Improving the Find dialog?
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NP++ is awesome, but one thing really bugs me about it: the Find dialog.
If you’re like me, you usually have several apps open, and are going back and forth between them, and for some reason, NP++'s Find dialog is unusually and annoyingly big. Enormous, actually—certainly bigger than that of any other text editor or word processor I’ve used. On my system, it’s nearly as big as NP++'s main (editing) window. It also has a habit of opening right over the main window, hiding the very text I’m trying to find. (And yes, I know you can make it transparent, and maybe that works for you, but I’ve never found it helpful.)
Is there any way the Find dialog could be reexamined, made smaller and more efficient, and its placement made a bit “smarter”? Maybe you could take a look at some other editors and word processors to see how they handle it, rather than “reinventing the wheel” like this? (Even a full-blown WP like Microsoft Word does much better.)
Thanks, and keep up the great work!
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This kind of thing has been asked for so many times it is almost a FAQ. Sad to say but apparently the devs see nothing wrong with it the way it is, or at least not enough to enhance it. In case it is not apparent I agree with your comments. :)
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Have you checked “Incremental Search” (Ctrl + Alt + I)? Maybe it will work for you. Though it seems there is no hotkeys for find next/previous actions.
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Hmm, no Quote buttons here? How nostalgic… I don’t think I’ve “hand-quoted” people since BBS days. :?)
Alan Kilborn > This kind of thing has been asked for so many times it is almost a FAQ. Sad to say but apparently the devs see nothing wrong with it the way it is, or at least not enough to enhance it. In case it is not apparent I agree with your comments. :)
I’m sure I’m not the only one here who’s worked with left-brain types who consider GUI practicality and esthetics insignificant as long as there’s functionality. ;?)
At least NP++'s Find dialog “remembers” you moved it, so you needn’t do that each time. (Paint.net , a graphics editor I use, insists on opening its DBs smack in the middle of the work area, and must be dragged out. Of. The. Way. Each. Time.)
bahusoid > Have you checked “Incremental Search” (Ctrl + Alt + I)? Maybe it will work for you…
Nice! That’s certainly compact by comparison.
bahusoid > …Though it seems there is no hotkeys for find next/previous actions.
But there are, and they’re even simpler than the customary F3 / Shift+F3. Ready? [drumroll] Enter / Shift+Enter
Thanks for the help, guys. You’re swell in my book.
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@Anderwriter said:
Hmm, no Quote buttons here? How nostalgic… I don’t think I’ve “hand-quoted” people since BBS days. :?)
the quote buttons on this page are written with a small q and not with a capital Q, which is the most probable reason, why you did not find them at first glance 😉
I’m sure I’m not the only one here who’s worked with left-brain types who consider GUI practicality and esthetics insignificant as long as there’s functionality. ;?)
yes, you’re most certainly not the only right-brainer using notepad++, and caring about aesthetics 😁
a nice feature would be, to make the find panel dock-able to the notepad++ window borders, like e.g. the “find all in current document” result list panel, or the “define your language” panel.
But there are, and they’re even simpler than the customary F3 / Shift+F3. Ready? [drumroll] Enter / Shift+Enter
Thanks for the help, guys. You’re swell in my book.you have “swolen in my book” for finding that out, by trying, without any help or notepad++ community forum search. 👍
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For anyone that feels the standard find/replace dialog box is too touchy-feely and pretty, I strongly suggest the TextFX -> TextFX Quick -> Find/Replace dialog. It’s the paragon of function over form dialog box. Left brainers unite!
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@cipher-1024
After such actions, the notepad crashes.
Module Error: StackHash_1762 -
@cipher-1024 said:
It’s the paragon of function over form dialog box
Maybe I’m a right-brainer, but I don’t see the TextFX Find/Replace as so great. It’s OK, and of course there are some good ideas there, but maybe the primary benefit is that it is narrow in width.