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Author Topic: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse  (Read 20400 times)

Nod5

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The Everything Search Engine updated to version 1.3.4.686, after a steady stream of updates this summer.

As many here already know Everything very quickly searches through lots of file and folder names on NTFS hard drive. Great to instantly find that particular file you're looking for but forgot where you put. Together FARR and Everything make up a devastatingly dynamic file detection duo.  ;D

Let this be an open thread for tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse of Everything. I'll start.

1. In this post I showed how to quickly pass searches from FARR to Everything

2. I made an autohotkey script to quickly display and browse through all and only the images selected in Everything results, even when those images are from different folders.
Code: Autohotkey [Select]
  1.  
  2. GroupAdd,xwin,ahk_exe MaxView.exe
  3. GroupAdd,xwin,ahk_exe i_view32.exe
  4. GroupAdd,xwin,ahk_exe JPEGView.exe
  5.  
  6. #IfWinActive, ahk_class EVERYTHING
  7. F4::
  8. clipsaved := ClipboardAll  
  9. send ^c
  10. clipboard := clipsaved
  11. clipsaved =
  12.  
  13. arr := {}
  14. Loop, Parse, x, `n, `r
  15. {
  16. if xext in jpg,jpeg,tif,png,gif
  17.  arr.Insert(A_LoopField)
  18. }
  19. x = 0
  20. gosub showfirst
  21. return
  22.  
  23. #IfWinActive ahk_group xwin
  24. #Right::
  25. #Left::
  26. showfirst:
  27. if (arr.MaxIndex()<1)or(x==arr.MaxIndex() and A_ThisHotkey=="#Right")or(x==1 and A_ThisHotkey=="#Left")
  28.  return
  29. x += A_ThisHotkey == "#Left" ? -1 : 1
  30. do := arr[x]
  31. Run %do%
  32. return
If you have autohotkey installed you can run the attached .ahk file. Else run Everything_view_images.exe in the attached zip file (md5 hash c9bde6b19168c7c0593035b435b5c862 ). Next search with Everything and select some image files. Press F4. The first image will open in your default viewer. Next press win+right and win+left to display the next/previous of the selected images. The code should work if your default image viewer is MaxView or JPEGView or IrfanView and the viewer is set to "single instance" mode.
Want to change the hotkey? Edit line 10.
Want to try it with some other default viewer? Edit the filename on line 5 to that of your viewer's exe file.
Want to display the images in a non default viewer? Then also edit line 39 to something like
Run "C:\Program Files\IrFanView\i_view32.exe" "%do%"
but with the application path for the preferred viewer.

3. The same approach as above could be used to do other quick operations on Everything results. For example a script that does GREP searches on the content of all selected files using a tool like Silver Searcher and list all detected content snippets.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2014, 01:54 PM by Nod5 »

IainB

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@Nod5: Thanks for the above where you say:
...quickly display and browse through all and only the images selected in Everything results, even when those images are from different folders.
It just so happens that, as a relatively new user of Everything, I was pondering over how to do just as you describe, so you have saved me a lot of trouble, including the learning you went through in your post Launch Everything from FARR as non-admin with UAC on but no prompt

Now I shall have to make the time to do it...

Nod5

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Glad you like it. I should have added that this way of browsing/displaying images from many different folders is especially useful for those who do tagging in file names. Search Everything for ".jpg panda", all panda photos ever saved and tagged with panda in the name are listed, select all and run the hotkey to start browsing/displaying them all.

IainB

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^^ Yes, that's what I try to do (have an identifiable "tag" string in the filename of images), but it is not feasible to independently tag each and every image in one's large collection of images, which is why I like the tagging feature for images in Picasa, which uses the IPTC fields - except not always in a "standard" way, it seems...(hence my separate lament on the subject).

Nod5

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I actually try to tag all my saved photos. I use a custom ahk tool to tag many files quickly. I might release it as my N.A.N.Y. submission this year.

I don't use Picasa, IPTC is metadata (not in the file name) right? Do you have some way to first IPTC tag in Picasa and then convert those tags to filename tags?

yksyks

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@Nod5:

Flexible Renamer is capable to use IPTC tags and place them in filenames.

IainB

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...I don't use Picasa, IPTC is metadata (not in the file name) right? Do you have some way to first IPTC tag in Picasa and then convert those tags to filename tags?
Yes, IPTC is metadata.
Tags made in photos using Picasa come out as keyword in the IPTC metadata, and as Tags in Windows Explorer.
I personally would not want to convert metadata tags to tag strings in filenames - it seems tedious and inefficient. The metadata seems useful as it is, but what bugs me is the lack of adherence/conformity to/with tagging standards.

Skrell

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2014, 09:40 AM »
If i didn't want to run FAR in addition to Everything , does anyone have some tips for using Everything to browse through folders easily?  I find it cumbersome right now to do that and the EVerything help manual is quite extensive so i'm looking for a couple quick tips.  :)

nms1944

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #8 on: October 28, 2014, 11:59 AM »
I for one am unable to get this script working.  It displays the first result image and then other non result images in the same folder.

It does not display the images found in other directories.

whippy

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #9 on: November 03, 2014, 07:02 AM »
A pity it wont work in Linux

peter.s

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #10 on: November 03, 2014, 02:25 PM »
"A pity it won't work in Linux." - well, it doesn't even work in Windows as you would expect; this puts into perspective any try to automate it with AHK, of course. (Don't be too sure the problems discussed over there are limited to defunct Win versions.)

http://www.voidtools...7&p=11212#p11212
When the wise points to the moon, the moron just looks at his pointer. China.

Nod5

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #11 on: November 03, 2014, 06:19 PM »
I for one am unable to get this script working.  It displays the first result image and then other non result images in the same folder.
It does not display the images found in other directories.
What image viewer are you trying the script with? Just to make sure, you are using windows+right/windows+left to move to display the next/previous of the selected images after the initial F4 press?

nms1944

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #12 on: November 08, 2014, 09:27 AM »
Yes I tried windows+right/windows+left - still does not work for me.

Nod5

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #13 on: November 10, 2014, 02:12 PM »
[removed, duplicate]

Nod5

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #14 on: November 10, 2014, 02:12 PM »
Yes I tried windows+right/windows+left - still does not work for me.
What image viewer are you using?

nms1944

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #15 on: November 10, 2014, 02:30 PM »
IrfanView

Nod5

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #16 on: November 10, 2014, 04:28 PM »
IrfanView
I tried it again with IrFanView (portable version) just now and it works all right on my end.

Could you have some other script with the hotkey windows+left/windows+right that overrides this one? You can troubleshoot that by temporarily replacing the two instances of the string "#Right" in the .ahk source with some more unusual hotkey like "^#+i" (control+shift+win+i) and save and test if that makes a difference.

Did you try the .exe version or the .ahk version? If .ahk version, do you have the latest version of Autohotkey installed?

Edit: if someone else is reading this and has tried it with IrFanView on their system and found it working (or not), chip in.

nms1944

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #17 on: November 10, 2014, 05:07 PM »
If the answer is YES to my next questions I am embarrassed.

Does this script only work with FARR & EVERYTHING?

Nod5

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #18 on: November 11, 2014, 02:14 AM »
It has nothing to do with FARR. But obviously you need Everything. And one of the image viewers mentioned.

nms1944

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #19 on: November 11, 2014, 08:11 AM »
To the best of my knowledge I have not hotkeys that use windows+left/windows+right combination.  Yes I have the latest version installed.

I ran the exe and nothing happened at all and when I ran EVERYTHING after the exe the keys did not work.

I was wondering if it could be because I installed EVERYTHING on my D: drive???

Nod5

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #20 on: November 11, 2014, 09:11 AM »
Where you have installed Everything does not matter.

The script only opens images with these extensions jpg,jpeg,tif,png,gif (to change that edit line 23) - maybe you selected some images with other extensions?

Save and try this troubleshooting version of the script. The only difference is that it displays a popup message test1 when you press F4 and when IrFanView has loaded the first image and you press windows+left/right it should display three popups (test 2, 3, 4).
Do you get all those four popups?
Does the test1 popup include all the paths to the images selected in Everything?
Does the test3 popup show a number?
Does the test4 popup show a file path to one of the images selected in Everything?
#NoEnv
SendMode Input
#SingleInstance force
 
GroupAdd,xwin,ahk_exe MaxView.exe
GroupAdd,xwin,ahk_exe i_view32.exe
GroupAdd,xwin,ahk_exe JPEGView.exe
 
#IfWinActive, ahk_class EVERYTHING
F4::
clipsaved := ClipboardAll  
clipboard =
send ^c
clipwait
x := clipboard
clipboard := clipsaved
clipsaved =
 
arr := {}
Loop, Parse, x, `n, `r
{
SplitPath, A_LoopField,,,xext
if xext in jpg,jpeg,tif,png,gif
arr.Insert(A_LoopField)
temp = %temp%`n%A_LoopField%
}
x = 0
msgbox test1:`n%temp%
gosub showfirst
return
#IfWinActive
 
#IfWinActive ahk_group xwin
#Right::
#Left::
showfirst:
msgbox test2
if (arr.MaxIndex()<1)or(x==arr.MaxIndex() and A_ThisHotkey=="#Right")or(x==1 and A_ThisHotkey=="#Left")
return
x += A_ThisHotkey == "#Left" ? -1 : 1
msgbox test3: number=%x%
do := arr[x]
msgbox test4: %do%
Run %do%
return
#IfWinActive

nms1944

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #21 on: November 11, 2014, 10:35 AM »
I found the problem.  I misinterpreted what you meant by Selected.  I thought all results were Selected results.  Once I selected individual images the script worked. 

Thank you for your help.

Nod5

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #22 on: November 11, 2014, 10:56 AM »
Ah, didn't think to ask about that. Anyway, glad that it is working now.  :)

Nod5

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Re: Everything Search Engine: tips, tricks, ideas and code for poweruse
« Reply #23 on: October 29, 2015, 02:58 PM »
Everything version 1.4 was released a while back. One new feature is view modes, including image thumbnails! A custom hotkey can be set to toggle between the regular detailed file name list and a thumbnail mode.

My script in the first post still works with the new version. So it is now possible to first text search for some images based on filename, then browse and click select a number of them and finally use the my script to view and navigate between only those selected images in an image viewer. Pretty neat!