ES: URL protocol Suggestions

[sub23]

Hello, I've been using the ES: URL protocol for some time and it's been super useful for certain things.
I have two suggestions:

1. Filter the two forward slashes when you receive an instance of a URL like "es://" There's many places where I can use the URL format of like http:// es:// but not es: on it's own. Like in a text editor for example it'll auto create a URL link if I use es:// otherwise it's a case of manually copy and pasting the search term across which makes the effort you put into implementing the es: URL feature a waste of time.

2. Add a mechanism in Everything to drop a shortcut with the current search in it. Such as a menu option to "create shortcut on desktop" and it'll create one there for you, or drag and drop a pointer somewhere to create one there.

I've researched a few scripting solutions, however it may be easier from within the Everything process to do this I'm not sure, what do you think?
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/300 ... in-windows
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/hel ... cript-host
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/196 ... mmatically

[NotNull]

Filter the two forward slashes

and the trailing "/" too, I guess?
Just curious: How do you make that work when there are spaces in your search query?
Like es:foo bar . Do you translate that to es:foo%20bar somehow?

drop a shortcut with the current search in it.

Workaround using bookmarks:

• Save your current search as a bookmark (Menu:Bookmarks > Add to bookmarks .. )
• Give your search a distinctive name (I use "Foo Bar")
• Create a shortcut (on your desktop) with target:
  "C:\Path to\Everything\everything.exe" -bookmark "Foo Bar"
• Done

Of course you can also start Everything as usual and then select Bookmarks > Foo Bar to get the same result.

[sub23]

Workaround using bookmarks:

I have used this before but found that it created extra work.
Folder shortcuts fall into a special use case, and the information stored in their search terms has to survive across years even decades. It has to survive computer upgrades, copying and moving of the files, across multiple systems, backing up, restoring. There's no way I'm going to be fussing around maintaining a bookmarks list making sure that it ties in with hundreds of shortcuts randomly scattered around my filesystem, it's just not a feasable workflow using it like this.

The mechanism you have to invoke a bookmark from the commanline is sound in it's own right and there are many use cases that work well for that though.

I sometimes use es: shortcuts where I'd typically use Windows folder/file shortcuts, or in place of them.
Where I'd be browsing a folder already and would typically click through to the short cut result.
However with es: shortcuts you have a list result which is what I use to then find and choose the object instead.

For example:
I am a musican, I maintain a large library of VST plugins. All the plugins are stored and sorted into folders containing administration documents, internet urls, images, videos, and version files. Some plugins are from the same developer, so in that instance I create an es: shortcut at the root of the plugins folder which conveniently lists all the plugins from that developer.
Arguably I could store that as a bookmark, or just type the search in the toolbar. However the shortcut is the most convenient and effient way to stay in the workflow. When I'm administrating my plugins I'm in the folder already, clicking through and doing folder type actions. Doubleclicking an es: shortcut is just the same as everything else that I'm doing. Not only does it seemlessly inegrate into that administrative workflow it boosts the functionality of it where Windows fails at doing that. Going back to your original ethos of why Everything exists.

I have a few different but similar use cases that I employ every day, from my photo collection to home accounting, to music files. All of these have a folder type workflow where having the searches integrated into that workflow absolutely empowers the process.

If I knew how to write an app to create shortcuts I'd do that. I've search the internet repeatedly for years and all I can find are a random cluster mess of everyone with the same problem reading random suggestions from people who think they know how to do this by a windows script file. In the end I guess I'll try seeing what I can do with autohotkey and a script that'll generate a shortcut from a search term in the clipboard. So you'd create a search in Everything first that you want, copy it to the clipboard, open a folder where you want the shortcut, press the combination of hotkeys and plonk you have a shortcut there. If I have any success with that I'll post here for you.

Just curious: How do you make that work when there are spaces in your search query?
Like es:foo bar . Do you translate that to es:foo%20bar somehow?

In text editors and calendar I use %20 for spaces where the app needs it, sometimes I use a URL encoding site which encodes the special characters.

Code: Select all

(foo|bar) [nuts]
%28foo%7Cbar%29%20%5Bnuts%5D

Or I just create a search in the http version of Everything and copy the http link across which at that point is the easiest workaround when getting to stuff like that.

For Windows shortcuts, Windows 10 at least - create the shortcut, if the search has spaces Windows will have truncated the search. However, edit the shortcut properties, paste the search again then apply and it'll accept spaces and everything. Windows shortcuts don't add URL// slashes or trailing/ slashes to the search.

[void]

Thanks for the post and links.

Filter the two forward slashes when you receive an instance of a URL like "es://"

I would consider this a bug in Everything, please try Everything 1.4.1.962 for a fix.

This version will automatically remove the double slash // at the start of the URI.
I also remove the trailing slash at the end of the path (web browser will automatically add this)

test1
//test2
//test3/
//test4?abc
//test5#abc
//test/6

In a future release I'll look into adding options like //test?sort=datemodified to specify the sort order.

2. Add a mechanism in Everything to drop a shortcut with the current search in it.

Added to my TODO list.
Thanks for the suggestions.

The shortcut will most likely launch Everything.exe directly (since the ES URL protocol is disabled by default).

[sub23]

I just wanted to say thank you for fixing the double slash // bug. I'm running 1.4.1.962.
So far I've tried it in Notepad++ and in shortcuts and it works fine.