IFilter sample

This C++ project implements a sample IFilter for a fictitious file format .filtersample which is actually an XML file.

Files

File	Description
FilterBase.h	Reusable base class CFilterBase with generic implementation of IFilter interface.
FilterSample.cpp	Derived class CFilterSample, inherits from CFilterBase. Does actual filtering of .filtersample format.
Dll.cpp	Standard COM implementation of class factory and registration of .filtersample filter.
FilterSample.def	Standard COM exported function list.
FilterSample.vcproj	Visual Studio project file.
FilterSample.sln	Visual Studio solution file.
SampleFile.filtersample	Sample .filtersample file.
Readme.txt	This readme.

Open the FilterSample.sln solution file in Visual Studio.
In the Build menu, select Build Solution. The output FilterSample.dll will be built in the default Debug or Release directory.
From an elevated command prompt, run regsvr32 FilterSample.dll from the Debug or Release directory.
Copy the SampleFile.filtersample file to an indexed location like the user's Documents folder.
After giving the indexer time to index the file, it should be possible to search for terms in the document like "dog" or "broadcast".

To unregister the sample run regsvr32 -u FilterSample.dll from an elevated command prompt.

This sample will run on Vista and Win7.

These are several scenarios in which a custom filter should be tested to make sure it behaves properly.

In the FiltDump.exe test tool from the Windows SDK. This is the easiest way to test your filter as it loads it in a process you control.
In Explorer.exe when doing full document text searches (referred to as "grep").
In the search indexer, filter host process SearchFilterHost.exe.

Set FiltDump.exe as the program to debug in the project properties debugging UI.
Set a break point on ::OnInit() and then start the debugger (F5).
Repeat this with as many sample files as possible. Be sure to test corrupt or improperly formed files.

Configure the search options to always use the full document feature that will load your filter during the search rather than using the index. Do this in the Folder Options Search tab:
1. Choose Always search file names and contents (might be slow).
2. Check Don't use the Index when searching the file system (might be slow).
Configure explorer.exe as the program to debug.
Set the command line to a folder that contains files of your type. When you start Explorer with a command line like this it creates a new instance, leaving the desktop/tray Explorer process still running. An alternative is to shut down the currently running explorer.exe (right-click the background of the Start menu, choose Exit Explorer or use taskman.exe or kill.exe to shut down Explorer).
Set a break point in the OnInit() function or other places in your code.
Start the debugger, the command line will open the explorer on the folder with your files or navigate the explorer to a folder.
Type some text into the search box.
Your filter will be loaded and initialized with the files in the folder, and Explorer will display them if they match.

Since the filter host shuts itself down on a regular basis to handle incorrectly implemented filters that leak or don't correctly terminate, you need to turn off this behavior by setting this registry value.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Search\Gathering Manager] "FilterHostProcessTimeout"=dword:00000000
Attach the debugger to SearchFilterHost.exe and set some breakpoints.
Create, move. or modify some of your file types that are stored in an indexed location.

Since the filter might be in use, you might need to start and stop the search service to replace it.

 NET STOP WSEARCH
 <install your DLL>
 NET START WSEARCH

The UI provides a way to rebuild the index. To do so, complete the following steps.