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IFilter Installation

Indexing interface

note

The detailed content of this article will be added later.

IFilters are essential Windows components that allow text extraction from different file types for full-text indexing. Without the appropriate IFilters, Avanteam will not be able to index the content of your attachments.

What is an IFilter?

An IFilter (Interface Filter) is a plug-in that allows the indexing engine to read and extract text from specific file formats.

Commonly Required IFilters

  • PDF: Adobe PDF IFilter or Foxit PDF IFilter
  • Modern Microsoft Office (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx): Included with Office
  • Legacy Microsoft Office (.doc, .xls, .ppt): Specific IFilter required
  • OpenOffice/LibreOffice: Open source IFilter
  • Images with OCR: IFilter with optical character recognition
  • CAD files: Specialized IFilters depending on formats

Installation Verification

To verify that an IFilter is properly installed:

  1. Create a test document with an attachment of the relevant type
  2. Force indexing via AdminTools > AdminFulltextIndex
  3. Use the "Explore index" function for the document
  4. Verify that the attachment content appears in the index

Index management

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Administrator rights on the server
  • Stopping the indexing service is recommended
  • Backup before installation

General Procedure

  1. Download the appropriate IFilter from the publisher's website
  2. Run the installer with administrator rights
  3. Restart the Windows indexing service
  4. Restart the Avanteam Application Pool
  5. Test extraction with a test file

Post-installation Configuration

After installing an IFilter:

  1. Clear the Avanteam cache (AdminTools > Cache)
  2. Launch a complete reindexing
  3. Test search in files of the relevant type
  4. Document the installation (version, date, tester)

Troubleshooting

IFilter doesn't work:

  • Verify that the server is 64-bit (64-bit IFilter required)
  • Check Windows logs (Event Viewer)
  • Restart all relevant services
  • Contact Avanteam support

Incomplete extraction:

  • File may be corrupted
  • IFilter incompatible with the file version
  • IFilter limitations (some don't extract images, tables, etc.)

IFilter Sources

  • Adobe PDF IFilter: Adobe website
  • Foxit PDF IFilter: Free alternative
  • Microsoft Office Filter Pack: Microsoft website
  • Open source IFilters: GitHub, CodePlex archives

Support

For IFilter installation and configuration, contact your system administrator or Avanteam support. This operation requires server rights and technical expertise.


Note: This document will be enriched with detailed procedures, screenshots and download links in a later version.