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[hit_ny]

Why is..

Locate->Artist or Album or etc

waaaaay faster than

Ctrl+F......taps fingers.....enter query...result !

MC can't read my mind (yet) 

How about F3, little box pops up, i enter my query+Enter, *RESULT*

Ahh..see F3 only searches the current view.

Maybe a checkbox below the F3 text box
library (check) or Playing Now (not atm)

[glynor]

I'm not sure what you're asking.  Control-F is pretty instantaneous for me.  The same speed as Locate-->Artist...

[hit_ny]

Since which version is ctrl+F as fast as Locate->Artist ?

I have not tried the latest but..last i checked with 106, it was the same...as always.

[glynor]

I'm not positive what you mean about speed.  Speed of what?

On my systems (multiple ones with huge libraries), and the current build of MC12 (of course), hitting Control-F, typing a word, and hitting enter feels just as fast as right-clicking on a file --> Locate --> Artist. 

The only delay that occurs is that if you're in a separate view scheme, hitting Control-F jumps you back to the "root" Audio, Images, or Video scheme, before it puts the cursor in the search bar.  If you have complex searches and panes in the root view schemes, then possibly those take some time to load.  As I said over here, I keep my root view schemes empty for performance reasons.  On my systems, this is at most a second (and is usually instantaneous).

Once you're in the Search bar with your cursor, the searches are identical in speed.  They must be, because the Locate --> Artist just does a search!

EDIT:  Actually.... I just had MC12 crash once while trying this, but normally it's fairly instant.  I must admit though, Control-F did just (only once out of about 20 tries) completely lock MC.  It may have come back to life if I waited long enough, but I didn't.

[hit_ny]

If you have complex searches and panes in the root view schemes, then possibly those take some time to load.  As I said over here, I keep my root view schemes empty for performance reasons.  On my systems, this is at most a second (and is usually instantaneous).

I read that, i trimmed my main scheme to just an [Album] pane as i need that at a minimum. No panes is slightly faster but not much use, when i want to be able to click on an album and just see its tracks.

Once you're in the Search bar with your cursor, the searches are identical in speed.  They must be, because the Locate --> Artist just does a search!

Oh sure, no difference here.

The only delay that occurs is that if you're in a separate view scheme, hitting Control-F jumps you back to the "root" Audio, Images, or Video scheme, before it puts the cursor in the search bar. 

That's what i mean. And this is ctrl+f from playing now with a library used only for Audio. No expressions used in the bottom columns either. It takes longer to be able just to start the search.

It has to change to the root scheme...and only then can you enter a search. The reason i asked for F3 or Ctrl+Q to take the search is so that it can mimick Locate in terms of speed.

Is it necessary to see everything in the library before commencing a search. I mean i know what i'm looking for just take me to the result  (if any).

So in summary, its not the speed that MC takes to do the search but the delay (via Ctrl+F)  that occurs before you can start the search.

[glynor]

I see.

That change was made a while back because some people were confused by the search functionality being further limited by currently selected view schemes or panes.  Personally, I hate it.  I'd much, much rather be able to drill down into my media using View Schemes and Panes (or Tree items) and then search within those parameters to narrow down further.

So, it's slow and it's less useful.   

[hit_ny]

What you suggested would still be available. The search bar at the top right will remain as is. Even Ctrl+F would remain as is. Nothing is getting changed or removed.

When in PN, F3, type in search, don't have to worry about making a typo, when satisifed, only then hit Enter and you are taken to the result.

I was asking to extend the F3 box to be of more use than just searching in Playing Now, for the cases when you know what you are looking for. Some thing to date i have never really used as i usually listen to only an album or so at a time. If i ever need to do a search its usually referencing the library or within a specific view scheme.

It would also fit with Deivit's suggestion here

The right-click "locate" functionality searches automatically in the Audio root view scheme. However, performing the function on a video file does not search in the Video root view scheme, as one would expect, but does it in the Audio one too, and therefore the results are inconsistent. I'm not using MC for images but I suspect that the performance for images is similar.

Could this be changed? I mean, could the "locate" functionality be "media" inteligent and perform the search according to the media type instead of always using the "Audio" root?

Namely if you're playing audio, images or video, the search is done only for that media.

[marko]

i'm just a little confused.

For me, ctrl+Q opens and searches the currently displayed list, selecting the results in the file list for me. F3 repeats the search, in that view, and again any subsequent views I browse to.

[hit_ny]

Right, thats what F3 does. Figured that would be the easiest place to implement it, but maybe this might be confusing if you want F3 to *only* search in the current view. I was asking for a way to add to it, so that it could *also* (if desired) search the library from the current view.

A few ways this could be done
- A way to save a search query that could be pulled from favorites and leaves cursor focus in the search box.
- An extra item in Locate that allows for user-input.
- Have an option (sticky) in F3  that allows a search to return results like Locate does. This one i think is the fastest as its a keyboard-shortcut+enter query and then result. Or a mouse click option to have F3 search current view only

So long as its possible to specify a library search without having to wait for the whole library to load into a viewscheme before being allowed to carry out a search.

It's quite often that..

..I perform a "locate" thing I'm in Playing Now: I'm playing a song or a video clip and want to quickly know something else about that album, performer, song... realize that there's a typo in the album name and want to correct it for the whole album, etc.

The problem is how to quickly search the library when there is nothing in playing now

ctrl+F takes 30+ seconds (much longer if MC is currently playing something) to display the root library. I have had to train myself not to use ctrl+F cos i usually end up killing MC if i do, instead workaround by locate->Artist, then mouse over to the search box and modify the search string to what i want.

A locate takes a second, so its defnitely possible to reduce this lag if you specify explicitly (in advance) what to search for. Any search takes seconds *once* you get to the search box. But the route there is slower sometimes.

[glynor]

i'm just a little confused.

For me, ctrl+Q opens and searches the currently displayed list, selecting the results in the file list for me. F3 repeats the search, in that view, and again any subsequent views I browse to.

After playing with it a bit more, hit_ny has completely convinced me....

I just think Control-F should work the same way as manually clicking into the Search Field with the mouse, and it doesn't.  Manually clicking into the search field does not reset the current view (which is good as far as I'm concerned), hitting Control-F does, and sometimes takes forever.

As far as using Control-Q... Selecting is different than filtering.  Granted I could probably often achieve the same effect with it, but I have to manually click the Find All button (or tab, right arrow, enter) and then right click on the files rather than just double click to play them all.  Only a bit different functionally, but all those extra "mouse grabs" add up and it's easier just to grab the mouse and use the regular search bar.

Perhaps a better answer is to have a separate hotkey that will "Jump to Root", say Control-Home or something similar, which would do the same "first step" that Control-F does now (put you to the root "Audio" view scheme if you're somewhere under audio, to the root "Video" scheme if you're drilled down into the video schemes, and so on).  And then just have Control-F do the same thing that manually clicking into the search bar does.  Then, if you want to search all audio without touching the mouse from within "drilled down" panes or child view schemes, you just hit Control-Home and then Control-F.  To search within the view, just hit Control-F.

[hit_ny]

I just think Control-F should work the same way as manually clicking into the Search Field with the mouse, and it doesn't.  Manually clicking into the search field does not reset the current view (which is good as far as I'm concerned), hitting Control-F does, and sometimes takes forever.

Not understanding what you are saying/asking there  ?

As far as using Control-Q... Selecting is different than filtering.

Do you mean (maybe) highlighting instead of selecting ?

F3 displays its result by highlighting what it found. Selecting could also be a mouse click on a pane item where the result is a filter. If you are used to F3, you are expecting to have an item highlighted in a long list.

Granted I could probably often achieve the same effect with it, but I have to manually click the Find All button (or tab, right arrow, enter) and then right click on the files rather than just double click to play them all.  Only a bit different functionally, but all those extra "mouse grabs" add up and it's easier just to grab the mouse and use the regular search bar.

This has been a part of MC for so long that i'm not so confident a replacement will be accepted.

Perhaps a better answer is to have a separate hotkey that will "Jump to Root", say Control-Home or something similar, which would do the same "first step" that Control-F does now (put you to the root "Audio" view scheme if you're somewhere under audio, to the root "Video" scheme if you're drilled down into the video schemes, and so on).  And then just have Control-F do the same thing that manually clicking into the search bar does.  Then, if you want to search all audio without touching the mouse from within "drilled down" panes or child view schemes, you just hit Control-Home and then Control-F.  To search within the view, just hit Control-F.

Home to mean the root, is a fine metaphor but what happens if you are in a view with a long list and happen to have an item selected, it will take you to the top of the list

But the suggestion to use a *different* key combo is unlikely to upset too many people.

If it takes you to the root scheme (essentially an empty root so faster to load up) i guess it would be fine. But this will move you from the current view to the search view and then you key your search,

whereas with the (enhanced) F3 box you are in the current view and the search is entered whilst in the same view and only result is displayed in the search view.

[glynor]

Not understanding what you are saying/asking there  ?

If you're in an Audio child view scheme (or you've filtered your view using the panes or the tree), and you hit Control-F it jumps to the "root" Audio view scheme, meaning it is not possible to search "within" your filtered view using the earch bar and hitting Control-F.

However...

If you actually pick up your mouse and click into the Search Bar, then it does not reset the view, and it lets you type your search instantly.

A != B

Originally these two methods of searching matched exactly.  It didn't matter if you hit Control-F or if you manually clicked into the Search Bar.  Both searched within the currently selected view.  This was changed because some people complained that it was impossible to search ALL of your music once you had drilled down in the panes without picking up your mouse.

I've always thought this was annoying, but since I typically DO use the mouse to enter the Search Bar it never bothered me that much.  I never realized that there was quite so terrible of a delay when hitting Control-F though due to this, which just makes it doubly bad in my opinion.

My point about Control-Q was effectively: It Isn't As Good As The Search Bar (for a number of reasons).  I only made that point because at the time when Control-F was changed, the response from Matt to complaints was "use Control-Q".  I don't like Control-Q or F3 at all and rarely use it, because it doesn't filter the current view, it selects items within the current view, which is generally somewhat useless to me.

[glynor]

My suggestion is:

1. Put Control-F back to the way it was, so that it matches functionally manually clicking into the Search Bar.
2. Add a NEW hotkey (I suggested Control-Home which is currently unused -- I think you missed that I said CONTROL-Home before hit_ny -- but I don't care what it is).  This new hotkey, when pressed, will take you back to the "root" of your current view.  Meaning, if you're in:

Audio --> Genre/Artist/Album in the tree, and you've filtered the view using Panes down to showing only artists in the Psychedelic Rock genre, and you hit the hotkey, it will take you back to just Audio and unfilter the list.

That way, those people who complained about Control-F before could simply type Control-Home and then Control-F to get what they want.

Speed would be similar to what it is now, but at least it wouldn't be Control-F that would be affected, it would be jumping to the "root" view scheme.

[hit_ny]

Originally these two methods of searching matched exactly.  It didn't matter if you hit Control-F or if you manually clicked into the Search Bar.  Both searched within the currently selected view.  This was changed because some people complained that it was impossible to search ALL of your music once you had drilled down in the panes without picking up your mouse.

Don't recall this bit of MC history, must have been before my time.

I've always thought this was annoying, but since I typically DO use the mouse to enter the Search Bar it never bothered me that much. 

I always wished there was a shorcut to put me in the search bar, from the current view scheme. Mousing to is the only way.

My point about Control-Q was effectively: It Isn't As Good As The Search Bar (for a number of reasons).  I only made that point because at the time when Control-F was changed, the response from Matt to complaints was "use Control-Q".  I don't like Control-Q or F3 at all and rarely use it, because it doesn't filter the current view, it selects items within the current view, which is generally somewhat useless to me.

Exactly what i think, i hardly ever use F3, but then maybe we don't have a mile long playlist  in PN either. For those that do, i think this would be a noticeable loss.

My suggestion is:

1. Put Control-F back to the way it was, so that it matches functionally manually clicking into the Search Bar.

Yay!, now getting to the search bar is key combo away, no need to mouse over.So if you use a Locate and then want to make another query, its quicker.

2. Add a NEW hotkey (I suggested Control-Home which is currently unused -- I think you missed that I said CONTROL-Home before hit_ny -- but I don't care what it is).

I got the ctrl+home, and it's already an existing combo as i explained above. Not bothered either which key they use.

This new hotkey, when pressed, will take you back to the "root" of your current view.  Meaning, if you're in:

Audio --> Genre/Artist/Album in the tree, and you've filtered the view using Panes down to showing only artists in the Psychedelic Rock genre, and you hit the hotkey, it will take you back to just Audio and unfilter the list.

Speed would be similar to what it is now, but at least it wouldn't be Control-F that would be affected, it would be jumping to the "root" view scheme.

Wouldn't that be as slow as ctrl+f is currently. If the unfiltering resulted in an empty list, i guess then it would be fast.

The trick here is not to display the library items initially (presumably this is time consuming part) but be able to search it if required.

[skeeterfood]

I've never tried Control-Q before, but boy it's SOOO SLOW it's basically useless!  On a view showing 8700+ files it takes > 10 seconds to find the 10th item down in the list!!!

BTW, I totally agree that the current Control-F function is a huge step backward from what it used to be.

-John

[glynor]

Exactly what i think, i hardly ever use F3, but then maybe we don't have a mile long playlist  in PN either. For those that do, i think this would be a noticeable loss.

Yep.  I wasn't talking about eliminating or changing Control-Q in any way though.  Just that it doesn't happen to work for me the way I use MC.  I'm sure some people like it.   

I got the ctrl+home, and it's already an existing combo as i explained above.

Oops.  Didn't realize it was a hotkey.  Okay then, control something else that doesn't have a hotkey (or control-alt something or whatever).

Wouldn't that be as slow as ctrl+f is currently. If the unfiltering resulted in an empty list, i guess then it would be fast.

Yeah, it would be slow but who cares.  It's already slow, as is.  But at least Control-F doesn't have to be slow if that "jump home" function was separate from the search function.  As is, it's making Control-F slow (and less usefull) for the others of us (you and I and skeeterfood I suppose) who would prefer to be able to search from inside filtered view schemes.  If you separated the searching from the keyboard enabled "jump to the root view scheme of the media type you're in" function, then at least the searching would be fast again!

(I think we just both agree completely.) 

[hit_ny]

Yeah, it would be slow but who cares. 

LOL, that's the whole point of this thread. I think that it can defnitely be improved.

But since there's like zero interest in this i guess we can forget about it.

[glynor]

Wouldn't that be as slow as ctrl+f is currently. If the unfiltering resulted in an empty list, i guess then it would be fast.

I don't think I was clear...

Only the Control-Home-Replacement-Hotkey would be slow.  Not Control-F if I'm correct about the reason for the delay before Control-F is usable.  It would then be just as fast as clicking in the box.

I thought you agreed with me that Control-F would be more useful if it didn't switch view schemes on you?  If not, and you like how it does switch, then I suppose there's no way to do it quick (because it's the loading of the view scheme that causes the delay, I'm guessing).

But, alas, it is just you and I discussing this (and skeeterfood for a minute there) so you're probably right...

[hit_ny]

Only the Control-Home-Replacement-Hotkey would be slow.  Not Control-F if I'm correct about the reason for the delay before Control-F is usable.  It would then be just as fast as clicking in the box.

Yes, and if its slow, guessing from the way you described it then it will be no different than ctrl+f is right now. I'm trying to suggest a way that avoids the delay in the case when you know what to search for. If it has to load up the library then there will be no difference at all.

I thought you agreed with me that Control-F would be more useful if it didn't switch view schemes on you?  If not, and you like how it does switch, then I suppose there's no way to do it quick (because it's the loading of the view scheme that causes the delay, I'm guessing).

I do, it would be nice to get ctrl+F back to the way (as you described) but i'm not holding my breath on that one.

It's a subtle difference between searching for something you know and one that you don't.

Ctrl+f is for the latter and its dog slow. But i don't think there is a way around this, if you can't specify what you are looking for then the only alternative is to display everything so i try to avoid it if possible.

Locate is for the former but it won't let you input anything, only works if you feed it an item. This is the one i want more freedom with. To be able to enter a search query when there is no item to click on. Implemented in a way that's keyboard friendly.

I'm surprised that no one else has noticed this but i guess thats the way it is.