Visual Filter: Folder Support

[TheQwerty]

One of the things that has always bothered me about Visual Filters is that there is no way to apply a pattern to just the files and still display all the folders. Thus to see All Folders and All Text Files requires you to search and means you can't easily browse through multiple folders unless you just flatten the common root and include subfolders as well.

I've broken this wish into two phases, as the first is all I've ever needed, but I see the second being extremely useful...

Phase A is to simply include an All Folders pattern: "\". Thus for the example above one could filter on "|\|*.txt" to see All Folders and Text files. Everything else remains as it is but "\" will be recognized as a special pattern.

Phase B extends this to the next logical step: patterns starting with "\" are only applied to folders. So we could display All Folders whose name contains "2009" and All Text files using a pattern like "|\2009|*.txt". And we could add all folders whose name contains 2008 using a regex pattern by doing "|\>200[89]|*.txt"


Is this something that could be implemented without much trouble, Don?

[admin]

Makes a lot of sense, well done! Currently no time for it though.

Generally, one might wonder whether VFs should be applied to DIRs at all. A quicker solution would be to simply let pass all DIRs.

[TheQwerty]

Currently no time for it though.

Not even for Phase A?

Generally, one might wonder whether VFs should be applied to DIRs at all. A quicker solution would be to simply let pass all DIRs.

Nah.. It might be a quicker solution to code but I don't think it's a good idea.

That's a major change to a pretty well established feature - people would likely revolt!
Maybe not, but I'm sure you'd get requests for a way to maintain the old behavior and the documentation and wiki would need much more significant changes. That's a solution that creates more overall work and confusion, all things considered.

[admin]

"|\|*.txt"

Why do you start it with |? This should be enough: "\|*.txt".

Anyway, I found a good way to do phase A and could add the following rule for now: if the pattern (or pattern list) starts with "\|" then all folders are shown. I'll wait till tomorrow / until somebody proves to me that it's a bad idea.

[TheQwerty]

"|\|*.txt"

Why do you start it with |? This should be enough: "\|*.txt".

Habit? 98% of the time I'm typing them into the address bar, where that wouldn't be enough. The other 2% I'm using UDC items via Catalog or CKS.

Anyway, I found a good way to do phase A and could add the following rule for now: if the pattern (or pattern list) starts with "\|" then all folders are shown. I'll wait till tomorrow / until somebody proves to me that it's a bad idea.

Sounds good to me!

[noir]

I'm also waiting for you to integrate a better filter mechanism , i would really like a option to hide junction folder/file links , or mark-able folders/files (that would also effect the folder tree, and load on XY startup).

Heres the problem i face daily, in vista / seven when you un-hide system files and folders, it shows junction links like Documents and Settings (no longer present in vista so they made a junction link to point to the new location for older software), whole bunch of links in programdata, and other annoying folders like boot $recyclebin , but the good thing is , is that it shows sytem files like dlls, hidden files ..etc, but if you turn it off it hides all the junction links and other annoying links , but also hides system files like dll, its really annoying since sometimes i forget a file is in the dir (because its hidden) and often forget to back it up when needed, but i really hate looking at the junction links, they are confusing and not needed for the user to see , i like just having C:\users , C:\program files , C:\programdata c:\windows, I don't need to see the compatibility links, really i wish ms would have gave a separate option for these horrid links.

I hope don will approve of this. Its one of my top wanted features.


I notice with the recent visual filter you can filter directorys now, Maybe you can add in attributes (DRHSAJI) to the filter

so instead of /|*.txt you could do something like [D]|*.txt[R] for directory , text and readonly
also make a option to save filter on close so it take effect next startup , and add a visual filter option for the folder tree menu

[TheQwerty]

Well my original thoughts for Phase A would have had "\|*.txt" and "*.txt|\" be equivalent, but what you've done still allows me to achieve the end result I was after, so it's all good.

Thanks Don! Feel free to place Phase B on the roadmap where ever it best suits you.

[jacky]

One slight thing: when using this feature to filter just files, and using both inversion & regexp mode, the font isn't set to the regexp font.

Code: Select all

\|!>\.txt$

[admin]

One slight thing: when using this feature to filter just files, and using both inversion & regexp mode, the font isn't set to the regexp font.

Code: Select all

\|!>\.txt$

Yep, fixed.