Advanced file filter (filtering a folder view)

[HarryPutnam]

The `exclusive' File filtering system is darned hard to find... at least it has been for me.

Near as I can tell, one is never told how it is accessed.

Reading the section in contents menu or finding it with a help search. I guess `The Advanced File Selection' area is what I want... But how is it accessed?

It would seem to me, in the section `The Opus Filter Filter System' , right after the first paragraph and before beginning the description of what all it does one should see the details of how it is accessed.

Even if one starts experimenting around with the Previous/Next' controls at the top and manages to get to:Using the Advanced File Filter in Find', one is told to look in the previous chapter to learn how to use The Opus Filter System' but the previous chapter is labeledFind'

After diddling around in these sections, it is not apparent even yet how filtering is accessed.
Further it seems way too complex to be describing a basic SIMPLE file filtering mechanism.

So, I'm thinking now its not even the section I need to do simple file filtering. Something like limiting what is shown in a directory to .avi files with a `.avi' filter.

Where is that done, do I really have to pound through acres of text to find out how to do that?

[abr]

The command would be

set HIDEFILTERFOLDERS=* set showfilterfilename *.avi

If you edit a command (it might be one you just want to set up), you can type "set" into the "advanced" field & then check the parameters section,
which gives you an overview of all parameters, like SHOWFILTERFILENAME.

[phil_ga]

Thanks, this is useful abr, how would you modify this command so that it asks for the extension each time? eg *.mp3 next time you use the button, or *.doc on another time, dependent on the job at that point in time?

[Jon]

The Advanced Filtering system is mainly used by the Find tool (on the Advanced tab) - if you just want to filter files out from the current display, the easiest way is to simply type the file pattern you want. E.g. type *.avi with the file display active and everything not matching that pattern will be hidden.

You can also drag the File Filter field to a toolbar from Customize to have a field permanently visible on your toolbar that lets you filter files.

[abr]

@phil_ga

Thanks, this is useful abr, how would you modify this command so that it asks for the extension each time? eg *.mp3 next time you use the button, or *.doc on another time, dependent on the job at that point in time?

@Jon

You can also drag the File Filter field to a toolbar from Customize to have a field permanently visible on your toolbar that lets you filter files.

If you use this filter field, you can customize it to autocontent,file,realtime (maybe that is already the default), so for every location you will be offered the
matching extensions from the filters drop down menu - & you can filter your list in realtime.

[HarryPutnam]

@jon

The Advanced Filtering system is mainly used by the Find tool (on the Advanced tab) - if you just want to filter files out from the current display, the easiest way is to simply type the file pattern you want. E.g. type *.avi with the file display active and everything not matching that pattern will be hidden.

"E.g. type *.avi" Where?
By "file display" I guess you mean what would be the right side pane (In explorer view) when you've opened a directory?

If you mean the find box that opens up when I start to type ... then typing *.avi there has no effect at all.

[HarryPutnam]

@HarryPutnam

[quote="jon"]The Advanced Filtering system is mainly used by the Find tool (on the Advanced tab) - if you just want to filter files out from the current display, the easiest way is to simply type the file pattern you want. E.g. type *.avi with the file display active and everything not matching that pattern will be hidden.

"E.g. type *.avi" Where?
By "file display" I guess you mean what would be the right side pane (In explorer view) when you've opened a directory?

If you mean the find box that opens up when I start to type ... then typing *.avi there has no effect at all.[/quote]

Gack... withdrawn... already answered in the other thread

[abr]

@HarryPutnam

[quote="jon"]The Advanced Filtering system is mainly used by the Find tool (on the Advanced tab) - if you just want to filter files out from the current display, the easiest way is to simply type the file pattern you want. E.g. type *.avi with the file display active and everything not matching that pattern will be hidden.

"E.g. type *.avi" Where?
By "file display" I guess you mean what would be the right side pane (In explorer view) when you've opened a directory?

If you mean the find box that opens up when I start to type ... then typing *.avi there has no effect at all.[/quote]

If you are in a directory containing avi files (otherwise you can´t filter them), just push

Shift .avi, where the Shift- is one keyboard push, that brings up the command line. So you complete the "*", that will stand there with ".avi",
push enter & all your avis should be filtered. For example, to filter items including the name part "new", you´d for example use new.

[HarryPutnam]

"If you are in a directory containing avi files (otherwise you can´t filter them), just push

Shift .avi, where the Shift- is one keyboard push, that brings up the command line. So you complete the "*", that will stand there with ".avi",
push enter & all your avis should be filtered. For example, to filter items including the name part "new", you´d for example use new."

I tried to withdraw the last question since you answered it in you last reply in the other thread, but now I'm glad the `withdrawal' got ignored because I'm not seeing the behavior you describe here.

I'm running in Explorer view. I click a directory full of *.avi and *.sfk files, the filenames spill out in the right hand pane.

Now move focus also to right hand pane. Type *.avi in the command entry dialog and press `enter' ... it doesn't filter poop.

OK, maybe I have to `select all' first... but no, still doesn't filter poop. The *.sfk files are still there.

[xbprm]

@HarryPutnam

Type *.avi in the command entry dialog and press `enter' ... it doesn't filter poop.

What do you mean with "command entry dialog"? Do not type ">" and then ".avi". Just type ".avi". The box should read "Filter" (see Clipboard Image.png)

[HarryPutnam]

Thank you all for your input on this. I see now how to use `*' to initiate filtering.

It seems one post I made on this thread never showed up in the discussion. I'm not sure why. I think I left it in the Forum editor over night and only pushed the `submit' button this morning. Or maybe I formatted the url incorrectly and didn't notice it had been rejected.

I would like to repeat some of its content here as it seems on this end, that the common form of filtering is ignored in Opus.

I have a folder full of files like:
some1.avi
some2.ave
... etc.

But also there are files associated with the display of sound waveforms on the timeline, generated by Video editing tools of this form:
some1.avi.sfk
some2.avi.sfk
... etc.

As I understand Standard shell (dos, windows or unix/linux ... and POSIX) filtering rules, this rule:
`*.avi'

If you spelled it out in plain English, would say:
any combination of word or number characters followed by a dot| then, avi |then, end of name.
Meaning the filter should display any file name ending *.avi. But in fact it DOES NOT follow that well established rule of filtering.

Apparently Opus filtering ignores those long standing filtering rules so that this filter
*avi
Displays all file names ending `.avi', but also all of this form: some1.avi.sfk
In other words, it displays file names CONTAINING .avi which is quite a different matter and is not compliant with normal filtering rules.

I've added a link to a series of 4 screen grabs showing what I mean:

image 1 shows a short list of files

image 2 shows the filter dialog with `*.avi' typed in

image 3 shows the list of files after pressing `enter'

image 4 shows another instance of non-compliance with normal filtering rules.
where *.sf' captures files ending .sfk without a trailing' being present... as in `.sf*'

So, I guess what I want to know is if Opus filter rules are non-compliant with standards then what rules does it follow?
And where can I read about them?

http://www.jtan.com/~reader/vu/disp.cgi

[xbprm]

@HarryPutnam

As I understand Standard shell (dos, windows or unix/linux ... and POSIX) filtering rules, this rule:
`*.avi'

If you spelled it out in plain English, would say:
any combination of word or number characters followed by a dot| then, avi |then, end of name.
Meaning the filter should display any file name ending *.avi. But in fact it DOES NOT follow that well established rule of filtering.

The box which shows up if you press "*" is called Find-As-You-Type. Using it will therefore show everything which matches the phrase entered, e.g. every file/folder which CONTAINS the phrase. So, everything is correct as I see.

[HarryPutnam]

[quote="xbprm"][quote="HarryPutnam"]
As I understand Standard shell (dos, windows or unix/linux ... and POSIX) filtering rules, this rule:
`*.avi'

If you spelled it out in plain English, would say:
any combination of word or number characters followed by a dot| then, avi |then, end of name.
Meaning the filter should display any file name ending *.avi. But in fact it DOES NOT follow that well established rule of filtering.
[/quote]

The box which shows up if you press "*" is called Find-As-You-Type. Using it will therefore show everything which matches the phrase entered, e.g. every file/folder which CONTAINS the phrase. So, everything is correct as I see.[/quote]

Unless you see very different behavior than I do then what you say is wrong.

Given this list of files.

some.sfk
some.sfl

If it were just `find-as-you-type' then typing an asterisk would find nothing. So if you were to type:
(Ruling out the asterisk that opens the dialog by typing two in a row)

Shift * * <== Note the second asterisk (yet both files are found)

No files (from the above list) should be found... yet they both are

(Note that one of the example filenames ends in "k" the other in "l" (ell)

Or if you were to type shift *.sfk then only the one ending .sfk would be found
But if you type Shift *.sf[kl] then nothing should be found since no "[" or "]" are in the names, and yet it finds them both.

Both examples are long standing filtering rules that say in the first case: Asterisk (*)finds anything. So the SECOND asterisk in the first example is clearly finding everything, since an asterisk is NOT in the files but yet it finds them.

In the second case ".sf[kl].. again a long standing filtering rule that says to allow either "k or l" if they are enclosed in "[]"

So there are apparently SOME rules here. Its obvious from that it is NOT just find-as-you-type.

So apparently opus adopts some rules but not others.

I'm not saying it is wrong to do so, although it is an inferior filtering method compared to standard filtering. All I really asked is where to find the rules it does use, because it is not just "find-as-you-type".

Having decided to use only SOME of the standard rules, makes the job in the case I raised about *.avi' files much more difficult to filter. If Opus stuck with the standard rules then *.avi would find only files ENDING in ".avi", and so would still find only *.avi even if some where named "some.avi.sfk"

[Leo]

The find as you type field is intended for quick filtering. If you want more control over how the filtering is done (and in particular whether or not it does partial matching), add the filter box to your toolbar and use that instead. There is a FAQ near the top of the categorised FAQ list post which explains how to add and configure filter boxes.

[HarryPutnam]

@leo

The find as you type field is intended for quick filtering. If you want more control over how the filtering is done (and in particular whether or not it does partial matching), add the filter box to your toolbar and use that instead. There is a FAQ near the top of the categorised FAQ list post which explains how to add and configure filter boxes.

Thanks "leo", I'll be looking into that. Your posts on both of my recent thread and I see many others have shown me a lot of capability I knew nothing about in Opus and could have, and will make very good use of.

And not to wear this thread out beyond all reason, but I kind of hoped to be able to do most of my needs with the "Shift *" mechanism. And as I've shown it does use some rules well beyond what "find-as-you-type" would seem to indicate.

So I ask once more, where can I learn the rules that "find-as-you-type" does use?

I have a hunch if I knew them all, I could do nearly anything with just that mechanism.

Other features of Opus are too robust and well thought out for me to believe that mechanism is not more capable than I've seen so far.

Just at a quick look it appears a bit difficult to filter for JUST "some[...].avi" named files when there are also "some[...].avi.sfk" present. Sometimes in large numbers.

If I knew all the rules involved with the "SHIFT *" mechanism would I be like to quickly make that kind of filter?

Is there someone who posts here who is something of a master of that particular mechanism, who could say right off hand that its easily possible to filter that particular case or similar ones without having to go to more specialized tools?

[Jon]

The only "rule" is that the FAYT filtering uses a "partial match" - there is an implied * at the beginning and end of any string you enter (so entering .avi is the same as entering .avi and so on).

[HarryPutnam]

@jon

The only "rule" is that the FAYT filtering uses a "partial match" - there is an implied * at the beginning and end of any string you enter (so entering .avi is the same as entering .avi and so on).

But then what governs this behavior if there are no rules but that one:

You have many *.avi
many *.avi.sfk
many *.avi.sfl

In a sinlgle directory.

This filter "Shift *.sf[kl]"
Matches all files ending *.sfk and *.sfl but there is neither an "[" nor "]" in either of them yet it matches

Is it partially matching that explains that? If so then "Shift *.sf|kl|" should also match as well but does not.
Is there not some special role being played by ""?

[Jon]

[] are wildcard characters. See the Appendix to the Opus manual for a description of the wildcard system used.

[HarryPutnam]

@jon

are wildcard characters. See the Appendix to the Opus manual for a description of the wildcard system used.

I'm well aware they are wildcards, my point was that there are more rules involved in the "Shift *" mechanism than what you said.

I'm sorry "jon" but I'm not sure if you are still saying there is only 1 rule or what. Surely a whole system of wildcard usage is not to be left out of Rules governing the "Shift *" mechanism

At this point I don't even care to keep on about it.

Thanks for the pointer to were this stuff is described in detail in the Appendix

[Jon]

You're welcome, "HarryPutnam"