Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Discussion related to "Everything" 1.5 Alpha.
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designer
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2022 11:00 am

Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by designer »

Hello
Dear Sirs,
Hereby a feature request for "define colors by file type"
Similar to software "Total Commander"
Thank you.
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meteorquake
Posts: 367
Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2016 9:44 pm

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by meteorquake »

It's an interesting idea.

I think with Everything, it could be made a bit more general so that a filter equation is assigned a colouring (rather than restricting results). For example, you might want files older than a certain age to be greyed out so the ones you are recently working on are more prominent. Equally the filter could target extensions.

David
void
Developer
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Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by void »

The next alpha update will have basic support for color filters via the Everything.ini.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I'll make a post here once this is ready for testing.
meteorquake
Posts: 367
Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2016 9:44 pm

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by meteorquake »

Can I mention a bit more about how colouring might be useful.
It would be useful to put keywords in filenames that trigger certain styles. To illustrate the concept, if the filename had the word $GRN then Everything could be made to make its background glow green in the list or thumb view.
Such words could have been placed there by other processes. For example I currently have a VBS script I run from a folder right-click that adjusts the titles of files whenever there is a jump in timestamp of more than 15 mins (it ensures the word START is in the title), as this highlights changes of photographic sequence when they are placed in a single folder. Having those glow a colour due to some filter by detecting the word START would be very helpful.
Conceptually it's related to a different suggestion made once where you can trigger a layout marker (such as a gap, start of next line, line across, background colour) whenever a comparison of one file's attributes is made with the prior one in the list proves true. So for example if the results were sorted by path you could trigger a line across when the path changes as you go vertically down the list, but it could equally be triggered by a timestamp jump of more than 15 mins, or change of calendrical year.
David
void
Developer
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Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by void »

You'll be able to control the foreground color, background color and font style (bold or normal) for each filename filter.
Dark and light themes have separate settings.

I'll keep it basic to start with.
At some stage, I feel this will need separate color settings for each state, eg: selected, inactive selected, drop-target, mouseover etc...
I will consider layout marker settings.

Thank you for the suggestions.

It will be useful to get the back end going before I start a UI.
The UI probably won't exist til Everything 1.6.
designer
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2022 11:00 am

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by designer »

void wrote: Thu Dec 01, 2022 11:29 am The next alpha update will have basic support for color filters via the Everything.ini.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I'll make a post here once this is ready for testing.
Thank you for further improving your great application.
void
Developer
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Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by void »

Everything 1.5.0.1331a adds basic support for creating color filters via your Everything ini.

To create a color filter:
  • Copy and paste the following into your Everything search box:
    about:config
  • Press ENTER in your Everything search box.
    ---this will open your %APPDATA%\Everything\Everything-1.5a.ini in Notepad---
  • Please change the following lines:

    color_filters=
    color_filters_foreground_color=
    color_filters_dark_foreground_color=

    to:

    color_filters="*.mid;*.mp3;*.flac;*.ogg";"*.mpg;*.avi;*.mp4;*.mkv"
    color_filters_foreground_color=#c86e77;#cb454e
    color_filters_dark_foreground_color=#c86e77;#cb454e

    where each setting is a semicolon (;) delimited list of values.
    Leave a value empty to use the default color/font-style.
    Filters support wildcards or regex with the regex: prefix.
    The whole filename is matched.
    Use a path separator to match the full path and filename.
    Use double quotes to escape your filters which are also semicolon (;) delimited lists.
    Use \ inside double quotes to escape special characters, eg: \\ or \"
    Use #RRGGBB for the color, where RR is the hex value for red, GG is the hex value for green and BB is the hex value for blue.
  • Save changes and exit Notepad.
  • In Everything, accept the prompt to reload your configuration file.
meteorquake
Posts: 367
Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2016 9:44 pm

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by meteorquake »

Thanks for the quick work!
I found the foreground colour works but not the background colour - I had red as foreground which showed clearly but switching fore and back colours didn't give a red background.
At some stage it would be good to call these up from the search syntax so they can be used for specific tasks and in predefined filters (the search may specify several names rather than simply one) so it may be the filters would need to be given names, and I guess no name or perhaps the name "global" or "default" would mean it globally applies. Perhaps if we're looking for a name they can be called "Formatters" or maybe "Conditional Formatting" would be a familiar term for them from existing spreadsheet implementations!
David
void
Developer
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Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by void »

Support for changing the background color and font-style is currently disabled. (It still needs some work)

I will consider Conditional Formatting.
Thank you for the suggestion.
meteorquake
Posts: 367
Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2016 9:44 pm

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by meteorquake »

I've attached my current usage method for interest, where I'm using it to highlight transitions of photographic sequences.
A VBS script marks time transitions of over 15 mins within a folder (i.e. plants photographed on different occasions) with a keyword START, and Everything highlights items with that keyword in red.
This presumes they're sorted in date order, and that's an example of where controllability of when to apply the formatter comes in.
A Transition Formatter would be the ideal for this and many other tasks, but this is a really big help just to have this colouring!
David
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void
Developer
Posts: 15096
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by void »

Everything 1.5.0.1332a makes some changes to color filters.

You can now specify a color filter type.

The type can be one of the following values:
0 = use default
1 = match folders only
2 = match files only
3 = match files and folders.

Currently, the default value of 0 will match files only.



Background color will be too tricky for Everything 1.5.
You would need to be able to specify colors for multiple states (eg: selected, drop target, inactive-selected, etc...) for this to be usable.



To set a color filter for folders only:
  • Change
    color_filters=
    color_filters_foreground_color=
    color_filters_dark_foreground_color=
    color_filters_type=
    to:
    color_filters=*
    color_filters_foreground_color=#ff0000
    color_filters_dark_foreground_color=#ff0000
    color_filters_type=1
    -where #ff0000 is the color in RRGGBB hexadecimal.
verviers
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2022 7:48 am

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by verviers »

meteorquake wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 8:44 pm I think with Everything, it could be made a bit more general
As for example, to define color in filter properties for files, modified after 12.01.2023. To set color for such files as Green. And they become green as soon as we switch to this filter. Looking forward to this super-feature.
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void
Developer
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Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by void »

I will consider conditional color filters.

Thank you for the suggestion.
Tomanic
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Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2023 1:08 am

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by Tomanic »

Everything 1.5.0.1341a (x64) - when I define several color filters in Everything.ini (e.g. one for video formats, one for image formats) Everything removes them and only keeps the last set of settings. E.g. if I put this in the ini:

color_filters="*.AVI;*.MKV;*.MP4;*.WMV"
color_filters_type=0
color_filters_foreground_color=#ff7e40
color_filters_dark_foreground_color=#ff7e40
color_filters="*.JPG;*.PNG;*.PSD"
color_filters_type=0
color_filters_foreground_color=#00ff40
color_filters_dark_foreground_color=#00ff40

then only the second part with image formats will stay after reloading while the part concerning videos is removed. Did I misunderstood and it's possible to only use one custom color filter setting?
Last edited by Tomanic on Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
NotNull
Posts: 5167
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 9:22 pm

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by NotNull »

There can only be one (1) color_filters (etc) entry. If you define multiple color_filters= entries, the previous ones will be overwritten.

Instead use ; to separate multiple settings, just like in the example @void provided:

color_filters="*.mid;*.mp3;*.flac;*.ogg";"*.mpg;*.avi;*.mp4;*.mkv"
color_filters_foreground_color=#c86e77;#cb454e
color_filters_dark_foreground_color=#c86e77;#cb454e
Tomanic
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2023 1:08 am

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by Tomanic »

Thank you very much for pointing this out NotNull, Everything is clear now!
NotNull
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Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 9:22 pm

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by NotNull »

You're welcome!
Tomanic wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:30 pm Everything is clear colored now!
Fixed that for you :D ;)
Tomanic
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2023 1:08 am

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by Tomanic »

NotNull wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:46 pm You're welcome!
Tomanic wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:30 pm Everything is clear colored now!
Fixed that for you :D ;)
:D :D :D
void
Developer
Posts: 15096
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Feature request: Define Colors by file type

Post by void »

Everything 1.5.0.1367a adds support for color filters to the folder sidebar.
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