Search Result Window No Longer Opens

Sylvester Bullitt

After many months of working flawlessly, the search results window has suddenly stopped opening after a search completes. I tried the F7 option on the Search Menu, without success. I don’t see any evidence that the window is open anywhere. I de-installed the 64-bit version of NP++ & installed the 32-bit version. No effect. Still can’t see any search results. I don’t see a log file anywhere that would give a clue to what’s happening.

I usually get about 4,000 lines in the search results window (have been doing this successfully for many months). I’m running NP++ 7.8.2, 32-bit version, on Windows 10.

Help!

Sylvester Bullitt

I just found the answer. Somehow the result window’s top border was slid all the way down to the bottom of the app window. I only noticed this when my mouse happened to hover over the bottom border, and the mouse pointer changed to a 2-headed arrow which told me I could try dragging. So I dragged the border up, and the result window magically appeared!

Don’t know how the result window shrank in the first place. Slip of the mouse, I guess. But the app should be smart enough to detect this and tell the user (or warn him when he next tries to search).

(I don’t see way to mark this question as “answered.” Maybe it should stick around for a while in case anyone else has a similar problem.

Alan Kilborn

Perhaps this is also of some interest in this matter.

PeterJones

@Sylvester-Bullitt said in Search Result Window No Longer Opens:

Glad you solved your main problem. (Alan’s link was one I had been thinking of linking, too)

I don’t see way to mark this question as “answered.”

I haven’t started a new question since the forum update, but it used to be that the author of the question (you) would have a Tools pulldown. One of the options was something like “Mark as question”; after you do that, the pulldown changed to have “Mark as answered” or similar. I don’t know if those tools still exist.

Alan Kilborn

Semi-interesting related story to this:

I was playing around recently with undocking windows and so I had double-clicked my Find results tab that, shared with Pythonscript’s console window, typically shares the bottom area of my Notepad++ window. The tab undocked, leaving only the PS console, but it could not be viewed anywhere. (This is why the link I provided earlier was fresh in my mind).

Anyway, the window that should now be “floating” simply wasn’t anywhere. I did a Find-All-Curr-Doc search to give the invisible window input focus, then did an alt-space to drop its system menu and it appeared on the far right of my right-most monitor. I selected Move and then held down the left arrow key, thinking that the window should move into view. Well, I held down the left arrow for quite some time and no window ever showed up.

I gave up and restored my configuration from a recent backup, and my window was back in its usual spot, but I was curious as to why I couldn’t get the window back in any other way. I experimented further, recreating the bad situation and then doing a config.xml compare of the docked and undocked case, thinking I might solve the problem by some creative editing, but it either wasn’t clear how to edit it, or what I tried didn’t work.

So…I will just leave my search results docked because that is where I normally want it. BUT…I can see the utility of occasionally wanting to undock that window and have the N++ main window on one monitor and a large version of the search results on a second monitor. As for now, I can’t achieve that. :-(

Sylvester Bullitt

@PeterJones Apparently not, I don’t see a tools menu option anywhere.

guy038

@sylvester-bullitt, @peterjones, @alan-kilborn and All,

Let’s assume that, after a search process, which opens the "Find result" panel, you cannot see this panel, on your screen !

Here are two work-arounds, in order to get things right !

With the first one, we re-define the location and dimensions of the undocked Find Result window
With the second one, we directly get the Find Result panel docked to the default bottom edge of the screen

First solution :

Close any instance of Notepad++
Identify your active config.xml configuration file. To that matter, refer to :

https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/15740/faq-desk-what-is-appdata

Open the config.xml file with Microsoft notepad ( Do NOT use Notepad++ )
In the <GUIConfig .... </GUIConfig> section, you should notice one or several element(s), like below, with value 4 for the cont attribute

<FloatingWindow cont="4" x="X" y="Y" width="W" height="H" />

Keeps only one line <FloatingWindow cont="4" ...... />, deleting all the others, if any
Change the values X, Y, W and H, of that line, by the values :

<FloatingWindow cont="4" x="250" y="250" width="700" height="500" /> ( empiric values ! )

Save the modifications of Config.xml
Restart Notepad++
Run a search, using, for instance, the Find All in Current Document

=> This time, you should notice the undocked Find result panel, giving you the possibility of docking it to its default location : the bottom edge ;-))

Second solution :

Close any instance of Notepad++
Open the config.xml file with Microsoft notepad ( Do NOT use Notepad++ )
Near the end of the <GUIConfig .... </GUIConfig> section of the config.xml file, there are, at least, five <ActiveTabs ... /> elements, like below :

<ActiveTabs cont="N" activeTab="M" />

Which recapitulates the number of plugins, docked to each side of the screen or undocked, with the value N of the cont attribute = :

0 for panel(s) docked on the left edge
1 for panel(s) docked on the right edge
2 for panel(s) docked on the top edge
3 for panel(s) docked on the bottom edge
4 for undocked panel(s)

and the value M of the activeTab attribute = :

-1 if no plugins is docked on the corresponding edge
0 if 1 plugin is docked on the corresponding edge
1 if 2 plugins are docked on the corresponding edge
2 if 3 plugins are docked on the corresponding edge
3 if 4 plugins are docked on the corresponding edge

and so on…

On the other hand, always in the <GUIConfig .... </GUIConfig> section, you should notice the line, below, with the attribute id="0" :

<PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="0" curr="4" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />

Change this line as :

<PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="0" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />

Increase, by one unit, the M1 value of the activeTab attibute of the element <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="M1" />
Decrease, by one unit, the M2 value of the activeTab attibute of the element <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="M2" />
Save the modifications of the Config.xml configuration file
Restart Notepad++
Run a search, using, for instance, the Find All in Current Document

=> This time, you should see the Find result panel at its default position ( docked to the bottom edge of the screen )

For instance, if you have the lines :

            <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="3" />

change the lines as below :

            <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="2" />

Remark : The drawback of this second solution, is that, if you double-click on the title of the Find Result panel, to get it undocked, you should get the previous invisible undocked window, again !

Best Regards,

guy038

Alan Kilborn

@guy038

I tried your first method, since the second method had a stated drawback…and it worked for me to restore the functionality I should have had with the Find result window! Nice. Thank you.

Also, I had several other floating window entries with cont values of 4, 5, 6, and 7 (sometimes several of each). I couldn’t think of any other things that would be using those, so I deleted them as well.

Maybe (because you are an admin) you want to add a note in this locked posting to point here, for people seeking help in the future?

Thanks again!!

guy038

Hi, @sylvester-bullitt, @peterjones, @alan-kilborn and All,

Thank you , Alan, for your kind words !

I, now, realize that , in order to, both :

Get a docked Find result panel to the bottom edge of the screen
Get a visible undocked Find result panel, in case of double-click on Find result title panel

we just have to follow the instructions, given for each solution !

Now, here is general method to clear up all the <GUIConfig name ..... </GUIConfig> section. Note that this method :

Docks the Find Result panel to the bottom edge of the screen
Changes location and dimensions of the undocked Find Result panel to sensible values
Preserves all visible panels of the current N++ session

A Delete all <PluginDlg .... isVisible="no" /> elements
B Change the <PluginDlg .... id="0" curr="N" prev="3" .... /> element as <PluginDlg .... id="0" curr="3" prev="4" .... />
C Note all the values N1, N2,… ,above 4, of the curr attibute of the remaining <PluginDlg .... /> elements
D Delete all <FloatingWindow cont="N" .... /> elements, if N is absent from set {N1, N2, ... Nn } AND greater than 4
E Delete all <ActiveTabs cont="N" .... /> elements, if N is absent from set {N1, N2, ... Nn} AND greater than 4
F Keeps only ONE element <FloatingWindow cont="4" .... /> and delete all others similar elements, if any
G Change the unique line <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="X" y="Y" width="W" height="H" /> as <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="250" y="250" width="700" height="500" /> ( Empiric values ! )
H Change the value M, in elements <ActiveTabs cont="N" activeTab="M" />, in order to represent the number of the elements <PluginDlg .... curr = N .... **, minus 1 unit
Save all the modifications of the config.xml configuration file

One example : Let’s suppose this initial <GUIConfig name ..... </GUIConfig> section, below :

        <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="168" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="124">
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="257" y="440" width="916" height="686" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="5" x="161" y="206" width="761" height="606" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="6" x="44" y="391" width="263" height="942" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="289" y="614" width="948" height="860" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="7" x="705" y="766" width="734" height="814" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="42051" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44085" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="no" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="42052" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="no" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44080" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44084" curr="5" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44081" curr="6" prev="3" isVisible="no" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="0" curr="7" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="0" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="1" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="2" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="5" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="6" activeTab="-1" />
        </GUIConfig>

After action A, we get :

        <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="168" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="124">
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="257" y="440" width="916" height="686" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="5" x="161" y="206" width="761" height="606" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="6" x="44" y="391" width="263" height="942" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="289" y="614" width="948" height="860" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="7" x="705" y="766" width="734" height="814" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="42051" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44080" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44084" curr="5" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="0" curr="7" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="0" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="1" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="2" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="5" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="6" activeTab="-1" />
        </GUIConfig>

After action B, we get :

        <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="168" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="124">
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="257" y="440" width="916" height="686" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="5" x="161" y="206" width="761" height="606" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="6" x="44" y="391" width="263" height="942" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="289" y="614" width="948" height="860" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="7" x="705" y="766" width="734" height="814" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="42051" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44080" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44084" curr="5" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="0" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="0" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="1" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="2" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="5" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="6" activeTab="-1" />
        </GUIConfig>

After action C, the set of values, greater than 4, of the remaining curr attributes, is only {5}. So, if a cont attribute of an element is greater than 4 and different from 5, it must be deleted

Thus, after action D, we get :

        <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="168" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="124">
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="257" y="440" width="916" height="686" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="5" x="161" y="206" width="761" height="606" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="289" y="614" width="948" height="860" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="42051" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44080" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44084" curr="5" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="0" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="0" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="1" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="2" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="5" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="6" activeTab="-1" />
        </GUIConfig>

And, after action E, we get :

        <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="168" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="124">
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="257" y="440" width="916" height="686" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="5" x="161" y="206" width="761" height="606" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="289" y="614" width="948" height="860" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="42051" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44080" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44084" curr="5" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="0" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="0" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="1" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="2" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="5" activeTab="0" />
        </GUIConfig>

After action F, we get :

        <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="168" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="124">
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="257" y="440" width="916" height="686" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="5" x="161" y="206" width="761" height="606" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="42051" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44080" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44084" curr="5" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="0" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="0" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="1" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="2" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="5" activeTab="0" />
        </GUIConfig>

After action G, we get :

        <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="168" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="124">
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="250" y="250" width="700" height="500" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="5" x="161" y="206" width="761" height="606" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="42051" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44080" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44084" curr="5" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="0" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="0" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="1" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="2" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="5" activeTab="0" />
        </GUIConfig>

Finally, as it remains :

0 element <PluginDlg .... />, with curr="0" ( docked to the left edge ) => M = - 1
1 element <PluginDlg .... />, with curr="1" ( docked to the right edge ) => M = 0
0 element <PluginDlg .... />, with curr="2" ( docked to the top edge ) => M = -1
2 elements <PluginDlg .... />, with curr="3" ( docked to the bottom edge ) => M = 1
0 element <PluginDlg .... />, with curr="4" ( undocked windows ) => M = -1
1 element <PluginDlg .... />, with curr="5" ( undocked windows ) => M = 0

So, after action H, changing some <ActiveTabs .... /> elements, we get the updated section, below :

        <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="168" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="124">
            <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="250" y="250" width="700" height="500" />
            <FloatingWindow cont="5" x="161" y="206" width="761" height="606" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="42051" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44080" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44084" curr="5" prev="3" isVisible="yes" />
            <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="0" curr="3" prev="4" isVisible="yes" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="0" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="1" activeTab="0" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="2" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="3" activeTab="1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="4" activeTab="-1" />
            <ActiveTabs cont="5" activeTab="0" />
        </GUIConfig>

Best Regards,

guy038

P.S. :

You may, either, harmonize the width of the left and right panels, as well as the height of the top and bottom panels, changing the first line :

<GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="168" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="124"> as

<GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="200" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="200">

guy038

Hi, @sylvester-bullitt, @peterjones, @alan-kilborn and All,

OMG ! I just forgot this trivial but simple method. Thus, whatever the contents of the <GUIConfig name ..... </GUIConfig> section :

        <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="L" rightWidth="R" topHeight="T" bottomHeight="B">
            .....
            .....
            .....
            .....
        </GUIConfig>

Open your active config.xml file, with Microsoft notepad ( Do NOT use Notepad++ )
Delete all the lines in between
Change the 4 dimension attributes, L, R, T and B, to the value 200, giving, simply :

        <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="200" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="200">
        </GUIConfig>

Save the modifications of the Config.xml file
Restart Notepad++

That’s all. Et voilà !

Remark : of course, this basic method hides all your previous visible panels, as well !

Cheers,

guy038