This might be something especially for @Mohammad , who recently did a list-search macro. But anyway, earlier today, when answering the Notetaking edition thread, I came up with an idea that could be really useful. I am describing it in terms of Tobias’ list-search macro, because I am more familiar with that. But it could be done in the Kookma list-search, too. I don’t have all the time, energy, or all the know how to do this. And I don’t want to have to maintain it like I do with Stroll, which for me is a headache.
Basic idea:
Imagine a list-search with two dropdowns:
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A dropdown to choose the criteria within which to search. If the user chooses ‘Has tag x’, there would also be a tag dropdown to choose an existing tag. Some other basic criteria could be ‘is system’ and ‘is shadow’. This is kind of like the Advanced Search > Filter, but with List-search the results are visible from the outset and are reduced by typing.
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A dropdown of list item templates, to choose how to view the search results:
a) As links (i.e., $:/core/ui/ListItemTemplate)
b) As details elements with links
c) As details elements with edit-button
d) As simple transclusions in text boxes
e) Others that the user creates.
Advantages:
- The criteria makes it easy for new users to create lists of tiddlers by tag, without knowing the workings of the list widget or the list-links macro.
- For all users, there would be fewer clicks to get to Advanced search > Filter.
- Seeing and live filtering of shadow tiddlers and/or system tiddlers from the story river would be handy.
- The list item template dropdown makes it easy to switch between ways of viewing the search results. In particular, the details element with the text field transcluded - see my subsume plugin - would allow viewing the contents while not losing one’s place in the search results.
- Could be a nice sidebar tab for editions.
Anyway, I am not emotionally invested in this. I just think it would be a great tool to help new users, and would also have value for experienced users, too. If someone thinks this idea has merit and wants to create a plugin for it (and/or if @Mohammad wants to add it to his Kookma list-search macro), please tag me in TW Talk if and when you make it public.
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Here is a little bit more info to understand the idea above:
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When I write “criteria” above, I mean the macro’s filter. When I write “list item template” above, I am referring to the macro’s template.
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Basically what I am suggesting is that instead of the user having to type
<<list-search-macro "[!is[system]regexp<term>limit[25]]" template="$:/core/ui/ListItemTemplate" >>
They could type or insert <<list-search-macro>>, and within the macro use dropdowns to choose the filter and template.
Hi David,
Good idea! I just divide this into: Search UI (query part) and Result template (presentation part)
For the search part, @EricShulman has done a great job and I love his PowerSearch.
See FilterGenerators — TiddlyTools: "Small Tools for Big Ideas!" (tm)
I cannot imagine a better solution here!
For presentation part, yes several template can be developed here and used! Like dynamic table I use in the list-search, or The Subsume Plugin — Turn links into sliders!, or simple list like Tobias.
Hi Mohammad!
- I hadn’t seen @EricShulman 's PowerSearch. Very nice tool! I am going to grab that for a few things I do.
- I was thinking more of a “training wheels” version of this in what I wrote above. For a new user, PowerSearch would present too many options and would be visually cluttered. Less is more. Two sliders with 3 to 5 options each, and the ability to create more, would be better.
- For long lists, the list-search function would be preferable to the simple numbered list Eric has at the bottom.
So even though the PowerSearch option is great for advanced users, I think there is still merit in what I described above. What do you think?
Please note that the link provided by @Mohammad is OBSOLETE, and is not being updated. The current version of “PowerSearch” is now here: TiddlyTools/Search/Filters.
This completely re-written search tool is intended as a replacement for the TWCore’s $:/AdvancedSearch Filters tab, and provides a number of extra features:
- select from saved filters or construct filter syntax from parts (the old “PowerSearch” interface, now called “FilterMaker”)
- 2nd-level text-pattern (regexp) search in selected fields to further narrow results
- sort by titles, created/modified dates, tiddler size (bytes)
- perform “bulk” actions on matching tiddlers: add/remove tags, clone/rename, export, delete
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Thank you for the update Eric.
What you ask for would be very helpful and think some of this could be integrated into tiddlywiki not just a standalone solution. In fact we have some great search tools, with sophisticated options where the gap seems to be simpler, “in context searches”.
@DaveGifford do note I raised [RFC] Alternative List Items and features on items in a list with specific view to feedback on alternative list item templates.
- This was what I was looking for.
- I have in fact found a very useful mechanism I am happy to share with anyone working on related tools.
- this solution is intended to result in a subfilter scope as well.
In another approach I obtained inside tiddler wiki and made the macro global, is the show-filter-count then click to search in advanced search, the doco being;
