file: doesn't appear to be a documented command, while filetype is [1] Searching... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

		eieio on Sept 26, 2013 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: Google Recently Made A Silent Shift To A New Searc... file: doesn't appear to be a documented command, while filetype is [1] Searching for a few random queries with either "file:pdf" or "filetype:pdf" shows that both return pdfs, but the results that I get are different. Not sure what to make of that or which is better. [1] http://www.googleguide.com/using_advanced_operators.html

James_Duval on Sept 27, 2013 [–]

For me, "file:pdf" returns .pdfs, .pdf documentation, .pdf information...all kinds of things which aren't .pdf.

"filetype:pdf" seems to be the only command which reliably returns just .pdfs.

I'm in the UK, your mileage may vary.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact