How to configure FARR for finding the right exe shortcuts?

[superboyac]

When I search FARR, I'd like the main exe link to be the top choice over all other kinds of files.  As we know, when we install a program, we get all sorts of links in the Start Menu like the chm, uninstall, website links, etc.  How can I configure FARR to either ignore the non-program running links or give them a really low score.  I can't figure it out.

Also, let's say I have a directory with portable program files (they weren't installed using an installer).  I want FARR to search those also, but I only want it to pick the exe files.

The hard part here is that the useless files and the program running files are named very similarly, especially in the start menu.  Like if i search for "be" expecting to see Betaclock, I want my top choices to be mostly exe links.  The program does this pretty good just by default, I just wanted to see if i could tweak it further.  I wouldn't even mind getting all the other links out of the search altogether, I have no use for them.

The other thing I should probably do is clean my start menu's.  Just delete all those useless links.  But that takes some effort, and that's another discussion.  I was and still am hoping for a start menu manager program for this very reason.  One of the cooler workarounds for cleaning the files is to use a file manager like DOpus, set the directory mode to flat files, then sort by file type, and mass delete all the unwanted links.

[JavaJones]

If FARR doesn't already have a way to filter search results by file type/extension, then it totally should...
Ok so I just went and looked at preferences, and I suspect there may be an existing setting to do what you want. Go to Preferences->Lists->Pattern Scoring. Check out the *.exe entry and consider its score...

- Oshyan

[lanux128]

what Oshyan said..



also check the duplicate settings and uncheck the 2nd option, see if that helps you..

[superboyac]

Well, that doesn't exactly work.  I don't necessarily want my exe's to be worth so much more than my lnk's, because in my start menu, many of the lnk's are equivalent to exe's in that they run programs.  But I want the non-program launching lnk's to be worth very little, but I still want the portable exe's to be worth a lot.

[mouser]

i think i understand what you are saying -- you have shortcuts in your start menu -- some link to an exe, some link to help file, etc.
you want the shortcuts linking to exe to higher scores than the rest.
i *used* to do scoring bonuses based on pattern matching with LINKED files rather than the shortcut.. but im not sure any more, let me check and see if i can re-enable this option.

[superboyac]

i think i understand what you are saying -- you have shortcuts in your start menu -- some link to an exe, some link to help file, etc.
you want the shortcuts linking to exe to higher scores than the rest.
i *used* to do scoring bonuses based on pattern matching with LINKED files rather than the shortcut.. but im not sure any more, let me check and see if i can re-enable this option.

-mouser (January 10, 2010, 03:42 PM)

Yes, exactly.  There's a laziness factor here also.  I don't want to a) clean up my start menu, and b)make shortcuts for my portable programs.  In the past, I would spend a couple of hours and delete all the help file links, uninstall links, reorganize the menus, etc.  But now, i click on my start menu, and see the 4 columns of programs there, and kind of lose my motivation...

[mouser]

b)make shortcuts for my portable programs

well that's where it's handled more easily -- as has been said earlier, you dont need to make shortcuts for your portable items -- i have a folder of non-installer-applications on my computer, and i just add that directory to farr search and give it a nice bonus score, and farr searches that folder happily.

[superboyac]

b)make shortcuts for my portable programs

well that's where it's handled more easily -- as has been said earlier, you dont need to make shortcuts for your portable items -- i have a folder of non-installer-applications on my computer, and i just add that directory to farr search and give it a nice bonus score, and farr searches that folder happily.

-mouser (January 10, 2010, 04:10 PM)

What score do you give? maybe I'll just copy it.

[mouser]

We are talking about your question here:

Also, let's say I have a directory with portable program files (they weren't installed using an installer).  I want FARR to search those also, but I only want it to pick the exe files.

So you go and add that directory to your search folders, say only to search for .exe files, and give a score to that directory that is higher than any other scores you normally get.. 500 should be fine i'd think but just experiment till it's right.

the other question about favoring certain shortcuts above others is the more real question, and i'll look into the code to give a better answer about that.

[J-Mac]

Is there anyway to set different directories for launching apps than for searching? For example I have a directory where I download all application installation files along with any other related files for those programs - it's a very large directory! (~20 GB). All the .exe files there are for program installation, not for program launching. Occasionally FARR finds an .exe file there before it finds the .lnk file in the Start Menu or the .exe file in Program Files and I end up launching that. Causes the program to start installing itself again.

I can't find a way to exclude directories, though I guess I could just not include that directory in the listing of search folders. However I DO want those folders available for general searching; just not for launching programs.

Not sure if this is clear at all. Guess I'll find out!

Thanks!

Jim

[mouser]

I can't find a way to exclude directories

you can do this easily.  go to the search folders tab and edit a directory entry and specify subfolder patterns to not search.