Splunk Search

Extracting File Type

behymejt2012
Path Finder

Hi Everyone,

Trying to extract the File Type from Files (ex: pst, xml, etc). I have tried to split it:

eval split =Split(File,".") | eval type=mvindex(split,1)

But a problem occurs when files like: "2012-12-08 15.36.01.jpg" show up due to the extra "." in the file name.

Is there any recommended rex, or method that can be used to pull the file type from the end of the File name instead of trying to split everything up.

Thanks

Tags (1)
0 Karma
1 Solution

Ayn
Legend

If you read the docs, they have the following to say about the mvindex command:

For mvindex(mvfield, startindex, [endindex]), endindex is inclusive and optional; both startindex and endindex can be negative, where -1 is the last element.

So, eval type=mvindex(split,-1) should do the trick.

Otherwise, if you want a rex solution, you could do

... | rex field=File "(?<type>[^.]+)$"

View solution in original post

Ayn
Legend

If you read the docs, they have the following to say about the mvindex command:

For mvindex(mvfield, startindex, [endindex]), endindex is inclusive and optional; both startindex and endindex can be negative, where -1 is the last element.

So, eval type=mvindex(split,-1) should do the trick.

Otherwise, if you want a rex solution, you could do

... | rex field=File "(?<type>[^.]+)$"

Ayn
Legend

Sorry, like it says - you need to include a group name at the beginning. I updated my answer with correct syntax.

0 Karma

behymejt2012
Path Finder

Thanks,

When I try and use the rex I get the following error (havent really used rex): "Error in 'rex' command: The regex '([^.]+)$' does not extract anything. It should specify at least one named group. Format: (?...)."

0 Karma
Got questions? Get answers!

Join the Splunk Community Slack to learn, troubleshoot, and make connections with fellow Splunk practitioners in real time!

Meet up IRL or virtually!

Join Splunk User Groups to connect and learn in-person by region or remotely by topic or industry.

Get Updates on the Splunk Community!

Make Your Machine Data AI-Ready in Splunk

Every team is getting ready for AI agents.   Thursday, November 12, 2026  |  11AM  PST / 2PM EST   ...

Splunk Asynchronous Forwarding Explained

Splunk asynchronous forwarding is often misunderstood as simply setting autoLBVolume. That is not quite right. ...

How to Monitor AI Agents with Splunk Agent Observability

Let’s say I’m running a travel planning AI app in production. A user asks for three concise hotel options in ...