Searching nested folders

If I enter a search term whilst in a parent folder - I would usually expect the search to include all of the children and grandchildren folders. Eaglefiler only searches the parent and none of the subfolders.

I assume this is because a search of a whole library can be done from the root folder. However because I have all my email now in Eaglefiler searches from the root can produce enormous numbers of hits.

So I would suggest either

a) the option to search subfolders as well as the parent folder - perhaps when the folder is collapsed

OR

b) the option to EXCLUDE some folders from individual searches.

Honestly I’m trying not to deluge you with suggestions - but within a couple of weeks I am spending a lot of my life inside of your program.

At present, EagleFiler will search whichever folders are selected. To search a parent and its subfolders, you can select them and then do the search.

Part of the reason for this is that the search filters the records that are already displayed. It doesn’t take you into a separate mode like in the Finder. The records that are already displayed are the immediate contents of the folder. This allows you to see what’s in the folder itself vs. in one of its subfolders. Working this way, you can select the subfolders if you want to see their contents, whereas if it showed the recursive folder contents there would be no obvious way to hide the contents of the subfolders.

Thanks for the suggestions.

This would be fine if there was a way of ‘unfolding’ a folder and then selecting all the subfolders and their subfolders. With the current setup you need to open each nested folder to make certain of a comprehensive search of that parent folder.

Either way I’m aware this is possibly a minor requirement and not worth changing the whole folder display system for it.

PS I now realise I should experiment more - and alt / right arrow expands a folder with all its children and grandchildren - I can then use the mouse to select everything - a little cumbersome but it seems to work.
Is there a list of similar keyboard manoeuvres anywhere?

Right. I was explaining why it is the way it is, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to make this task easier for you. How would you like a command that automatically expanded the sub-sources and selected them?

There isn’t an EagleFiler-specific reference (yet), but the outline keyboard shortcuts in EagleFiler are standard throughout the OS.

I’ve recently come from windows which perhaps explains my unfamiliarity with the keyboard conventions.

Given that limiting a search to an unexpanded folder AND its children is impractical, the next best thing would be to have a keystroke to ‘expand all’ and ‘select all’ children at the same time. I’m not sure if there would be a general requirement for such a move or it’s just me being picky.

On a slightly related note - when in a tree structure I’m used to being able to move between all visible folders by repeatedly pressing the first letter of that folder - so pressing ‘J’ repeatedly would cycle through ‘James’ ‘Johnson’ ‘Jones’ and then back to ‘James’. Eaglefiler at the moment goes straight to ‘James’ and stays there - so you have to reach for the mouse.

That’s what I’m planning.

I wonder if that’s a Windows thing. The standard Mac way is that you would type “j”, “jo”, or “jon”, i.e. enough unique letters to narrow it down to the one that you want.

You’re right - I see how it works now. For once I think I prefer the windows way of doing things - I have 2 folders called ‘Notes’ and ‘Notes home’ so getting down to the second folder requires rather more typing and thought than just typing N twice.

No matter - I’ll get used to it (and probably need to put a little more thought into what I call folders)

With EagleFiler 1.4, you can do this by creating a smart folder that shows the entire contents of a folder and its subfolders.

In all fairness, in EF 1.4 smart folders can do this (as Michael points out).
While I appreciate the power of smart folders, they don’t entirely substitute here, it seems to me.
If one has quite a few folders within folders, it is a bit cumbersome to select all of them (once they’re open, which is easy with Alt-rt arrow). And making a smart folder for every folder with subfolders becomes a bit tedious and space-consuming if done ahead, and a bit of a nuisance if done in order to perform a specific search.

So I guess I’m asking whether your question (“How would you like a command that automatically expanded the sub-sources and selected them?”) still stands

If so, you can guess my answer.

Thanks for a great program. I’m just getting to know it and I appreciate your attentiveness and talents.

Sure. If people want something like that, or have specific ideas about how it should work, I would be interested know.

Thanks, Michael.

I think I would nearly always want to include nested folders in searches, so a preference item would be fine with me. But I presume this wouldn’t work for many (?).

How about adding the option to the search box dropdown menu? Would this be possible?

Do you mean that you only want the nested display when searching? Or are you simply suggesting that the option go in the search menu?

Sorry.
I have no quibble with the Source list.

The goal, in my view, is to make searching all nested folders easier. So I mean simply to add the option to do/not do this to the search box dropdown menu. You know, so that when you click on the triangle next to the magnifying glass, the list includes something like “Search Nested Folders” or the like.

Clear?

This just seems like an elegant solution to me, but it may be a coding nightmare. Of course I have no idea.

Thanks for considering this.

I see what you mean now. Thanks.

I’ve added this in EagleFiler 1.6.