Filtering In Categories Panel To Be 100% Like Categories View

[Darius1968]

By clicking on the Filter toolbar button (or pressing Shift+Ctrl+F) you can open the filter bar. This bar allows you to filter the category tree by name, to show only categories containing a specific word or phrase. Very convenient when you work with very large category hierarchies.

This feature works identical to the Filter available in the Category View.

Well, right now, it's 98% like the filtering in Categories view; For the Categories Panel - with respect to filtering - to be 100% identical to that of the Categories view, the regular expressions filtering - that it now has - has to also be able to show the sub-folders.  WHICH WOULD BE A HUGE HELP!
Is this possible right now? 

[Mario]

I don't understand the question.
Please see The Filter Panel for all features and options available in the Filter Panel. If it is not documented, it does not exist.

[Darius1968]

I'm not even referring to the Filter Panel; I mean the Category Assignment Panel. 
More specifically, I'm interested in its filtering abilities. 

If you consider this section - what I just linked to above - of the IMatch help, the hierarchical tree of the category assignment panel can be abbreviated to the search term(s), entered into the filter search bar. 
Multiple search terms are possible, thanks to the inclusion of regular expressions as a possibility under Ctrl+Shift+F.  So far, this is just like the filtering that is offered in the category view.  With one omission: 
The category view has the option to "Also show children", when filtering; The category assignment panel doesn't have this explicitly. 

So, is there any way to do this in the category assignment panel - to make it so that its filter feature "works identical to the Filter available in the Category View"?

[Mario]

No.From the category panel help:

Searching for Categories: This toolbar button opens a search bar, allowing you to find categories by name. This is especially useful if you work with larger category hierarchies.

No advanced search modes, Boolean searches, filtering etc. The Category Panel is for assigning categories quickly - it does not attempt to recreate all functionality available in the Category View.
Use Multiple Tabs in the Cat Panel. Use Favorites based on Categories to quickly assign any number of categories to any number of files. Or to quickly jump to important categories in your hierarchy: Category Favorites

[Darius1968]

Well, you admit, "The Category Panel is for assigning categories quickly."
And, that's where my problem is.  (Which I hope, others will see it that way, when the scenario is considered critically)

Yes, I know that the favorites are a very handy tool for quickly assigning categories, be it one-by-one, or in bunches. 
What I've found though, is that I may have - let's say - 12 regular categories/keywords I want to quickly assign to a file(s). 
So, I select the file(s).  I have the category panel open (which lets me assign both categories and -- via @keywords - keywords.  So regular expressions lets me enter the various sections of my tree (separated with |). 
Now, it would be nice if those sections of the entire hierarchy that I've isolated, could also display the children.  Because, this would make it real easy to see just those twelve items I want assigned, and now I just click them! 

[Mario]

I doubt many users will ever have a use for that. Feel free to add a feature request.

12 regular categories is an easy job for favorites. Or setup alias categories under a dedicated branch so you have all your 12 or 30 prio cats directly nearby.
No need to search anymore! No regexp or whatever needed. You can even add your most used cat branches to individual tabs in the cat panel. And of course use Favorites all over.

[JohnZeman]

I doubt many users will ever have a use for that. Feel free to add a feature request.

12 regular categories is an easy job for favorite.

Just to throw my 2 cents worth in, it isn't all that often that I even need to use the category panel.

Most of the time I assign keywords, categories, and much of the metadata using push buttons in the Favorites panel.

[Darius1968]

The favorites panel would be really, really handy, if the push of a button would call up a specific branch in the categories panel, from which a bunch of sub-categories would be instantly available! 
I know it can do just that in the categories view, but if only it were also a possibility in the categories panel too. 

[JohnZeman]

To me that sounds like a pretty reasonable feature request enhancement to automation favorites, I'd vote +1 for that too.

[Mario]

I have mentioned that above, but this is often overlooked: Category Aliases.

If you have 12 or 20 categories you use often and you have to use a filter or search op in the Category panel, you may consider one of these tips:

1. Use additional tabs (up to 10) to quickly access sub-branches of your category hierarchy: Working with Additional Category Tabs

2. Setup some sort of "Quick Links" (that's what I call it) category hierarchy which contains Alias categories for your frequently used 12 or 20 categories. Create one tab for this Quick Links category hierarchy.
This makes your frequently used categories directly available, without any need to search or filter. Since these are alias categories, they combine categories from all over the place in one neat little tab, for example:



I never need to scroll or search to access my 30 frequently used categories!

Besides, I use mostly keywords, not categories. And with synonyms and keyword links in combination with Favorites I can usually complete the keywording with one or two clicks.