Pressing Space on file name doesn't trigger QuickLook

[mschmitt]

I have https://github.com/QL-Win/QuickLook v3.7.3 installed. When I click on a file name in Windows File Explorer or Everything 1.4, and press the space bar, it displays the file. This is similar to macOS Quick Look, hence the name.

(I know that there's now a similar feature in Power Tools, but I had QuickLook first).

In Everything 1.5 Alpha, pressing the space bar on the same file has no effect.

Why does it work in Everything 1.4 but not 1.5? I don't see space bound to anything in Options > General > Keyboard.

[therube]

1.5 uses the <spacebar> as Result List | Select Focus.

See if remapping that then allows it to work?
Tools | Options | General | Keyboard -> Show: select focus

[mschmitt]

I deleted the shortcut for Result List | Select Focus, but space still has no effect.

What would "Select Focus" actually do? Doesn't the row have to be selected already, in order to execute the command against it?

[void]

Please try disabling the alpha instance:

• In Everything 1.5, from the Tools menu, click Options.
• Click the Advanced tab on the left.
• To the right of Show settings containing, search for:
  alpha
• Select alpha_instance.
• Set the value to: false
• Click OK.
• Restart Everything (File -> Exit)

[mschmitt]

When I quit and relaunched Everything 1.5 alpha, I didn't get an Everything icon in the task bar or notification area. And I see that there are two Everything64.exe processes running, both of which say they were launched 9/12. One is probably the service process.

I recycled the service process but I can't kill the other one. It says "Access is denied" even though I'm running Process Explorer elevated to Administrator.

[mschmitt]

Restarted machine. Checked Everything 1.5 options; the alpha_instance setting was not longer modified.

Changed it again, quit Everything. This time the client quit.

Restarted the client. Checked the alpha_instance setting; it was reverted again back to "true".

[void]

Please make sure Everything is installed correctly:

• In Everything, from the Tools menu, click Options.
• Click the General tab on the left.
• Check Store settings and data in %APPDATA%\Everything.
• Click OK.

Please reapply the alpha_instance setting.

Does the issue persist?

[mschmitt]

Everything 1.5a > Tools > Options >General has "Store settings and data in %APPDATA%\Everything" selected.

The other advanced setting I've set (set_foreground_window_attach_thread_input) is sticking fine.

I tried this:

1. Set alpha_instance false, OK
2. Verified that the false setting stuck
3. Pressed space bar on a result entry. Nothing happens.
4. File > Exit
5. Re-launch
6. Test with spacebar again. Still doesn't do anything
7. Check alpha_instance. It is back to True.

Am I supposed to try changing the space key binding and alpha_instance false at the same time?

FWIW, I tried changing the binding from space to `, still pressing space doesn't do anything.

[void]

Please make sure no files under %APPDATA%\Everything are set to read-only.


Do you have a policy set?
-What is shown under Help -> Troubleshooting Information?

[mschmitt]

Everything under %APPDATA% is writable, and in fact Everything-1.5a.ini is getting updated with the current window position. There's no policy set. Help > Troubleshooting says:

Everything: 1.5.0.1355a (x64)
OS: Windows NT 10.0 19045 (x64)
Admin: 0
Service: 1 (connected / installed and running)
Command line:
Binary: C:\Program Files\Everything 1.5a\Everything64.exe
Profile: C:\Users\mschmitt7\AppData\Roaming\Everything\Everything-1.5a.ini
Database: C:\Users\mschmitt7\AppData\Local\Everything\Everything-1.5a.db
Instance: 1.5a
Config: allow_multiple_windows=1
Config: check_for_updates_on_startup=1
Config: hide_empty_search_results=1
Config: auto_remove_offline_ntfs_volumes=1
Config: set_foreground_window_attach_thread_input=1
Config: allow_multiple_windows_from_tray=1
Config: single_click_tray=1
Config: focus_search_on_activate=1
Config: ntfs_volumes=[{"path":"C:","volume_name":"\\\\?\\Volume{77...ba}"},{"path":"F:","volume_name":"\\\\?\\Volume{a4...00}"}]
Config: remote_volumes=[{"path":"S:","unc_path":"\\\\server\\share","update_at":18}]

[void]

Thank you for the troubleshooting information.

I have found the issue and will have a fix soon.

For now, please edit your Everything.ini directly:

• Exit Everything (File -> Exit)
• From the Start menu, search for: Notepad
• Right click Notepad and click Run as administrator.
• In Notepad, from the File menu, click Open....
• Select C:\Program Files\Everything 1.5a\Everything-1.5a.ini and click Open.
  (where C:\Program Files\Everything 1.5a is the location of your Everything.exe)
• Change the following line:
  alpha_instance=1
  to:
  alpha_instance=0
• Save changes and restart Everything.

[mschmitt]

When I do that and relaunch, no GUI appears

Here's the tasks running:

Process CPU Private Bytes Working Set PID Description Company Name I/O Delta Total Bytes
Everything.exe 2,440 K 7,660 K 7424 Everything voidtools
Everything.exe 133,200 K 141,344 K 7912 Everything voidtools
Everything64.exe 2,148 K 7,660 K 7408 Everything voidtools
Everything64.exe < 0.01 138,652 K 176,376 K 6868 Everything voidtools

[void]

Maybe the existing process has hung.

Please try killing this process:
Everything64.exe < 0.01 138,652 K 176,376 K 6868 Everything voidtools

Please make sure the alpha_instance setting sticks in your Everything-1.5a.ini in the same location as your Everything64.exe
Relaunch Everything64.exe

[mschmitt]

1. Exit Everything 1.5
2. Confirmed that the only Everything64.exe process left running is the service
3. Changed the alpha instance setting
4. Start Menu > Everything 1.5a > Open

The result is it just displays the window for the Everything 1.4 that was already running. There is no Everything64.exe task started for the GUI.

I closed the window and double-checked that I'm really trying to open Everything 1.5a. Same result.

What's the alpha instance setting control, anyway?

[void]

The result is it just displays the window for the Everything 1.4 that was already running.

This is expected when Everything 1.4 is installed and running.
Please avoid disabling the alpha_instance if you have Everything 1.4 installed.

There can only be one instance of Everything running at a time.
Launching Everything 1.5 without an instance name will bring the existing unnamed Everything 1.4 instance into view.

Please try exiting Everything 1.4 before launching up Everything 1.5 (File -> Exit)

What's the alpha instance setting control, anyway?

When enabled, Everything 1.5 will run in an instance called "1.5a"
Each instance has its own data and settings.

When disabled, Everything 1.5 will run in the normal unnamed instance.
Instances are shared with older versions. (same data and settings)

The alpha_instance setting will only exist in the alpha version.
It will be removed in beta/release.



The "1.5a" alpha instance is not a true instance name.
Filenames for settings and data will still use the "1.5a" instance even when alpha_instance is disabled.



Technically, disabling alpha_instance just disables the "1.5a" instance name for window class names so third party tools can communicate with Everything.



Multiple Instances
alpha_instance

[mschmitt]

Does that increase the risk of Everything 15 corrupting the Everything 14 settings or vice versa?

Note: I'm not using Everything 14 anymore, except as a cross-check when I suspect something's odd with Everything 15.

[void]

No, I'm still forcing a "1.5a" instance name for data and setting filenames while in Alpha.

Consider launching Everything 1.4 in a "1.4" instance:

C:\Programs\Everything-1.4\Everything.exe -instance "1.4"

[mschmitt]

I decided not to change the 1.4 instance name because it looked like it was going to lose all the settings. So I...

1. Changed Everything 1.4 to no longer start at login
2. Quit Everything 1.4
3. Stopped the Everything 1.4 service
4. Changed the Everything 1.4 service from Automatic to Manual
5. Changed the Everything 1.5a alpha_instance to 0 per previous instructions

The result is that:

• The alpha instance is still off after it starts
• Pressing the space bar invokes QuickLook as expected

Note that I didn't change the key mapping, i.e. space is still supposedly mapped to something else.

[void]

Thank you for your reply mschmitt,

Are these the desired results?

[mschmitt]

Yup, it is working as expected.

[void]

Everything 1.5.0.1357a fixes an issue with disabling the alpha instance.

The alpha_instance ini setting is now a user setting.

The advanced settings will no longer show machine settings.
(Only advanced user settings will now be shown)

[mschmitt]

I confirm I can turn off the alpha instance in user Advanced settings now.

And it looks like the fix for Everything not gaining focus after the Start menu was used has made it in as a permanent fix.

[dfsd23532]

Anyone still has issues with this? I have alpha instance option disabled and I removed the "show focus" shortcut. Quicklook shows 1 in 20 of times.