Useful Filter?

General discussion related to "Everything".
Post Reply
NotNull
Posts: 5142
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 9:22 pm

Useful Filter?

Post by NotNull »

I saw some threads about useful Bookmarks, but couldn't find any for Filters. If there s, please let me know ..

Anyhow, this filter searches for your programs and your recently used documents, not unsimilar to Windows 10's pressing the Win-key and start typing what you are looking for.
It looked like something useful when I build it, but I actually used it only a couple of times.
Maybe it fits in someone else's workflow?


QMENU searches in:
[*] Common- and User-Start menu
[*] Pinned applications
[*] Documents folder
[*] Common- and User-Desktop
[*] Recent files
You can (de-)activate the QMENU filter with the keyboard shortcut <Ctrl>+<\>

QMENU2 also searches for *,exe,*.cpl qnd *.msc files in C:\Windows and C:\Windows\System32 (but not in subdirs of those)

QMENU.csv

Code: Select all

Name,Case,Whole Word,Path,Diacritics,Regex,Search,Macro,Key
"QMENU",0,0,1,0,0,"file: !ext:INI <shell:""start menu"" | shell:""Common Programs"" | shell:""user pinned""  | shell:personal | shell:""Common Desktop"" |  shell:Desktop | shell:recent >",,482
"QMENU2",0,0,1,0,0,"file: !ext:INI <shell:""start menu"" | shell:""Common Programs"" | shell:""user pinned""  | shell:personal | shell:""Common Desktop"" |  shell:Desktop | shell:recent | <ext:exe;cpl;msc parent:c:\windows|parent:c:\windows\system32>>",,

Installing it:
- Save this as QMENU.csv somewhere on your system
- Menu:Search > Organize Filters > Import
Stamimail
Posts: 1121
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 9:05 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by Stamimail »

Why did you use Filters and not Bookmarks for this?
The assumption:
Filters = for filter out results from Result List
Bookmarks = for getting a desired Result List
NotNull
Posts: 5142
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 9:22 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by NotNull »

Stamimail wrote:Why did you use Filters and not Bookmarks for this?
The assumption:
Filters = for filter out results from Result List
Bookmarks = for getting a desired Result List
A Bookmark would place the whole query ("file: !ext:INI <shell:""start menu"" | shell:""Common Programs"" | shell:""user pinned"" | shell:personal | shell:""Common Desktop"" | shell:Desktop | shell:recent | <ext:exe;cpl;msc parent:c:\windows|parent:c:\windows\system32>>") on the search bar. A Filter not.


You can use the filter inside a bookmark, though.
Stamimail
Posts: 1121
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 9:05 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by Stamimail »

My solution for that was to make a Secondary Search (2.)
If you had a Secondary Search, do you think you still would use a Filter or a Bookmark?
NotNull
Posts: 5142
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 9:22 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by NotNull »

Stamimail wrote:My solution for that was to make a Secondary Search (2.)
If you had a Secondary Search, do you think you still would use a Filter or a Bookmark?
Yes, I think I do. A secondary search should have to be build dynamically each time you needed it. This Qmenu query is static; you know upfront what it should contain.

But the suggestions in your link are interesting for other cases. I think I have some ideas for that. I'll post them later.
Stamimail
Posts: 1121
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 9:05 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by Stamimail »

NotNull wrote:Yes, I think I do. A secondary search should have to be build dynamically each time you needed it. This Qmenu query is static; you know upfront what it should contain.
Still not clear. I'm talking about two Search Box. When you will press the "Qmenu" bookmark, you will have the static "Qmenu" query in the first Search Box, and you will have a second Search Box, where you can type in and continue the query written in the first Search Box.
NotNull
Posts: 5142
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 9:22 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by NotNull »

Stamimail wrote:
NotNull wrote:Still not clear. I'm talking about two Search Box. When you will press the "Qmenu" bookmark, you will have the static "Qmenu" query in the first Search Box, and you will have a second Search Box, where you can type in and continue the query written in the first Search Box.
Ahh, NOW I get it! :)

In my case, I have only simple needs for Everything. Typing a few keywords, sorting the results differently, is enough to get what I was searching for.
At least in 95+% of the cases. Don't think that a second search-bar would make a huge difference for my other 5%.
But maybe (probably) you use Everything differently.
I dò have some ideas on your suggestions and I will post them in that thread.


Apart from that, there is the character/personality/identity/whatever you want to call it/ of Everything.
Look at the forum, look at the help text, the Options dialog, the GUI: all clean,clear, structured, somewhat minimalistic layout (*).
All in all: simple on the outside; feature-rich and powerful on the inside.
Somehow an extra (confusing?) search bar doesn't fit in this concept. That's how I see it.


(*) I like this clean layout. If it was up to me, even the menu-bar would be optional (like in Notepad++ : "Hide menu bar (use Alt or F10 key to toggle)" )
okaso
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:31 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by okaso »

This may be really obvious to many folks, but I like to use Everything to check up on leftover traces in my recycle bins: Win10 will show them as empty but Everything may find dozens of files like this: $IXPR4OJ.jpg

Search Filter (or Bookmark it, but I like to access via the Filter drop-down):

Code: Select all

"*:\$RECYCLE.BIN\" 
void
Developer
Posts: 15038
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by void »

I use a source code filter very often:


Search:
<"c:\dev\Windows 8 SDK\Include\" | c:\dev\src\> ext:c;cpp;h

Example search:
src: content:shellexecute
collinchaffin
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 9:42 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by collinchaffin »

@void regarding your last src filter there I've wanted to ask this and keep forgetting. In regards to filters and CONTENT (which I understand is not indexed).....it seems to be a very different execution path in the app whether I do this in the main ES bar (poor real life example sorry):

To search all CMD script files sitting in program files(x86) for a string:

Where progscripts filter is already defined as:

Code: Select all

SEARCH: ext:cmd "C:\Program Files (x86)\"
MACRO: progscripts
This in the main ES bar works, and is instant as expected, and I don't bother setting any dropdown filter since it's on the cmdline (FILTERDROPDOWN="Everything"):

Code: Select all

progscripts: content:"TEST STRING"
However, I would expect this below to behave the exact same and as of latest betas still does not, should it?:

Main ES bar, AFTER first dropping down to set the "progscripts" filter which starts me with a list of filtered files that I presume now a content search is limited to (but is not) (FILTERDROPDOWN="progscripts"):

Code: Select all

content:"TEST STRING"
Result? It appears this 2nd search ignores the set filter once the content search executes and starts performing an exhaustive content search of my ENTIRE LIBRARY! Is that by design and if so is there documentation that really is more of a guide to lay out nuances like this? I know now which to perform through trial and error but since the two operations to me seem like they should work and one does not, it makes me wonder what else I might be doing wrong every day! Mind you I've been using ES for many years and still learning every day like everyone else.

TIA!
void
Developer
Posts: 15038
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by void »

Currently, Everything searches for the filter last.

The next version of Everything will be smart enough to reorder your searches so that content: searches will be done last.

For now, I recommend you use a macro with your progscripts filter and content search, eg:
  • In Everything, from the Search menu, click Organize filters....
  • Select your progscripts filter and click Edit....
  • Change macro to: ps.
  • Click OK.
  • Make sure the Everything filter is selected.
  • Search for the following:
    ps: content:"TEST STRING"
collinchaffin
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 9:42 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by collinchaffin »

Hi sorry I missed your reply....how is what you suggested any different than what I did above? Sorry I'm missing it just seems like all your instructions have me doing is renaming my progscripts macro name to ps and running it in the bar exactly the same as I did above when the name was longer?
void
Developer
Posts: 15038
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Useful Filter?

Post by void »

Please disregard my previous post.

For the best performance, use your existing macro:
progscripts: content:"TEST STRING"

Your progscripts filter will be executed before the content:"TEST STRING" search.
Post Reply