Search++: A work in progress

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.)

Coises

Search++ version 0.7.0.2 is a test of my second attempt at improved bookmark handling. Help and change log have not been updated.

@guy038, @peterjones, @astewart77 and anyone else interested, please let me know if this is better than the last attempt, and anything you would like to be different.

Fixed right-click in Find or Search box causing next left-click on a Search++ menu to act as if it were a right-click.
Some changes in the wording and organization of the Configure bookmarks dialog.
Separated Invert and Synchronize into sub-menus on the Tools menu, with all sub-menu choices now independent of the Configure bookmarks settings.

Hopefully the Configure bookmarks dialog is a little more clear now. I rearranged it as @guy038 suggested, putting the Bookmark lines when marking text check box at the top and disabling everything when it is not checked, and I made some changes in wording:

In version 0.7.0.1, the Invert marked text and Synchronize bookmarks to marked text commands on the Tools menu were affected by some settings in the Configure bookmarks dialog but not by others. It was confusing.

In version 0.7.0.2 the dialog is more explicit about what commands respond to the settings in the bottom box. The commands that were previously exceptions are now on sub-menus, Invert marks or bookmarks and Synchronize marks and bookmarks. Each sub-menu has several options, none of which depend on settings in the Configure bookmarks dialog.

A downside to this is that there are no keyboard shortcuts for the items on the sub-menus. (There are only a couple available shortcuts left, and I can’t see how I could prioritize one over another.)

The sub-menu options that are qualified with “excluding line endings” mark entire lines to match bookmarks, but avoid marking the line ending characters.
“Add (book)marks” vs “(Book)Mark only” distinguishes adding to preexisting marks or bookmarks from clearing them first.

All feedback is welcome and appreciated.

guy038

Hi, @coises,

Yesterday, I did not have time to thoroughly test your 0.7.0.1 release. So, today, I downloaded your last v0.7.0.2 release that I’m presently testing !

See you later, in the evening ( in France ! )

BR

guy038

guy038

Hello, @coises,

For, the tests below, I needed, of course, to un-check the Always unmark all text before Mark command. (Otherwise add to existing marked text.) option in Settings

Regarding the present Synchronize marks and bookmarks sub-mneu, below :

Add a bookmark to each line with marked text
Add a bookmark to the first line of each span of marked text

Bookmark only lines with marked text
Bookmark only the first line of each span of marked text

Bookmark visible lines

Add marks to all text in bookmarked lines
Mark only text in bookmarked lines

Add marks to all text in bookmarked lines, excluding line endings
Mark only text in bookmarked lines,excluding line endings

Two observations :

1 I don’t think that the options which mark only the first line of each span of marked text are really useful. Actually, the goal is more to mark all the lines that meet a certain criterion, in order to navigate between these lines, copy / cut theses lines for pasting in a other location or file or deleting these ones !

2 With native N++, whatever you use the ^.* or ^.*\R regex to mark AND boomark lines, then using the Copy Bookmarked lines of N++ and pasting in an other document, even with an other kind of EOL, just paste the bookmarked lines according to the EOL of the pasting document

So, most of the time, taking the line-breaks in account is not necessary ! However, adding the line-breaks characters is useful as it also includes the true empty lines !

Thus, this would simplify the Synchronize marks and bookmarks sub-menu to the following one :

Bookmark only lines containing marked text
Clear all bookmarks, then bookmark only lines containing marked text

Bookmark visible lines

Mark all text and EOLs of the bookmarked lines
Clear all marks, then mark all text and EOLs of the bookmarked lines

Now, regarding the present Invert marks or bookmarks sub menu, below :

A Invert marked text
  Invert marked text, excluding unmarked line endings

C Invert marked text and sync bookmarks
  Invert marked text, excluding unmarked line endings, and sync bookmarks

B Invert bookmarks
D Invert bookmarks and mark only bookmarked lines
  Invert bookmarks and mark only bookmarked lines, excluding line endings

This time, I would avoid any option that excludes the EOLs and I propose this new sub-menu :

A Invert only the marked text

B Invert only the bookmarks

D Invert bookmarks, then mark all text and EOL of the bookmarked lines

C Invert marked text, then bookmark all lines containing marked text

Remarks :

The letters preceding the options serve to link this present submenu to the future possible submenu !
Note that running, consecutively, the A and B actions is equivalent to the D action
Note also that in these two sub-menus, I specified, when necessary, the two consecutive steps to make it easier to understand :

For example :

Clear all bookmarks, then bookmark only lines containing marked text
Clear all marks, then mark all text and EOLs of the bookmarked lines
D Invert bookmarks, then mark all text and EOL of the bookmarked lines
C Invert marked text, then bookmark all lines containing marked text

It’s easier to see the first action done : on the bookmarks OR on the marks

BR

guy038

Again, I forgot to thank you for the fix when you do a first right-click within the Find or Replace boxes !

guy038

Hi, @coises,

Oh…, my God, I’m just realizing that I did all my previous tests with the main Bookmark lines with marking text option OFF, so with the Search++ Configure bookmark dialog all greyed !

Thus, my tests are quite incomplete :-(( I’ll continue testing … !

BR

guy038

guy038

Hello, @coises and All,

Thus, I chose these options within the Search++: Configure bookmarks dialog :

And ultimately, given the chosen options, the only differences are :

When you mark something, it automatically bookmarks the associated line
When you unmark something, it automatically removes the bookmark of the associated line

Best Regards

guy038

Coises

@guy038 said:

And ultimately, given the chosen options, the only differences are :

When you mark something, it automatically bookmarks the associated line

When you unmark something, it automatically removes the bookmark of the associated line

Yes, that is one of the changes from 0.7.0.1 to 0.7.0.2, that Invert and Synchronize (previously commands, now sub-menus of commands) are no longer affected by the Configure bookmarks settings at all. That made it sensible to put all the settings under Bookmark lines when marking text. and disable them when that option is unchecked.

Coises

@guy038 said:

For, the tests below, I needed, of course, to un-check the Always unmark all text before Mark command. (Otherwise add to existing marked text.) option in Settings

I don’t know if it’s clear, but that only affects Mark search commands. It doesn’t affect any commands on the Tools menu.

There are two times when a successful Mark search command unmarks existing text first. (A command that doesn’t find a match never unmarks.) One is when that option is checked: in that case, all Mark search commands clear existing marks before marking matching text. The other case is Mark in Marked text. When that command is chosen or defaulted, existing marks are cleared before marking the first match regardless of whether Always unmark… is checked, because otherwise the command could not accomplish anything: it would only be marking text that is already marked.

The Configure bookmarks option Mark commands that unmark before searching also clear bookmarks. is related to this. If either of the above cases applies and that box is checked and Bookmark lines when marking text is checked, bookmarks are cleared as well as marks.

Hopefully that does what most people would want and expect without them having to think through all those details.

Regarding the present Synchronize marks and bookmarks sub-mneu, below :
Add a bookmark to each line with marked text
Add a bookmark to the first line of each span of marked text

Bookmark only lines with marked text
Bookmark only the first line of each span of marked text

Bookmark visible lines

Add marks to all text in bookmarked lines
Mark only text in bookmarked lines

Add marks to all text in bookmarked lines, excluding line endings
Mark only text in bookmarked lines,excluding line endings
Two observations :

1 I don’t think that the options which mark only the first line of each span of marked text are really useful. Actually, the goal is more to mark all the lines that meet a certain criterion, in order to navigate between these lines, copy / cut theses lines for pasting in a other location or file or deleting these ones !

Yes, I have wondered if any of that, in the Synchronize sub-menu or in the Configure bookmarks dialog, is useful. It was how I expected bookmarks would work with search and that’s how I first implemented it; then I saw that Notepad++ doesn’t just bookmark the lines where each match began, it marks every line containing any part of a match.

I suspect it’s a lot less common to search for matches that span multiple lines than for matches contained in a single line, so maybe few people even notice the difference.

I think I would either leave it in both the Configure bookmarks dialog and the Synchronize menu or take it out of both. I left it out of the Invert sub-menu because I couldn’t figure out a way to make it make much sense when doing inversion with bookmarks.

2 With native N++, whatever you use the ^.* or ^.*\R regex to mark AND boomark lines, then using the Copy Bookmarked lines of N++ and pasting in an other document, even with an other kind of EOL, just paste the bookmarked lines according to the EOL of the pasting document

So, most of the time, taking the line-breaks in account is not necessary ! However, adding the line-breaks characters is useful as it also includes the true empty lines !

Thus, this would simplify the Synchronize marks and bookmarks sub-menu to the following one :
Bookmark only lines containing marked text
Clear all bookmarks, then bookmark only lines containing marked text

Bookmark visible lines

Mark all text and EOLs of the bookmarked lines
Clear all marks, then mark all text and EOLs of the bookmarked lines

I have to think about this some more. I can agree that having line endings / no line endings variants in those menus makes them more complex to read and use.

Inverting marked text can yield some strange results. For example, say you matched a full line, but not its line ending, so it alone is marked and bookmarked. Now you Invert marked text and sync bookmarks. The line ending on that line wasn’t marked, so when you invert marks it is marked; since there is a mark on the line (though you can’t see it if you don’t show line endings), the line is also bookmarked. Every line in the document is now bookmarked, including the originally marked and bookmarked line that now has no visible marks (they’re hidden along with the line endings).

Though I don’t think I should ignore line endings on the programming side — as per my example above — it could be that I can “hide” the unexpected behavior from users so they don’t have to think about it. The tricky bit is being confident that I really have covered all the cases that would be confusing to a user if I don’t force them to think about line endings.