Total Commander

When I use Find Files (Alt-F7), searching for text, when I use the scrollbar on the right of the Search Results window at the bottom, it seems like the search is interrupted. Does the search process stop when scrolling the list? and if so could it continue in the background instead?

Also, would it be possible to show the filename (without path) in some way that makes it more easy to find in the Search Results list? Like, either make two columns, one with the path and one with the filename, or maybe highlight the filename in some way?

would it be possible to show the filename (without path) in some way that makes it more easy to find in the Search Results list?

You can use The 'feed to listbox-button' and custom colums for that:

Right click the tab header above the file list (where 'name', 'ext', etc. is shown) and click 'configure custom colums', then 'new'.
Type in a name for this set, e.g. 'filename only' and click OK (or add other columns and choose their content via the '+' button to the right of the edit fields).

Then, after your search is finished, press the 'feed to listbox'-button and choose your defined custom column set via right clicking the tab header again.

You can use The 'feed to listbox-button' and custom colums for that:

Thank you, I am well aware of what I can do after the search, I should probably have described the situation a little better .

The reason I was asking for an easier way to spot the filename during the search was that I often find myself searching a large folder for a string that occurs in a lot of files.

Most of the files I am not interested in, but I would be able to "mentally filter" those easily by looking at the filenames (without path). It is hard to do so when you have the entire path on each line making the filenames jump left and right .

I don't really want to start the search, go get a cup of coffee, and then come back to filter all the useless ones out in the listbox when I could have just scrolled through the list during the search and found the right file .

As an example of what I mean, here is a screenshot of the search dialog in DO. You can look through the list at the bottom while the search continues, and it is very easy to spot the filenames and go "oh yes, it was intel.hpp I was looking for".

Image: http://i40.tinypic.com/2igjbc3.png

On a side note, I wonder what the reasoning behind the "Find Text" checkbox is? .. why not just search for text if there is any in the edit dialog instead of having to click the checkbox before you can enter anything. I know the last search is listed in the editbox at the moment, but the user can get that from the dropdown anyway.

Also it would be nice if the find text editbox was the next tab stop after the filename editbox instead of having to press tab 7 times, or Alt-t, or use the mouse. I would assume it's the most likely next point of interest after the filename?

SUPPORT+++

2Jibz

it seems like the search is interrupted

You are right. as a workaround you can use the scroll wheel if you mouse has one - that doesn't seem to stop the search.

I have a related wish - often the search takes long and I wanna continue using TC... not open another TC instance, nor wait until the search is finished. So I wish the search could be put on background. Thx

2dantethegreat
This request has been dicussed many, many times. (i. e. http://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=7956).

Please, use Search next time

+1

I support this feature too. It may work as following: the search is continued in background and the temporary pane for files is appended with new files, while I can continue working in the other pane...

The other options would be simply to allow background search, so I could continue using the Total Commander while searching in background... this can work similarly to background copy/move. And of course I would like to be able to start several searches in the background. Results can be seen by clicking "Show results" in the small "Search" window... or just the button "Foreground/Background" which can pop up the search window or hide in the background. Actually I am also missing "Foreground" button for copy/move operations...

As for file name or full path - both can be handy, so I suggest to add this as an optional parameters of the search.

Jibz wrote:On a side note, I wonder what the reasoning behind the "Find Text" checkbox is? .. why not just search for text if there is any in the edit dialog instead of having to click the checkbox before you can enter anything. I know the last search is listed in the editbox at the moment, but the user can get that from the dropdown anyway.

It's likely Author-preference, the Find Text is inactive and contains the last Text Search when activated, as well as what activates all the related Text checkboxes -- vs having the field be empty and needing to TAB to/or Mouse Click on the Edit field and then activate the pull-down menu.

Also it would be nice if the find text editbox was the next tab stop after the filename editbox instead of having to press tab 7 times, or Alt-t, or use the mouse. I would assume it's the most likely next point of interest after the filename?

This would prolly be best(?) if Find Text had it's own Top Tab-Menu item and a command cm_FindText that could open the Search tool with the FindText MainTab as the active tab.
A single press of the <TAB> key within this section of the Search Tool could activate a Button: [Back to Find Files], thus when the keystroke (combo) is: <TAB><Enter> would place the dialog back to the [General] tab.

The [General] tab could also have a Button: [To Find Text] that would be accessible with 2 <Tab> presses (1st <Tab> would continue to go to: "Search In:")