Find text in frames#

Switch the toolbar to search mode, match text inside decoded frames, and step through the results.

Search looks for matching text inside captured frames. It is the counterpart to the filter bar: filters narrow the list to rows whose fields match an expression, while search finds rows whose contents contain a string.

Switch to search mode#

A funnel and magnifying-glass toggle sits next to the input. Select the magnifying glass to switch the bar to search mode. The funnel switches it back to filter mode. The two inputs do not share state, so you lose neither input when you switch.

The toolbar in search mode with 'Neighbor Solicitation' typed in the search box, a 1/3 result counter with previous, next, and clear buttons on the right, and the matching frame highlighted in the packet list below

Run a search#

Type the text you want to find in the search box. After a short pause that debounces your keystrokes, the workspace searches the capture and returns matching frames. A counter inside the box shows the current result and the total number of matches, in the form 1 / 24.

The packet list highlights the row of the current match and scrolls to it. The workspace lists the other matches in order. Use the navigation buttons to step between them.

Step through the results#

The search box carries three navigation buttons:

  • Previous: jumps to the previous match. The keyboard shortcut is Shift+Enter.
  • Next: jumps to the next match. The keyboard shortcut is Enter.
  • Clear: empties the search box and removes the result list. The keyboard shortcut is Esc.

The navigation buttons keep the focus on the search box. You can keep typing, or jump again with the keyboard, without a click back into the box.

What is searched#

Search examines the visible Info column and the decoded fields of each frame. It does not pattern-match against the raw packet bytes. For the raw bytes, switch back to filter mode and use the field reference to target a specific field.

Search is case-insensitive by default. It treats the input as a literal string, not as a regular expression.

Search and filters together#

Search and filter run independently. If a filter is active and you then run a search, the search examines every frame in the capture, not only the filtered subset. The result counter shows matches across the full capture.

If you want to search only the visible rows, switch back to filter mode, narrow the list as you want it, then switch to search.