Final answer:
The solution involves creating a script that reads each file in a collection, calculates its MD5 hash, and compares it to the given hash. Upon finding a match, the script returns the name of the corresponding file. This requires basic knowledge of programming and usage of hashing functions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of the question involves creating a method to match a given MD5 hash with its corresponding plain-text file from a collection. To solve this problem, you would write a program or script that reads through each file, computes its MD5 hash, and compares the result with the given hash. Once a match is found, the name of the file would be returned. Below is an example of pseudo code in Python:
import hashlib
def find_matching_file(files, target_hash):
for filename in files:
with open(filename, 'rb') as file:
content = file.read()
md5_hash = hashlib.md5(content).hexdigest()
if md5_hash == target_hash:
return filename
return None
# Given list of file names and the target MD5 hash
matching_file = find_matching_file(list_of_files, given_md5_hash)
print(f'The matching file is: {matching_file}')
To use this solution, you would need to have Python installed on your computer and a list of the filenames (list_of_files) which you want to check against the given MD5 hash (given_md5_hash). The function find_matching_file reads each file, calculates its hash, and then compares it with the target hash. The first file with a matching hash is the correct file, and its name would be returned. Commented and readable source code is considered a best practice when developing such tools.
This example is a concept and would need to be adapted to the specifics of the environment in which it's run (such as file paths and handling of large files).