[Ee-dev] Re: Selecting search strings and functions

[Henry Weller]

Hi Juri,

> I think a global variable is the best way to implement such a search.
> You can create a new command that reads a string to search like
> 
> (defun ee-dselect-search-string (search-string)
>   "Debian package handling frontend."
>   (interactive (read-string "String to search: "))
>   (ee-view-buffer-create
>    (format "*%s*" ee-dselect-mode-name)
>    ee-dselect-mode-name
>    ee-dselect-keymap
>    ee-dselect-data))
> 
> and use `search-string' in the view file instead of the hard-coded string.

That works OK but of course when the view is changed the displayed set reverts
to the complete set.  Perhaps it would be better if the searching is not built
into a view but a "pruning" operation after which any of the views could be used
on the new smaller set.  Also this would allow search after search to narrow the
set, what do you think?  Also it would be good if the field/fields on which the
search is conducted were selectable e.g. via a list of fields which can be
marked or perhaps a table in which the search expression for each field can be 
set.

> Marking in ee is implemented very similar to dired.  So I think it would
> be natural to add another feature of dired: using `!' to run a command
> on selected lines.  Perhaps a new core command should read an argument
> and call r-execute/r-select with this argument.

That would be most general and if specialised versions for a set of common
functions could be written using the general function and bound to keys in the
local map that would be perfect.  With this functionality (and the
search-and-narrow above) it would then be possible to reproduce all of dired
within the ee framework with the hierarchical views which would be great,
something like speedbar+dired only better.

>> It would be great if both these features could be supported in the core of 
>> ee,
>> it would allow much more powerful and flexible ee-packages.
> 
> Thanks, I'll investigate what can be done here.

Great! thanks

Henry