request: dosearch_noregex (dosearch but ignore regex in other aliases)

[Nod5]

Background
Imagine a user has these two aliases and one search directory item in FARR.

Alias1 (example of regex to get a single static result)
text: a
regex: ^a$
result: C:\folder\app.exe

Alias2 (example of regular expression aliases as search templates)
text: cdir
regex: ^(?:c|cd|cdi|cdir) (.+)$
result: dosearch +cdir $$1

Search Directory item
directory path: C:\cdir
optional modifier keywords: cdir

Problem case
The user types "c a" and want as result the list of files/folder in C:\cdir that contain "a".
But instead the result is "C:\folder\app.exe" . Because Alias1 is triggered by the new "a" search and since it is a regex alias it gets priority.

Collisions like that increase the more aliases of these two sorts one has. A pity since both sorts of aliases are useful.

Request for solution
Add a new virtual launch string named dosearch_noregex to FARR.
dosearch_noregex would start a new search but ignore all alias regex matches.

[mouser]

Agreed, it would be useful to be able to bypass alias matches...

What about adding support for "-noalias" keyword in search -- if found it would bypass trying to match any aliases (regex or otherwise).  Would that also solve your case? (you would do a dosearch -noalias)?

[mouser]

Oops I just realized this already exists.. You can use -alias to not match aliases, or +alias to only match aliases.

[IainB]

Oops I just realized this already exists..
...

-mouser (February 11, 2018, 02:10 AM)

Your alter-ego seems to have been smarter than you are...
       

You tend to build some incredibly useful (if not brilliant) functionality into your software, and then seem to forget about it.
But is it documented?   

[mouser]

You tend to build some incredibly useful (if not brilliant) functionality into your software, and then seem to forget about it.
But is it documented?

I do tend to forget features I add, it's true.
Thankfully yes, it is documented.  That's the key isn't it -- to document these things as they are added.

From the help page on "Special Search Modifier Keywords":

+sall
show all matching results, bypassing the normal limit on result count

+alias
match search only against aliases

-alias
do not show any matching aliases (only files)

-history
do not give bonus scores to items in history

-.
do not show any files, only folders (and aliases)

-\
do not show any matching folders, only files (and aliases)

+\
show matching folders

+launchone
as soon as there is one (alias) result in the result list, launch it.

[IainB]

Ahh. Thanks. Very thorough, as usual.

I have a similar problem (forgetting details of stuff I have done), so years ago I developed the habit of documenting everything. I used to use a system I developed and which worked well in a hardcopy notebook form, but now I tend to increasingly use things like OneNote, Stick-A-Note, and Readme.txt files to make notes.

I have not yet quite been able to replicate my notebook system on a PC, though I came close years ago - surpassed it, in fact - with Lotus Agenda (a PIM).

[Nod5]

Oops I just realized this already exists.. You can use -alias to not match aliases, or +alias to only match aliases.

-mouser (February 11, 2018, 02:10 AM)

Great! I must've only looked at the "Special/Virtual Launch Strings/Commands" page in help so missed that feature. Thank you for making it long before I requested it.