v1.07.18 beta

[mouser]

v1.07.18 beta:
https://www.donation.../FindAndRunRobot.exe

Now supports skinning; for 5mb worth of extra skins (about 61 skins):
https://www.donation.../downloads/Skins.zip


Version 1.07.18 - Oct 02, 2005
 · Preferences option in system tray icon.  
 · Changed wording of system tray icon exit option.  
 · CONTROL+Click of results now launches an app and STAYS open..  
 · When autosize window option and clear window options are checked, main window is now shrunk before restoring to avoid flicker.  
  

Version 1.07.17 - Oct 02, 2005
 · Autoshrink of window now reduced window size using a rapid timer to prevent flickering during incremental search.  
 
  
Version 1.07.16 - Oct 02, 2005
 · You can now type 'agroups' in the search edit box to get a list of all available group aliases  
 · Added new special command "alias" which can be used in a group alias entry to cause search to renew using the words following the alias. Useful to let one alias group to trigger further searches.  
  

Version 1.07.15 - Oct 02, 2005
 · Full skin selection plus ability to disable skinning  
 · Setting transparency to 0 now changes window mode to non-transparent (better for capturing screenshots of it)  
 · Reorganized some preference dialog pages.  



Most important new feature:

[nontroppo]

Skinning seems to use ~2-300kb more working set on my machine (~40 more GDI resources), totally acceptable!

Added new special command "alias" which can be used in a group alias entry to cause search to renew using the words following the alias. Useful to let one alias group to trigger further searches.

Can you give us an example?

[mouser]

ok here's the first example, sort of:

type: agroups
you'll get a list of all alias groups known.  then hit one to show its contents
(this uses the alias command internally).


here's a second example:
maybe i have 4 searches i run all the time. i could put these all in a group called: myfiles
excel files | alias *.xls
word files | alias *.doc
powerpoint files | alias *.ppt
cat power music | alias *.mp3 catpower

now i can type "myfiles" and get a list of those 4:
1) excel files
2) word files
3) powerpoint files
4) cat power music

then when i hit 1,2,3, or 4, it will restart a search based on the alias info.

so its just a way of basically like making a menu of other searches.

it's also useful for having recursive lists.

like i might have an alias for imdb, dictionary search, google search
then to help me remember i might have one called internet
which just has an alias for each of imdb, dictionary, google

is somewhat clear?
and get a list of these 3 searches

[m_s]

F&RR is rapidly becoming the most powerful and all-inclusive piece of software ever written - one ring to rule them!  's great!  Am still waiting for a reply from the AppRocket developers about whether or not they're still working on it, before I get down to writing a review ... But really I'm totally won over now by F&RR.

[mouser]

still plenty left to add to F&R, see the long todo list:

ask for $$1 if missing from invocation
fix icons for alias group items
better url display

add ability to search firefox bookmarks

grab recently run external programs
add scoring by access date

preview panel?
alternate search view (browser view?)
custom hotkeys for aliases

when unchecking "start auto with window", its checked again on restart.
+executing with Short File Names causes opera confusion (always use long?)

ability to launch apps into background (minimized?)

add ability to interject filename into open/save dialogs

Find all doesnt seem to work right
even when remove dupes is not on, you should prevent dupes from favorites

when set to display relative path, display parent path if the relative path is \
separate words should act as AND searches rather than phrases (see esp)
search patterns on full paths and extensions? (see esp)

add scripts

-find in name of parent directory?

Folder name searching (ability to use \ to specify dir name pattern (so graph\photo would match graphics\photoshop).

Ability to specify an extension with a . (so photo.exe would match photoshop.exe)

Customizable sound effect when launching?
Speed up loading of ini files.
+make demo movies

[nontroppo]

You must drink some pretty strong coffee!  Keep up the great work!

[rbeeger]

What skinning format is it that you are using. The skn files don't seem to be normal zip-files.
Is it possible to create custom skins?
I noticed that the preferences aren't skinned. That looks a bit strange when the rest is fully skinned.

[mouser]

here is the tool for creating and/or editing existing skins:
https://www.donation...er/Skins/builder.zip

the skin system is called VclSkin.

i'd love to include with F&R any custom F&R skins made by users.

i can turn on skinning for preferences and other forms.

[nontroppo]

Skins I like: 15, 26, 39, 44, 66 (though I will probably not use any of them as I prefer FARR unskinned).

What are the licences on the other skins, can we remix them?

[m_s]

I would love to have a 'milk' theme to match my windowblinds - I think the original was a Mac theme made by Max Rudberg.  It's over here: http://www.maxthemes...m/themes/?theme=Milk

I had a look at the maker app, but decided it would take a man of my talents far, far too long to work it out!  Perhaps in months to come there will be a subsection of F&RR skins over at aqua-soft.org!

[rbeeger]

Skins I like: 15, 26, 39, 44, 66 (though I will probably not use any of them as I prefer FARR unskinned).

What are the licences on the other skins, can we remix them?

-nontroppo (October 03, 2005, 12:05 PM)

Those skins seem to be the example skins from link rank. I wouldn't change them without asking those guys.

@Mouser: Wise idea not to develop just another skinning system. This one seems to be sufficiently capable.

[rbeeger]

@Mouser: Wise idea not to develop just another skinning system. This one seems to be sufficiently capable.

-rbeeger (October 03, 2005, 12:35 PM)

Although it doesn't skin tables, which is a pity since a table is one of the most visible controls in Find and Run Robot.

[mouser]

what about the table would you like to customize? background image or color? font size/color/style? i can probably add that myself manually..

[lanux128]

hi there mouser,

sorry didn't notice this topic before posting here.
anyway, i have another suggestion...

i.e make F&RR read from the registry esp. the "App.Path" branch, where entries in this branch can be executed by keying-in the app name in the "Run box". this way, F&RR is one-step closer to taking over the "Run box" for good... ;-)

best regards,
lanux

P.S. for your reference: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths]

[mouser]

great idea about replacing run, but you can do it easily using a custom group alias.
but its such a good idea i will add it to the list of default command aliases that will install with F&R v2.

see screenshot below for adding the alias manually OR just go to aliases tab, right click, select paste and paste in this:
1000>>>run>->run $$1 | $$1>+>run (.*)

then when you want to run a command instead of opening the run command from start menu just hit F&R and type
run PROGRAM

for example
run notepad

[m_s]

On one machine I run F&RR on, I have the taskbar at the top of the screen; on the other, it's at the bottom.  Would it be possible to specify which way the tray opened, up or down.  On the machine with the bar at the top it works fine as it is, but on the other, it's a little odd - of course, of course, of course I can work with it like this, but if it could be done...

[mouser]

can you be a little more specific - do you mean the system tray menu when you right click on the system tray icon?  does F&R not behave like all other apps in this respect?

[m_s]

I mean the search window itself, which I position in the middle of the screen - on this machine, it sits in the middle at the top of the screen, as in the attached image.  What I'm wondering about is whether it could open upwards, so that I could position it immediately above the taskbar at the bottom on the screen.

[m_s]

(oops, had no intention for that picture to be so big - sorry)

[mouser]

ah i understand - with the autosize thing always going down, this is a problem for you.. makes sense.

its easy enough for me to make it expand up, EXCEPT..
would you then want the edit field to stay on the bottom, with the list of results above it.. what ould be a little harder.. but without that feature, it might be disconcerting to have the edit field always changing location...

actually i think i should be able to do it.

[mouser]

btw i like that metal skin a alot too but i hate how tall the top and bottom stuff is (titlebar and status bar).. i wish someone would edit that skin and make them very thin.

[m_s]

I dislike that too!  Which is the skin you're using in your screenshots - I know I could find it with very little effort, but may as well ask you.  And yes, I would love it if the edit field could stay anchored at the bottom.

[mouser]

i'm using 31 currently.

anyone care to try to learn how to use the skinning tool to shorten the titlebar and statusbar skin elements for that metal skin in m_s's screenshot? (what skin filename is it m_s)?

[m_s]

It's iTunes.skn (and if anyone is going to make any skins, how about a Milk one?)

[nontroppo]

m_s skin 39 is the current closest to milk (a theme I love too btw - I once started a pure milk skin for Opera but it never got finished). BTW why do you have that space at the top of your Opera window, if you upgrade to V8.5 it will disappear!

mouser: can you make it so we don't have to bring up the load requestor to change skins, I want to type manually into the text box and press enter to change skins, as it is faster.

If I get time I'll reskin FARR, but I have many other things on the boil atm...