search files ignoring accents in diacritic symb: Köln = Koln

[leopoldus]

Last years every user, who uses multilingual Unicode filenames, has a real headache when searching files. The most European languages (German, French, Scandinavian) includes ASCII plus some accented letters with umlauts, tildes etc. Some of users with extended keyboard layout may use accented letters in filenames, others with English keyboard use ASCII only.

Thus So if you have at you computer files from many different sources, you never know, which letter is used in certain filename. In order to find all files with the two words "Köln" and "Zürich" you have to make many separate searches one by one: for "Köln" and "Zürich", than "Koln" and "Zurich", than "Köln" and "Zurich" and so on
(Well, you can use the pipe or regular expressions, but for a query with several accented words the syntax of the query will be very, very sophisticated.)

The solution is obvious: internal replacement by the mask as O = Ö = Õ = Ø etc.

Some other good file managers with multi language support has the proper feature (say, XYplorer http://www.xyplorer.com/index.php).

TC great plugin QuickSearch eXtended (search and filter inside the pane) by Samuel has such option too - see http://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=24288.

But this option is extremely needed for regular (global) search by Alt+F7.

[ghisler(Author)]

Thanks for your suggestion. At first glance, I cannot find this function in QuickSearch extended. Or do you mean that the user has to set the matching characters himself?

[leopoldus]

2ghisler(Author)

first glance, I cannot find this function in QuickSearch extended. Or do you mean that the user has to set the matching characters himself?

Yes and no. As much as I can understand the technical side of the thing (well, I'm an ordinary user, not a coder) QuickSearch extended has the in-built engine an option. So every user can create his own pairs, strings and tables of ASCII and accented letters for his own language or even for his own personal dialect or needs. Please see detailed in the topics http://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php and here
http://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=22592&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=440 and the next 1-2 pages after this post.

[Samuel]

Have a look into the QuickSearch eXtended readme here:
QuickSearch eXtended

Search for "replacement rules" inside the document or in the GUI.

[leopoldus]

2ghisler(Author)
Almost one year later... Is there any hope to get such functionality in TC some day... Rather earlier than later...

[ghisler(Author)]

I have looked at it, but didn't find it so useful because all the rules have to be set manually.

[Lefteous]

2leopoldus
Just type 'Cologne'

[leopoldus]

didn't find it so useful because all the rules have to be set manually.

Hm... What do you mean? Where and which way a user can set all these rules manually? If its is really so, than I agree, that it will be obsolete to solve the same task at the coding level.

[MVV]

leopoldus,
I think you can try Translit plugin, just define once new translit table that will convert your Ö, Õ, Ø into just O. Then use Plugins tab of search window to search in corrected paths.

[leopoldus]

define once new translit table that will convert your Ö, Õ, Ø into just O... to search in corrected paths.

"Corrected" paths Well, I really love Total Commander, but not that much to deform every correct filenames with the only purpose to make these names compatible with TC.
It will be not only ugly appearance, but you should know, that sometimes letter with or without diacritic signs make really difference, because this is two totally different words.
Another problem is my colleagues, partners and officials. They will surely be confused, if I send them deformed filenames, because they do not use TC and thus do not understand this problem. Why should they do?

[nsp]

define once new translit table that will convert your Ö, Õ, Ø into just O... to search in corrected paths.

"Corrected" paths Well, I really love Total Commander, but not that much to deform every correct filenames with the only purpose to make these names compatible with TC.
It will be not only ugly appearance, but you should know, that sometimes letter with or without diacritic signs make really difference, because this is two totally different words.
Another problem is my colleagues, partners and officials. They will surely be confused, if I send them deformed filenames, because they do not use TC and thus do not understand this problem. Why should they do?

Using translit_wdx, you will not change your file/folder name at all. You will just be able to search using "plugin" instead of searching directly by name. The first time is a bit confusing but after all is perfect.... If you do not use all transliterations the plugin offers, you can just define your owns and remove unused onces.

// For me also accentuated letters are significant

[MVV]

Yes, I don't suggest to rename files, I just suggest to search 'em using mentioned plugin.

[leopoldus]

2nsp
2MVV
I see now, thanks! I'll try this approach.

P.S.
However it will be much better to have native functionality to ignore diacritics signs when searching files and folders.