Search++: A work in progress

Coises

Search++ version 0.7.0.1 is a test of what is hopefully improved bookmark handling. Help and changelog have not been updated.

@guy038, @peterjones, @astewart77 and anyone else interested, please let me know if this lets you configure bookmark handling to your liking, and anything you would like to be different.

The Bookmark lines when marking text (Shift: configure) item on the Tools menu can be clicked to toggle whether marking adds bookmarks, just like before. Shift-clicking (or Ctrl+Shift+B) opens this dialog (defaults shown selected):

The Bookmark lines when marking text option at the bottom right is identical to the menu setting; it’s just in this dialog so you don’t have to open the menu a second time to see or change it. The other options in this dialog are only relevant when this box is checked; unchecking it, or the equivalent menu setting, keeps Search++ from doing anything with bookmarks, with one exception: the new Synchronize bookmarks to marked text command.

The first pair of radio buttons choose whether you want marking to put a bookmark on every marked line or only on the first line of a match (or of a selection, or of each part of a multiple selection, when you mark selections).

When a Mark command removes existing marks from text, also remove bookmarks applies in two contexts, and only when Bookmark lines when marking text is in effect:

When Settings | Always unmark all text before Mark command is checked, each Mark command “starts over,” removing any existing marks before it begins marking new matches. If this box is checked (the default), bookmarks are also cleared.
Regardless of the Always unmark… setting, Mark in Marked Text always removes existing marks before it begins marking new text (otherwise it could not do anything, since all the new marks would be within existing marks). If this box is checked (the default), bookmarks are also cleared.

The three choices under Mark tools apply to most commands on the Tools menu (exceptions noted below):

Do not add or remove bookmarks means Tools menu commands that mark or unmark text don’t do anything with bookmarks, even if Bookmark lines when marking text is checked.
Add bookmarks but do not remove them means just what it says: tools commands that mark text also add bookmarks (in accordance with the Bookmark every line or Bookmark only the first policy set in the top section of the dialog), but tools commands never remove them: you decide when to remove bookmarks.
Keep bookmarks synchronized with marked text means tools commands that mark or unmark text maintain bookmarks so that they are consistent with marked text in accordance with the Bookmark every line or Bookmark only the first policy set in the top section of the dialog.

Special cases:

Invert marked text does not add new markers if Add bookmarks but do not remove them is in effect (the results would be useless). If Keep bookmarks synchronized with marked text is in effect, the policy in the top section is followed.
When Bookmark lines when marking text is in effect, the dialog raised in response to Remove marks from multiple documents… contains a checkbox that determines whether or not bookmarks are cleared. The Mark tools setting on the Configure bookmarks dialog is ignored. When Bookmark lines when marking text is not in effect, the dialog does not offer the option to clear bookmarks.
The new Synchronize bookmarks to marked text command applies the policy selected for Bookmark every line containing marked text or Bookmark only the first line of each match or selection regardless of any other settings, including Bookmark lines when marking text. Since the locations of individual matches or selections before they were marked is unknown, this command treats each contiguous span of marked text as a single match/selection if Bookmark only the first line of each match or selection is in effect.

Also in this test release:

Some changes to make sure tools commands that would be disabled on the menu don’t do anything when run from a keyboard combination.
Leave bookmarks alone when converting selection to marks (Settings | Convert selections to marked text when beginning a default stepwise search) and when removing marks on closing the non-docking dialog (Settings | Unmark all text when closing the search dialog), regardless of any settings.
Make right-click equivalent to Shift+click in menus.

guy038

Hi, @coises,

Thanks for this test version, regarding bookmark handling !

However, it’s now a quarter past midnight, in France. So, see you tomorrow !

BR

guy038

astewart77

It works well for me. There are so many permutations, it takes a couple of readings. I look forward to your excellent updated help file.

The three choices under Mark tools apply to most commands on the Tools menu

I suggest that the “Mark tools” option group title be “Tools menu” to be clear that they are for menu commands and not Mark commands, but that may be covered in the help file. Otherwise, it looks like it contradicts the Mark option just above it.

Coises

@astewart77 said:

It works well for me. There are so many permutations, it takes a couple of readings. I look forward to your excellent updated help file.

Part of the point of this test version is to figure out if I have too many options, or missing options, or if they can be better organized. There are more details and special cases than I’d like. At the moment this might represent more what could be done than what should be done.

I suggest that the “Mark tools” option group title be “Tools menu” to be clear that they are for menu commands and not Mark commands, but that may be covered in the help file. Otherwise, it looks like it contradicts the Mark option just above it.

That’s a good point. Somehow it should be clear that this section applies to commands from the Tools menu (and, of course, to their equivalent keyboard shortcuts), but not to the Mark command itself. And I wonder if it is clear that it doesn’t apply when Bookmark lines when marking text isn’t checked. Making this obvious at first glance is not going so well. (I know most people are never going to read the help.)

Would the top section be better labeled “Bookmark policy,” or is that just more confusing? Or am I silly to even have the top section, and whenever bookmarks are enabled it should just always be bookmark every line (like Notepad++ native Mark)?

I’m similarly unsure if Add bookmarks but do not remove them is pointless. Maybe no one would ever want that.

Another question is whether all this belongs in yet another box in the Settings dialog rather than in its own “Configure bookmarks” dialog. Settings is getting big, but if these are “set once and leave them alone” choices, that’s probably where they belong. (I don’t mean the Bookmark lines when marking text menu option; that stays on the menu.)

astewart77

@Coises said:

Part of the point of this test version is to figure out if I have too many options

I can see a use for all of the options you have now.

I’m similarly unsure if Add bookmarks but do not remove them is pointless. Maybe no one would ever want that.

That’s the one option I selected right away. I like to accumulate bookmarks over time.

guy038

Hello, @coises,

Sorry, I haven’t commented on your latest version yet. In the meantime, I replied to @Vitalii-dovgan regarding his own implementation of the Find in Files feature.

During that testing, I also included the Search++ plugin ( v0.7 ) and the MultiReplace plugin.

So I invite you to take a look at it : https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/106389

As for your latest version, I won’t be able to review it thoroughly until tomorrow evening. So, I’ll probaly get back to you on Saturday instead !

BR

guy038

guy038

Hello, @coises and All,

FIRST test. Let’s suppose I chose these settings :

You note that I unchecked the two options Default commands automatically search within selections and Default commands automatically search within marked text. Thus, all default commands will always apply to whole document

Note also that I checked the two options Always clear selections before Select command. (Otherwise add to existing selections.) and the Always unmark all text before Mark command. (Otherwise add to existing marked text.)

And that I decided to not bookmark the lines containing a marked text :

Then, starting with that text :


bla
blah
This is the test to do
bla
blah
test
bla
blah

I marked the two words test with the Mark command or the M key. Now, given the above parameters, it just marked these two words.

Then, using the Synchronize bookmarks to marked text option, ( Ctrl + Shift + Z ), it bookmarked the lines 4 and 7 => OK

Now, using the Remove marks from active document option ( Ctrl + Shift + R ), it deleted any marked text. However the bookmarks remain.

Is this behavior logical as you said that, even when the Bookmark lines when marking text is not checked, the Keep bookmarks synchronized with marked text option is still honored ?

SECOND test :

I now decided to check the Bookmark lines when marking text option ( Ctrl + B )

Again, I marked the two words test with the Mark command or the M key. Given the modified parameters, it correctly marked these two words and bookmarked the lines 4 and 7

Then using the Remove marks and bookmarks from active document option ( Ctrl + Shift + R ), it deleted, both, marked text and bookmarks => OK

Remark that this command is now labelled Remove marks and bookmarks ..., unlike Remove marks ... in the first test : nice !

THIRD test :

Again, I marked the two words with a Mark command. Thus, the snapshot below :

Then, I used the Invert marked text option ( Crl + Shift + I ). I got this snapshot :

That’s not exactly what I expected !

I wanted to invert all the bookmarks, FIRST and SECONDLY, mark the contents of all the lines having a bookmark ! To do so, instead of searching the test word, I needed to use the regex ^((?!test).)*$ and I chose again the Mark command to get this behavior. See below :

Note that this behavior is even better than with N++. Indeed, if you decide to use the Invert bookmarks feature, it swaps the bookmarks but leaves the marked text as is, in lines 4 and 7 !

Of course, @coises, to imagine the negative regex ^((?!test).)*$ compared to the positive regex test is easy enough with that simple example. However, how to quickly determine a correct negative regex vs a complicated positive regex ?

Of course, it’s obvious that your plugin is already very configurable and has numerous options ! So, may be, my request might not be reasonable !

BTW; I really appreciate the right click on any option. For example :

First, you right-click on the Hde all lines option ( Ctrl + Shift + D ) option => Any line of current document is hidden
Then, if you right-click on the Show selected lines (Shift: All) option => All lines of current document are visible again !

Best Regards,

guy038

Coises

@guy038 said:

Thank you for taking a look at this!

Now, using the Remove marks from active document option ( Ctrl + Shift + R ), it deleted any marked text. However the bookmarks remain.

Is this behavior logical as you said that, even when the Bookmark lines when marking text is not checked, the Keep bookmarks synchronized with marked text option is still honored ?

It is behaving as designed, though the intent may be unclear. For the record, what I wrote was:

The Bookmark lines when marking text option at the bottom right is identical to the menu setting; it’s just in this dialog so you don’t have to open the menu a second time to see or change it. The other options in this dialog are only relevant when this box is checked; unchecking it, or the equivalent menu setting, keeps Search++ from doing anything with bookmarks, with one exception: the new Synchronize bookmarks to marked text command.

The new Synchronize bookmarks to marked text command applies the policy selected for Bookmark every line containing marked text or Bookmark only the first line of each match or selection regardless of any other settings, including Bookmark lines when marking text.

The Keep bookmarks synchronized with marked text option only applies to Tools menu commands that affect bookmarks, except for the special cases listed: Remove marks from multiple documents… (which has a check box in the dialog) and Synchronize bookmarks to marked text (which always does what it says). Except for Synchronize bookmarks to marked text, Tools menu commands do not affect bookmarks unless Bookmark lines when marking text is checked.

I think the design makes sense, but I wish I knew how to make it more obvious. You turn Bookmark lines when marking text on or off depending on whether you want Search++ to manipulate bookmarks at all. The only exception is Synchronize bookmarks to marked text, because it’s the only command that has no other effect than to manipulate bookmarks. (I could disable that command when Bookmark lines when marking text is unchecked, but I don’t see the point. As it is, it’s a quick way to get bookmarks for marked text even if you usually don’t want Search++ messing with your bookmarks.)

THIRD test :

Again, I marked the two words with a Mark command. Thus, the snapshot below :

Then, I used the Invert marked text option ( Crl + Shift + I ). I got this snapshot :

That’s not exactly what I expected !

It worked as designed, but the design might not be very useful.

I wanted to invert all the bookmarks, FIRST and SECONDLY, mark the contents of all the lines having a bookmark !

That’s an interesting thought. Not what Invert marked text does, but interesting. Invert mark text proceeds in the opposite manner: first it marks every character that wasn’t marked and unmarks every character that was marked. Then, depending on the bookmark options, it either does nothing with bookmarks or it bookmarks every line containing any marked text (or the first line of each unbroken span of marked text, depending on the every line / first line setting).

To do so, instead of searching the test word, I needed to use the regex ^((?!test).)*$ and I chose again the Mark command to get this behavior.

Of course, @coises, to imagine the negative regex ^((?!test).)*$ compared to the positive regex test is easy enough with that simple example. However, how to quickly determine a correct negative regex vs a complicated positive regex ?

I did think of Invert marked text as a way to search in a negative space, but I didn’t think of someone perhaps wanting to apply it to whole lines rather than to characters.

I did notice that (with or without bookmarks, but more obvious with them) the results of Invert marked text can be unexpected, because line endings count as characters for which marking is inverted. If you have Keep bookmarks synchronized with marked text checked and you aren’t showing line endings, unexpected bookmarks can appear where there seems to be nothing marked, because the line endings are marked.

So far, I haven’t had a “real world” case where I wanted Invert marked text for anything, but it hasn’t been available (even to me) for all that long yet.

I have to consider this some more, but I’m thinking that Invert marked text isn’t something that would be used very often, so it doesn’t have to be one click: it might be better to replace the single action with a dialog that lets you choose details about how you want to “negate” the text indicated by marks.

Suggestions welcome!

guy038

Hello, @coises and All,

I noticed a bug regarding the default style which is wrongly changed why you simply left clicking on any option

Note that I preferred to delete the Search++.json file in order to start with a default configuration. Then, I redefined my settings as described at the beginning of my previous post and I chose my options in the Search++ Configure bookmarks as below :

Now, using again the example text :


bla
blah
This is the test to do
bla
blah
test
bla
blah

I marked, successively, the two words bla, then test. So the results :

And

Then, I right click in the search zone of Search++ and chose again the bla word.

Now, the first command used changes the default setting ! As I ran the Mark command by a simple left click , I got :

After I redefined the right button to Find All ↕, I tried again to mark the word bla by left-clicking on the Mark option. This time, the defaut third button remained Find All ↕ and the Mark command was again executed !

Note this problem occurs ONLY when you FIRST change the word in the search dialog with a right-click within the list. If you manually delete the word test and replace it with the word bla, the problem does not occur !

In the first test of my previous post, I said :

Is this behavior logical as you said that, even when the Bookmark lines when marking text is not checked, the Keep bookmarks synchronized with marked text option is still honored ?

I now realize that this behaviour is quite logical ! Indeed, as the bookmark lines when marking text option was unchecked, in this first test, the Ctrl + Shift + R option is simply labelled Remove marks from active document ( and not Remove marks and bookmarks from active document ). Thus, it correctly leaves the bookmarks as is !

If I understood you correctly, when the Bookmark lines when marking text option is unchecked, Search++ ignore totally the Bookmark feature. Thus, it just up to you to add / remove MANUAL bookmarks to some lines, if needed !

Now, basically, a Mark command :

Case 1 : can mark text
Case 2 : can mark text and bookmark lines
Case 3 : can un-mark text
Case 4 : can un-mark and un-bookmark lines

Thus, I suggest this new dialog :

 Search++: Configure bookmarks

 ☑  Bookmark lines when marking text.

  Bookmark policy

    ◉ Bookmark every line containing marked text.

    ○  Bookmark only the first line of each match or selection.

  Tools menu

 ☑  When a Mark command adds existing marks to text, also add bookmarks.

 ☑  When a Mark command removes existing marks from text, also remove bookmarks.

 Invert option policy

    ○  Invert the marked text and bookmark the concerned lines

    ◉  Invert the bookmarked lines and mark the concerned lines

                        [OK]           [Cancel]

You’ll be able to verify that when :

The first When a Mark command... option is unchecked, it corresponds to the case 1, above
The first When a Mark command... option is checked, it corresponds to the case 2, above
The second When a Mark command... option is unchecked, it corresponds to the case 3, above
The second When a Mark command... option is checked, it corresponds to the case 4, above

You’ll also verify that :

The present option When a Mark command removes existing marks ... is the second When a Mark command... option of my new dialog
The present Mark commands do not add or remove bookmarks. corresponds to the cases 1 and 3

The present Mark commands add bookmarks but do not remove them. corresponds to the cases 2 and 3

The present Keep bookmarks synchronized with marked text. corresponds to the cases 2 and 4

At the end of this new dialog, I simply add txo choices regarding the Invert option policy !

What is your feeling about it ?

Best Regards,

guy038

P.S. :

Oh, I forgot : Why not make the entire menu, under an unchecked Bookmark lines when marked text option, gray, in this new dialog ?

Coises

@guy038 said:

I noticed a bug regarding the default style which is wrongly changed why you simply left clicking on any option

Then, I right click in the search zone of Search++ and chose again the bla word.

Now, the first command used changes the default setting !

Thank you for noting this. I can reproduce it. Any right-click in a Find or Replace box causes the next click on a search command drop-down or the Tools menu to behave as if it were a right-click.

I will figure out why that is happening and fix it.

If I understood you correctly, when the Bookmark lines when marking text option is unchecked, Search++ ignore totally the Bookmark feature. Thus, it just up to you to add / remove MANUAL bookmarks to some lines, if needed !

Right. The one exception is Synchronize bookmarks to marked text, which works whether Bookmark lines when marking text is checked or unchecked.

My intent is that people who don’t typically want Search++ disturbing their bookmarks can still use Synchronize bookmarks to marked text after a Mark command, rather than having to change a setting before the Mark, which they would then have to remember to change back. However, I think the lack of an option to add bookmarks but not remove any might limit its usefulness, so I might change it in one way or another. It honors the every line / first line policy, so perhaps it should honor add/synchronize too, but then it would no longer be always a synchronize, and it would do nothing if the Tools option were “Do not add or remove bookmarks”…

There’s definitely a design flaw here.

Now, basically, a Mark command :

Case 1 : can mark text
Case 2 : can mark text and bookmark lines
Case 3 : can un-mark text
Case 4 : can un-mark and un-bookmark lines

Thus, I suggest this new dialog :

 Search++: Configure bookmarks

 ☑  Bookmark lines when marking text.

  Bookmark policy

    ◉ Bookmark every line containing marked text.

    ○  Bookmark only the first line of each match or selection.

  Tools menu

 ☑  When a Mark command adds existing marks to text, also add bookmarks.

 ☑  When a Mark command removes existing marks from text, also remove bookmarks.

 Invert option policy

    ○  Invert the marked text and bookmark the concerned lines

    ◉  Invert the bookmarked lines and mark the concerned lines

                        [OK]           [Cancel]

What is your feeling about it ?

The existing When a Mark command removes existing marks from text, also remove bookmarks check box applies to Mark commands when Always unmark all text before Mark command. (Otherwise add to existing marked text.) in the Settings dialog is checked. That’s the only time a Mark command ever removes marks from text. It’s possible this shouldn’t even be an option (operating as if it were always checked) since Bookmark lines when marking text must also be checked, but I thought there might be the occasional person who would want to uncheck it.

The choice under Mark tools applies to commands from the Tools menu (except Synchronize bookmarks to marked text) and has nothing to do with Mark commands.

My wording needs more clarity; or possibly the problem is that the selection of available choices doesn’t make sense, and that’s why it’s hard to convey.

Regarding the proposed Invert the bookmarked lines and mark the concerned lines: the command would clear all marks from text, invert the bookmarks, then mark every character in every line that was bookmarked? Does that include or exclude line endings? What does it do if Bookmark only the first line of each match or selection is in effect?

I’m really tight on available menu mnemonics (the underlined letters) and memorable shortcut keys on the Tools menu, to the point where adding much more will mean I either have to remove something or use sub-menus (with limited shortcut possibilities): but this sounds more like it should be a separate command than a setting that changes how Invert marked text works. In that case, though, since Inverse Bookmarks is already a Notepad++ command, I wonder if something else (like Mark or Select all text in bookmarked lines) would be more versatile?

I shudder to invent yet another conditional search, but maybe Find All / Select / Mark / Show in Bookmarked lines is what is really wanted here. (And then that leads to wanting to bookmark lines containing a match without bothering with marking the text…)

I will take ideas from your dialog, but it doesn’t quite represent the options that are available now. Invert and the implications thereof I am still thinking about.

Why not make the entire menu, under an unchecked Bookmark lines when marked text option, gray, in this new dialog ?

Putting it at the top and disabling the options when it is not checked would help clarify the relationship between it and the other settings, but there is one problem: the “Bookmark policy” (”every line” or ”only the first line”) applies to Synchronize bookmarks to marked text, which works even if Bookmark lines when marking text is not checked. (Again, this could represent a design flaw.)