Find following folder links & Save find settings to file

[RalphM]

Congratulations to a great tool.

Was just wondering, if my following wishes could be helpful for other users as well.

Folder links
I'm working extensively with folder links to organize my files and it would be very helpful to have a switch in tracker, to enable finding files by following these links and search the target directory as well.

Save find settings

On the other hand I'm missing the possibility to save the settings in the find tab to reuse it later again. (as the standard explorer is capable of)
Especially with complex reg exp.

Thanks for taking time to consider

[admin]

Hi Ralph,

... it would be very helpful to have a switch in tracker, to enable finding files by following these links and search the target directory as well.

Nice idea! I've just built it in. There's no need for a switch: simply select your folder links and start a search.

Your other idea is nice also, but I have no time now to do it. Later...

Donald

[RalphM]

Hi Donald

...Nice idea! I've just built it in. There's no need for a switch: simply select your folder links and start a search...d

Just downloaded the newest Beta (0109) to check it out, but it doesn't seem to work on my system.

Installed TrackerV3 in the same path as before. (keeping .ini)

I find the files I'm looking for, if I use the search criteria (just name filter applied) on a directory above the target directory of my folder link, but not
with the same criteria used on the directory containing the folder link?

What's wrong?

Thanks

[admin]

It works like this: have your folder links listed in the file list (right pane), and select the ones (whose target dir) you want to search. Then click find.

[RalphM]

Hi Donald

But that way I have to know where I got folder links and have to select each of them.

I suggested a switch similar to "Include subfolders", because I usually don't know where the folder links are.
Therefore, with a switch I thought, find could just follow all the folder links on the way, like it does with subdirs.
(I'm aware of the possibility to end up in a loop by creating links targeting forth and back)

Thanks

[admin]

(I'm aware of the possibility to end up in a loop by creating links targeting forth and back)

Indeed, that's a problem.

And, generally, adding that feature would affect my core search engine and actually slow it down. I find this price is too high for such an idiosyncratic wish

[Leopoldus]

I think too that RalphM's idea is very useful.
And, Donald, you've not concerned in your objection

And, generally, adding that feature would affect my core search engine and actually slow it down. I find this price is too high for such an idiosyncratic wish.

the conception RalphM have offered in his very first post

it would be very helpful to have a switch in tracker, to enable finding files by following these links.

That is an answer for your last reason, isn't? If this idea is realized as a switch, not as a compulsory feature, anyone could decide hiself, if in the current search this option is more important then speed on not.

BTW, RalphM's second idea is indeed a wish to introduce search templates, what you'd promised to think about many-many time ago.

[RalphM]

Thanks for your support Leopoldus

Just came back, with the intention to make exactly that comment myself ...

... If this idea is realized as a switch, not as a compulsory feature, anyone could decide himself, if in the current search this option is more important then speed or not.

... you were faster.

Donald
Meanwhile I tried to find other ways to solve my problem and stumbled over a bug I guess:
If I select folder links in the right pane and search within that selection, the find results are missing part of the path information.
Therefore I can't open the files, neither by double-click nor context menu.

I figured 3 ways to accomplish my task at hand:

• 1. You reconsider the switch - Would be great, I'd appreciate it
  2. The folder links within the selected folder in the left pane are searched automatically w/o the need to select them first
  3. Do a first find for ".lnk", "Select all" and do a second find for whatever I'm looking for
  (BTW Is it possible to create a RegExp that does that "Find - Select all - Find" in one expression? I'm not the expert, yet!?)

Thx

[admin]

If I select folder links in the right pane and search within that selection, the find results are missing part of the path information.

Yep, that was a bug, thanks! Fix comes with next BETA. Meanwhile uncheck "Show Relative Path In Find Results" in config. That way it works even with the bug

I'm still not sure about your other wish.

[admin]

Say, is anybody here aware of any other file find utility that can follow folder links? I was not able to find one...

[admin]

I was not able to find one...

Ok, I found one: TrackerV3 -- see new BETA!

And thanks for a cool idea, Ralph!

[admin]

On the other hand I'm missing the possibility to save the settings in the find tab to reuse it later again. (as the standard explorer is capable of) Especially with complex reg exp.

Ok, let's talk about search templates. There are some points that need consideration:
1) name combo: will the whole list be saved to the template so that each template has its own list? or just the currently visible top entry, while all templates share the rest of the combo (which is remembered app-wide anyway)? (the latter I would think)
2) location combo: when loading a saved search template, will it be applied to the current location, or is the location saved with the template as well?[/list]

[RalphM]

Hi Donald

First of all nothing to thank for.
Thank you for being that open for new ideas, and I won't stop sharing mine.

Ok, let's talk about search templates. There are some points that need consideration:
1) name combo: will the whole list be saved to the template so that each template has its own list? or just the currently visible top entry, while all templates share the rest of the combo (which is remembered app-wide anyway)? (the latter I would think)
2) location combo: when loading a saved search template, will it be applied to the current location, or is the location saved with the template as well?

Following my opinions to your considerations:

1) I agree, there's no use in saving the whole list in the template, so just the top entry is fine.
2) I'd say it's useful saving the location with the template as well. If you save the templates maybe in a common directory, this doesn't necessarily have to be the location you want to start the find from.
But it might be useful, to have the location combo containing the folder defined when creating the template plus the "current folder"

Thanks

[admin]

OK, here's the plan, and I'm still open for ideas or comments from anybody for some days:

- there will be 2 new buttons on the Find Files tab, "open template..." and "save as template..." which will open a standard File open/save dialog.
- the templates will be stored as standard *.INI files in a hard-coded subdirectory of the app-dir called "Find\" or "FindTemplates\"
- it's the user's responsability to give the templates a valid filename that as well serves her to retrieve the right template when she needs it.
- the templates contain all settings of all sub-tabs of the Find Files tab, with the exception of the name and location combos where only the current top entry is remembered.

okidoki?

[RalphM]

Hi Donald

Interesting approach, let me add some thoughts to this:

OK, here's the plan, and I'm still open for ideas or comments from anybody for some days:

- there will be 2 new buttons on the Find Files tab, "open template..." and "save as template..." which will open a standard File open/save dialog.
- the templates will be stored as standard *.INI files in a hard-coded subdirectory of the app-dir called "Find" or "FindTemplates"
- it's the user's responsability to give the templates a valid filename that as well serves her to retrieve the right template when she needs it.
- the templates contain all settings of all sub-tabs of the Find Files tab, with the exception of the name and location combos where only the current top entry is remembered.

okidoki?

1) If the templates are stored as standard .INI files, do you plan to include all the settings for the GUI-appearance in it as well?
Which might be useful in some but not all cases. Therefore could you think of including a switch to decide upon saving a new template, whether the rest of the settings should be stored with it as well or not.
2) Does it have to be a hard-coded subdir?
I'd rather prefer, to save the templates in the directory, where I'm looking for that information. (BTW this can be done with the standard explorers .FND files)
Then the .INI needs to point to the TrackerV3 installation directory somehow..., no wait, why not make it a link to the TrackerV3.exe with the .INI to be used as a start parameter. (And, with that the hard-coded subdir would make sense again)
3) Adding another start parameter to run the find automatically, would give TrackerV3 even more power as a tool for instant, real-time information gathering.
Imagine: A double-click on the link "Find all .wav files on c and follow links" starts TrackerV3 with the corresponding find template (.INI, as defined in start parameters), runs the find and displays the results. (maybe even with special GUI-settings, see 1 above)

Again, thanks for consideration.