Categories panel - Extended "search"

[Carlo Didier]

Ok, this is a bit difficult to explain because of certain ambiguities in the user interface.
First, by "Categories Panel", I mean the one which shows the whole category tree, not the other (identically named ... grrr) where the assigned or to be assigned categories are displayed.
Second, by "search", I mean the very nice feature that when I click anywhere in the above panel, I can simply start typing the name of a category I am looking for and it will put me on the first match.

This is really very useful for working with the category builder where you want to quickly get to the categories you then want to drag-n-drop to the builder. But also if you simply want to get to a certain category quickly without clicking your way through the whole tree, especially if you don't remember the exact place in the tree ...

Unfortunately, this functionality has some serious limitations:
- it is limited to 2 characters, i.e. if I'm looking for the name "Chantal", it gets me to "Chili" (which is a dog, by the way) but typing "Cha" will also only get me to "Chili", ignoring the "a"
- if there are several matches, I can only find the first one. There is no way to say "next" (like the F3 key in most search functions in applications). This would slightly reduce the first problem.

So my request is to
- allow more characters to make the search more precise (and useful!). As many as possible, but at least 5 or 6.
- give a possibility to say "find next"

[Mario]

IMatch has a Category View  where you do the heavy category work. And you have a Category Panel which can you can open/close and freely dock and move around.

The Category View is is where the Builder is. Here you already have advanced filter and search functions (in the Category Filter tab next to the @Builder tab). Is this not sufficient? You can find categories, you can filter your category tree to display only categories matching a given search term, you can quickly hide empty categories and even search in category comments.

[Carlo Didier]

The Category View is is where the Builder is. Here you already have advanced filter and search functions (in the Category Filter tab next to the @Builder tab). Is this not sufficient?

No. Not sufficient because too complicated. If I was to add 3 or more categories to the builder that way I would have to switch constantly between the category filter and the builder or open both at the same time which would need lots of screen estate, i.e. an extra workspace just for this. As the "search" functionality I mentioned (by starting to type a name of a category) is already there, but not really useful with the limitations, it would be logical to just get rid of those limitations (or remove that functionality in its current useless form).

[Mario]

Windows tree control elements implement a feature where you can move the focus by typing the first letter of the name. This is mot implemented by me or IMatch and the limits you mention are in Windows - this is just how Microsoft has implemented this.

[monochrome]

I would like to add here that using the category filter and builder together is really nice. It is the closest to a "quick search" that I have in IMatch.

There is one thing that annoys me, though: When you have created an expression in the builder, and press the button to apply the formula to the @Builder category and make it active, you get nothing if the category filter has filtered out the @Builder category.

Either that button should also remove any category filter, or the @Builder category should be displayed even if it is filtered out of the tree view.

[Mario]

If the active filter filters out the @Builder category, you will see nothing. This is the purpose of the filter?! If you don't want to filter out specific categories, just exclude them in your filter.

I don't want to start to changing filters from behind the curtain just because you happen to use the @Builder feature in the Category View. Doing such things would probably confuse a lot of users, causing support tickets, bug reports and...

I'm also not sure what you mean with

It is the closest to a "quick search" that I have in IMatch.

There are so many different search features in IMatch, from the Filter Panel to the Search Bar in the file window. Which type of searches do you need that you have to combine the category filter and the @Builder. If you share your search problem, maybe we can provide some ideas of a more efficient workflow.

[monochrome]

If the active filter filters out the @Builder category, you will see nothing. This is the purpose of the filter?!

It is, agreed. But the leftmost button in the category builder toolbar promises to "Apply the formula to the @Builder category and make it the active category". When the @Builder category is filtered out, this doesn't happen. I expect the button to do what it claims to do: make the @Builder category the active category. If that means disabling the filter, or showing the @Builder category despite it being filtered out, that's what it should do.

Which type of searches do you need that you have to combine the category filter and the @Builder.

No! What I meant was that I use the filter to find the categories that I want to drag to the builder. For example, if I want to search for photos in the categories "Animals AND Cute", I'd type "Animals" into the filter, then drag the "Animals" category to the builder window, then type "Cute" into the filter and drag that to the builder window. Finally I press the "Apply the formula to the @Builder category and make it the active category" to show the results.

(Ideally I'd like to press a hotkey and get a popup window where I can type queries with autocomplete, but that is neither here nor there.)

[Mario]

"Apply the formula to the @Builder category and make it the active category".

It does that. The fact that you have activated a filter does not affect this. The @Builder category is set to the formula you have created. If you happen to have a filter activated which filters out all files produced by that formula (or some), then this behavior is exactly as designed. Maybe a user filters out all PSD files. Then he creates a formula in the @Builder to see all non-PSD files in a specific combination of categories. What would that user think if IMatch would disable the filter? No, I think we'd better don't make any exceptions or introduce a special behavior for filters and the @Builder category.

(Ideally I'd like to press a hotkey and get a popup window where I can typ

We had that in IMatch 3, but the current filter and search feature in the category view is more flexible for more situations. The filter can be used in the same way as the dialog in IMatch 3, but with the big advantage that the categories are not in a separate dialog but, but in the tree. You can immediately use the result of the search, e.g. to drag categories to the @Builder, view the files, select the categories etc.

[monochrome]

Apply the formula to the @Builder category and make it the active category

It does that.

No. It doesn't.

You are talking about the file window filter. I'm talking about the category filter. The filter that filters category names in the category tree view, in the category panel.

Use it to filter out the @Builder category. Then drag a category to the builder. Then press the button that should "Apply the formula to the @Builder category and make it the active category". The result is that no category is active.

The @Builder category is not activated.

If someone has a file filter that filters out PSD files I expect the @Builder category to be shown with PSD files filtered out. That is correct. Don't touch that filter. But do reset the category filter so that the @Builder category can be activated.



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[JohnZeman]

There does seem to be a problem here. 

If I use the category filter to filter pretty much anything other than bu then drag one or more of the remaining categories to the builder then press Apply, nothing is shown in the file window.

However if I filter for bu then drag and drop one or more of the remaining categories to the builder, it works.

[Mario]

Is this what you do with your category filter? You filter for "ABC" (which removes @Builder and all non-ABC categories from the tree), then use drag some of the remaining categories on the Builder panel, Apply the result and then what? Show the @Builder category again? Or is it still visible? I can't follow. Please describe step-by-step what you do.

If you remove the @Builder category from the tree with a filter, it is unloaded and de-activated.

[monochrome]

Is this what you do with your category filter? You filter for "ABC" (which removes @Builder and all non-ABC categories from the tree), then use drag some of the remaining categories on the Builder panel, Apply the result and then what?

Then nothing. See the attached image. The @Builder category is not activated because the @Builder category is filtered out. IMatch cannot activate a category that is filtered out.

[Mario]

This is correct. To work with @Builder, it needs to be visible in the tree. If it is not loaded, it cannot be modified.