Quick Search: Why doesn't {:Audio} find my audio files?

[Jerry]

I'm in Quick Search (QS), I pasted in from XYplorer Help the string {:Audio} but it returns nothing, even though the files are there, in subfolders. What am I doing wrong here? I often struggle with the QS search syntax and really wish that the popup help window was more comprehensive and even better, that some kind of popup wizard was available that would construct the search string for me from a user-friendly GUI interface. I notice also that when I use Find Files (FF), reset and then select "Audio files" in the file types dropdown, if finds the files, but the blue search info bar just says Find Files: with no mention of audio types only. That shouldn't be, right? Ideally, I think the resulting search string from FF should always appear there so I can learn how to do it in Quick Search. I realize there are functions in FF not available in QS (though I don't think there should be), but clearly searching by types is common to both.

[Using 17.50.0206]

[highend]

Code: Select all

/types={:Audio}

popup wizard was available that would construct the search string for me from a user-friendly GUI interface

Write one? HTML for the gui is the way to go here

[Jerry]

popup wizard was available that would construct the search string for me from a user-friendly GUI interface

Write one? HTML for the gui is the way to go here

Is this possible to do now? Even so, I wouldn't want to be involved in maintaining it and keeping it in sync with the main program.

[highend]

Is this possible to do now?

It's possible since years

I wouldn't want to be involved in maintaining it and keeping it in sync with the main program.

No comment...

[Jerry]

I wouldn't want to be involved in maintaining it and keeping it in sync with the main program.

No comment...

My only point here is that such a feature should necessarily be kept in sync with main program, which requires a committed author for the long term, as I see with other scripted extensions here. Don't you agree?

[Jerry]

[quote="highend"]

Code: Select all

/types={:Audio}

Back to this solution -- I'm afraid it's not working in the current beta version. I enter that string verbatim in QS and I get Error 14 "Out of string space". And when I do it in XYplorer /fresh, it returns the results but then the program crashes. I wonder if that's why it is also not showing up in the blue search info panel when using Find Files?

[highend]

You are here since 7 years. And you wouldn't be able to update some code once a year (there aren't that many ongoing changes to quicksearch, it is already rather mature)?

And my only point on this is: You want a wizard. XY isn't known for it's wizards, right? So why don't you write one and let other users profit from your work as well? I've written enough scripts already (even some with a .html gui)...

[Jerry]

You are here since 7 years. And you wouldn't be able to update some code once a year (there aren't that many ongoing changes to quicksearch, it is already rather mature)?
And my only point on this is: You want a wizard. XY isn't known for it's wizards, right? So why don't you write one and let other users profit from your work as well? I've written enough scripts already (even some with a .html gui)...

You make a fair point, and this is exactly something I used to do without hesitation all the time, in various different languages over my career. But I have to confess that for personal reasons at this stage in my life, I'm just psychologically not motivated to pick up the scripting shovel again and the long term maintenance committment. But I'm a daily power user of XYplorer and I would certainly step up to continually beta test this extension if somebody would take on the development and maintenance task. Just one more thing, though, at some point, this interface would become a parallel of sorts to Find Files, which is why I think the two should be united in total functionality, and the latter be able to generate the syntax string for QS. What do you think about that?

[highend]

Different interfaces. Don't see a reason why the GUI should be able to generate QS syntax... Apart from that: A script could do that as well (translate all GUI find attributes into QS syntax; if Don adds a savesearch() command). Actually I think I'll do this for myself later on...

[Jerry]

Different interfaces. Don't see a reason why the GUI should be able to generate QS syntax... Apart from that: A script could do this already (translate all GUI find attributes into QS syntax). Actually I think I'll do this for myself...

For clarity and consistency - a unified search mechanism -- equally and fully accessible using either search string syntax in QS and address bar or via GUI in Find Files. In lieu of a comprehensive popup help window or wizard, Find Files could have a button or menu item to simply generate the search syntax for the clipboard so that one can easily get to know the syntax and thereby use QS or address bar down the road.

However, if you do put a script together for generating most of the syntax current possible from Find Files settings, I will be a user and beta tester.

[highend]

QS is for power users who can quickly type such a pattern. That requires learning the syntax (which is in the help file) anyway. "Normal" users have the gui to
define their searches in a way that doesn't require that much learning -> That's why I said: different interfaces

Apart from that if you have problems with the list of qs switches you are free to edit your language file to include necessary hints. Ofc this would
be required each time the language file changes (when Don uploads a new one). Or an external tool that looks for the qs window and automatically
displays the help file page or only a list of the switches, or....

[Jerry]

I consider myself a power user, yet find it cumbersome to locate the appropriate syntax when I need it, even with the help file. Being a power user shouldn't mean having to remember the details of syntax, just a sense of the scope and depth of capabilities and the willingness to take advantage of them. What power user doesn't want speedy, reference access to that power? Would I still want to write code in the old vi editor or use an IDE like Eclipse that puts everything right at my fingertips?

And the two search mechanisms are currently not equivalent functionally, as Don pointed out in another thread.

[highend]

I think I offered enough possibilities in my last post to circumvent that "restriction". And a whole bunch would work as well (e.g. a script, first invoke a rtfm() command, than the quick search window).

Would I still want to write code in the old vi editor or use an IDE like Eclipse that puts everything right at my fingertips?

Sorry, but: you really think the one that needs the GUI is the power user? oO Think twice who really is the pro when he is able to code in a modern language in vi Btw, I like vi and I still prefer
it over all other editors on the console because it is available everywhere...

[admin]

Code: Select all

/types={:Audio}

Back to this solution -- I'm afraid it's not working in the current beta version. I enter that string verbatim in QS and I get Error 14 "Out of string space". And when I do it in XYplorer /fresh, it returns the results but then the program crashes. I wonder if that's why it is also not showing up in the blue search info panel when using Find Files?

Sorry, somehow missed this post. Fix comes in the next version. Thanks!

[highend]

And with the implementation of searchtemplate() you can now parse you entered search terms and show the equivalent quick search switches... Have phun and thanks Don!