Our PCs store increasing numbers of files and we add to them daily. Remembering where particular files are is an increasing headache. The challenge PCs users face in retrieving these files is compounded by the massive popularity of digital cameras.

A range of potential solutions exist, but many are format-specific, helping users to find only images or documents or media files. Users are often forced to master each of these different applications in turn in order to get on top of the problem.

DotRational has released Indexer as an integrated solution to this problem. Indexer enables users to manage a range of file formats, and assign keywords to them in a flexible but simple way so that specific files can be grouped together, previewed and retrieved rapidly.

The marketplace is replete with cataloging, indexing, desktop search and digital asset management software, available at widely different prices. Some support documents as well as images, others support only images; some support keyword tagging, others don't; some index everything, others allow folder/file-specific levels of control.

DotRational Indexer straddles the boundaries of these existing software categories, and it was designed from the ground up to be relatively easy to use, yet with sufficient muscle to cope with the requirements of demanding users.

It indexes only those files selected by the user. It has keyword tagging at its very heart. It provides thumbnail previews of Word and Acrobat documents - as well as the usual range of image and multimedia file formats. Above all, it is inexpensive.

Because Indexer can create multiple index files, users can manage different sets of files on their PCs, some for hobbies and pastimes, others for professional, project or client-based work. Different banks of keywords can therefore be used to manage each indexed set of files, offering a flexible and powerful solution to the challenge of file management.

Anyone who finds themselves searching for specific files on their PC will benefit from Indexer. Whether they're a business person who needs immediate access to files by client or by project, a collector or hobbyist who wants to organize large collections of files, or a home user who needs to take control of the thousands of files that have accumulated on their hard drive, DotRational Indexer has the tools that they need. Indexer will also be appreciated by users who need to make more sophisticated keyword searches: "find all files related to client X on project Y", or "find all photos related to person A when they were in location B". This can operate with up to three keywords at a time, if needed.

Ideally, users should first set up an index file's keywords, although these can be modified at any time - or added later. They then point to specific files or groups of files, assign selected keywords to those files and then add them to the index.

This process takes a little time, but the rewards are significant. Behind the scenes, Indexer creates a small database of the relevant data and it is this that is searched - rather than the file system - when retrieving files that match the user's keyword criteria. This makes Indexer lightning-fast.

When an index is first opened, a list of all its entries is displayed. The instant the user selects a search option (with any of their three-level keywords or a particlar file format type), the list is re-built accordingly, no matter how many entries the index holds. Clicking on any item in the list, shows a preview of the file, together with any associated comments and metadata details. F4 opens the file in its parent application.

For maximum flexibility, users can move entries between index files. "Look inside index file 2, select all entries relating to client X and project Y, then import them into this index file".

DotRational Indexer can be downloaded from:

http://www.dotrational.com/Downloads.htm

It is also available from various shareware download sites.

Bone fide reviewers requiring evaluation versions of Indexer can email requests for license keys via our contact form at:

http://www.dotrational.com/Contact_DR.aspx

Technical support is available by emailing DotRational through our contact form at:

http://www.dotrational.com/Contact_DR.aspx

All technical support is provided in English by the team that developed Indexer.

A single user license of DotRational Index is $29. Discounts are available for multi-user licenses. Details are available at:

http://www.dotrational.com/Purchase.htm

Purchases can be made at:

http://www.dotrational.com/Purchase.htm

The fully-functional download of DotRational Indexer will work for 30 days, and will then require a license key. When Indexer is purchased through the secure order form, this key is emailed directly to the purchaser.

DotRational Software
Trapeharde
32260 Monferran-Plavès
France

(+33) 5 62 67 39 98