Extending Google Desktop with IFilter
Part 2 - Additional filters from Microsoft

Overview

This article is the quick guide for indexing Visio and XML files with Google Desktop . The article provides short overview and step-by-step instructions for installing Visio and XML IFilter drivers.

Along with standard filters for MS Office, HTML and plain-text files, Microsoft developed and shipped additional IFilter drivers that index other types of files.

These additional filters can be used with Google Desktop side by side with standard filters and other Google Desktop plugins.

Visio IFilter

This IFilter indexes files created and edited by Microsoft Visio. These files have extensions: vdx, vsd, vss, vst, vsx and vtx. To install this IFilter do following:

1. Download IFilter from Microsoft web site
2. Launch downloaded package and follow setup instructions
3. Launch Advanced GDS Toolbox and use Settings | Drivers Settings menu to display drivers configuration dialog.
4. Click on 'Refresh Info' button to re-read information about IFilter drivers installed on your PC.
5. Check Visio files (they all indexed by Microsoft Office Visio IFilter) and click OK button (don't forget to approve Google Desktop plugin installation).

XML IFilter

Installing this IFilter is fairly simple but requires a bit modifications in registry.

1. Download IFilter from Microsoft web site
2. Launch downloaded package (actually this is self-extracted zip file) and point on location where contained files will be unpacked.
3. Copy XMLFilter.dll to %windir%\system32 folder (usually c:\winnt\system32 on Windows 2000 and c:\windows\system32 on Windows XP).
4. Register XMLFilter.dll by running regsvr32 xmlfilter.dll
5. Open registry editor (regedit.exe) and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Google\Google Desktop. Edit value named file_extensions_to_skip and find and remove 'xml' extension from there. Google Desktop skips xml extension by default.
6. Launch Advanced GDS Toolbox and use Settings | Drivers Settings menu to display drivers configuration dialog.
7. Click on 'Refresh Info' button to re-read information about IFilter drivers installed on your PC.
8. Xml extension must appear in drivers list. Check it and click OK button to save changes.