Preview Folder Contents and Quickly Launch Items

Have a suggestion for "Everything"? Please post it here.
Post Reply
zach
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2018 5:02 am

Preview Folder Contents and Quickly Launch Items

Post by zach »

Hello, I have a couple of program suggestions. Forgive me if something is already implemented or has already been suggested before.

1) Would it be possible to preview folder contents in the preview pane? So I could hover over a folder and quickly see what is in it like with text documents and pictures?
2) Windows 7 & 10 have a keyboard shortcut to quickly launch items on the superbar, Winkey+1-9 for the first nine programs. Would it be possible to implement something like this into everything? Like, have a number column, and hit a keyboard shortcut like ctrl+alt 2 to quickly launch the second file/folder?
3) Similar to the above example with the hypothetical number column, would it be possible to launch specific numbered files or folders with the search bar alone? For example, typing {important document ;7} (using any convenient operator of course, doesn't have to be a semi-colon) into the search bar will launch the 7th listed item from the search?


Everything is my absolute most used and favorite piece of windows software; thank you to everyone involved with this project!
Stamimail
Posts: 1122
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 9:05 pm

Re: Preview Folder Contents and Quickly Launch Items

Post by Stamimail »

1. Good suggestion. and another suggestions:
QTTabBar
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6863#p21936
https://superuser.com/questions/1141631 ... olumn-view

2. You can figure out Everything Hotkeys (and edit) by looking at the list in:
Options > Keyboard
For very custom hotkey, use AHK script.

3. As above, you can use AHK script, or Bookmarks/Filters can help here.
I guess you will need to give a real example, which shows a real need, to make things happen.
thank you to everyone involved with this project!
:D
zach
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2018 5:02 am

Re: Preview Folder Contents and Quickly Launch Items

Post by zach »

3. As above, you can use AHK script, or Bookmarks/Filters can help here.
I guess you will need to give a real example, which shows a real need, to make things happen.
Image

https://i.imgur.com/kPW9JpI.png

Sorry, here's a test example from my, admittedly horribly, labeled music collection . It would be fantastic if it were possible for me to quickly launch the 4th result down, the radio short version of the song by just pressing, say, Shift+4 or Alt+4 or typing :4 or something at the end of the search string as opposed to having to hit the down arrow key 4 times or having to specify the entire folder path. I understand that my situation may be a little unique and that people are more organized of course.

Autohotkey might actually be what I need, as opposed to bookmarks or filters. I've actually played around with it awhile ago and it seems it would be just what I need. Thanks!
Stamimail
Posts: 1122
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 9:05 pm

Re: Preview Folder Contents and Quickly Launch Items

Post by Stamimail »

I do not know if it's worth the development, but If we go with your suggestion further...
Maybe to create a line number column (like Numbered rows in Notepad++), and the header will be actually a input header, where the number of the active line is present in this input header.

:idea: Hint:
If you have one item you open frequently,
you can set its Run History value (Menu > File > Set Run History...), and an "Enter" at the end of the query will make it focus at it.
void
Developer
Posts: 17159
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Preview Folder Contents and Quickly Launch Items

Post by void »

Thanks for your suggestions.
1) Would it be possible to preview folder contents in the preview pane? So I could hover over a folder and quickly see what is in it like with text documents and pictures?
Like thumbnails? I could show the folder thumbnail in the preview pane which would give a quick hint as to what is in the folder..
2) Windows 7 & 10 have a keyboard shortcut to quickly launch items on the superbar, Winkey+1-9 for the first nine programs. Would it be possible to implement something like this into everything? Like, have a number column, and hit a keyboard shortcut like ctrl+alt 2 to quickly launch the second file/folder?
Added to my TODO list.
3) Similar to the above example with the hypothetical number column, would it be possible to launch specific numbered files or folders with the search bar alone? For example, typing {important document ;7} (using any convenient operator of course, doesn't have to be a semi-colon) into the search bar will launch the 7th listed item from the search?
If I did this it would have to be an option you would need to turn on, for security purposes.
I would prefer the user perform an action to run a file.
zach
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2018 5:02 am

Re: Preview Folder Contents and Quickly Launch Items

Post by zach »

Like thumbnails? I could show the folder thumbnail in the preview pane which would give a quick hint as to what is in the folder..
I think, yeah. So if I were to just highlight a folder, the preview pane would show thumbnails or a tree list of the files or other folders that are inside it. It would be great for someone unorganized like myself to quickly see what's in all of my "New Folder" folders at a glance. :D
I would prefer the user perform an action to run a file.
I don't quite understand. I think I didn't explain myself completely. The way Everything is set up now, you enter a query in the search, hit enter once to highlight the 1st result, and hit enter again to launch it, right? Well what I meant was it would be great if I could append a ;7 (or any number) to the end of the search so that instead of highlighting the 1st result after initially hitting enter, it would highlight the 7th, and you would hit enter again to launch. I apologize, I did not mean to imply that something would instantly run just by typing out anything.

So right now it goes.
Specific query > hit enter, highlights 1st result > hit enter again to launch

In the future, if possible.
Specific query ;4 > hit enter, highlights the 4th result > hit enter again to launch the 4th result

I assume, like Stamimail mentioned, that some type of number column would have to be implemented. Maybe have the ability to specify what exactly the number column sorts by in the options? (Like by name ascending, or by date created descending, so that 1 would be the most recently created file or folder down to whatever the oldest number is).

I'm not sure if that would be a greater risk than how it's set up now, but I am by no means a software engineer. So forgive me if it is or if something like that is still a risk, isn't possible or feasible to implement, or if this is too specific of a feature and not everyone would want something like this. I appreciate it! :)
void
Developer
Posts: 17159
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Preview Folder Contents and Quickly Launch Items

Post by void »

I'll consider adding the option to focus and select the result from a search query, you would still need to press ENTER again to open the file.
Thanks for the suggestion.

Have you tried setting a higher run count for this item? pressing ENTER from the search box should select the file with the highest run count.

For files and folders you run from Everything often, it should be as simple as typing in the partial search and pressing ENTER twice to run the "most run" result.

You can customize the run count of a result by right clicking the result and clicking set run count.
The run count increments every time you run the result.
randfee
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2018 5:38 pm

Re: Preview Folder Contents and Quickly Launch Items

Post by randfee »

I would also like to see the possibility to get a preview of a folder. But instead of icons I would very much prefer a detail view.
Thinking about this, it could be quickly realized using everything's own database, do a query of the selected folder's path....
Thinking further, this would be even nicer to have a 2 column design so one can click on items in the folder preview to open them directly.... hm.
Post Reply