "tiger or rabbit" and "rabbit tiger or".

You should use the + operator instead of double quotes if strict order of words is not desired. Try these: +tiger +or +rabbit and +rabbit +tiger +or. Both show identical results.

An additional note: Google recognizes an empty space within the double quotes as the single character wildcard. Try these search phrases: "tiger or rabbit" and "tiger.or.rabbit". Google displays identical results for both these search phrases.