Add file content search for Explorer plugin

[jjw24]

Add file content search for Explorer plugin using Windows Index's own indexed content.

Customisable Action Keyword. Default is 'doc:'

Closing #118

[kalaschnik]

I have not tried your changes; however, in my experience one cannot set Everything to index file contents which results in a very bad performance (i.e., naive search), compared to the instant-indexed results of Windows explorer search (either through start menu or file explorer search (starting in 2004 update). I demonstrated this by searching a string within a PDF in Windows Start Menu search and Everything (not even sure if Everything can search within PDFs):

Is there no way to use Windows Search for file contents? Would be cool to finally get rid of Everything as a dependency for searching stuff.

UPDATE from the Everything docs:

Does Everything search file contents?
Yes, "Everything" can search file content with the content: search function.
File content is not indexed, searching content is slow.
https://www.voidtools.com/faq/#does_everything_search_file_contents

[jjw24]

Oh, sorry i wasnt clear in the PR summary. This pr actually adds the windows index's content search. Explorer will use it to search for file content.

I was just asking only specifically how we want to trigger a file content search with explorer, at the moment I built the trigger like Everything plugin where you need to type 'content:' then your search to trigger it.

[kalaschnik]

Ahh Sorry! Thanks for clarifying. I thought we re-introduce Everything here!

• Would it be possible to trigger content search without any keyword, or would this decrease the performance too much?
• Windows Search is using documents: {search string}
• Windows Explorer is using {search string} kind:document, when explicitly selected by the user. Implicitly it searches any kind.

Anyway, I also would have a preference for content {search string}, since it is shorter. However, it would be neat (for later release) if the content keyword is customizable.

[jjw24]

Ahh Sorry! Thanks for clarifying. I thought we re-introduce Everything here!

• Would it be possible to trigger content search without any keyword, or would this decrease the performance too much?
• Windows Search is using documents: {search string}
• Windows Explorer is using {search string} kind:document, when explicitly selected by the user. Implicitly it searches any kind.

Anyway, I also would have a preference for content {search string}, since it is shorter. However, it would be neat (for later release) if the content keyword is customizable.

All good.

I wouldnt want to trigger content search without a keyword, this doesn't have any drastic impact on performance as it is just pulling data already in the windows index, but it would make the results very messy. That's why I didn't do too much work on how to trigger the content search until if there is any feedback.

[jjw24]

Updated PR summary to make it clearer

[JohnTheGr8]

we can use a shorter keyword like doc: for convenience

[kalaschnik]

we can use a shorter keyword like doc: for convenience

+1 for doc:, yet in a later release this should be user adjustable.

[kalaschnik]

I would propose in:, this is also what Mac’s Alfred is using, and it is really short :)

When you need to expand your search scope beyond these core file types included in Alfred's results, the File Search keywords are here to help you.

Use the "open" keyword to open a file (or press the spacebar as a shortcut!)
Use the "find" keyword to reveal the file in Finder
Use the "in" keyword to search inside your files' content
https://www.alfredapp.com/help/features/file-search/

[jjw24]

I am making the action keyword customizable.

It's going to be triggered like how you would trigger a plugin.

I think content makes more sense but is too long, doc or in kind seems a bit confusing for an action keyword ?

[jjw24]

Just a note here, this is a one off, and will be deleted in the next release. It is needed as we introduced an additional action keyword.

I have also introduced version in plugin settings in the following commit to lay the ground work for handling future plugin meta updates.

[jjw24]

As part of this change, I am also thinking about changing the Explorer trigger hotkey currently global "*" to "e". This will only trigger Explorer search when the users choose to do so with "e". This will reduce the numerous results from Explorer currently with any searches that the users perform, reduce the unnecessary clutter of results. @Flow-Launcher/team

What do you think?

[kalaschnik]

Would that mean searching files and folders only gets triggered when typing e before?

[jjw24]

Would that mean searching files and folders only gets triggered when typing e before?

Yep

[kalaschnik]

I’m not sure about that actually. Right now—in Flow Launcher—I do not need to enter a keyword to search for files and folders. More recently I was using Alfred (changed work), and it bugged me a lot that its default settings would only search preferences and contacts. However, most of the time I want to find stuff (i.e., files and folders). So for Alfred, I clicked the checkboxes under Extras:

I would propose that Flow Launcher should search for files and folders without a keyword by default. What do the others think @Flow-Launcher/team ?

[JohnTheGr8]

Either way is okay with me, it's simple enough to change to one's liking...

[jjw24]

Fair enough, I will just leave it how it is.

[JohnTheGr8]

Good work! 👍