Negative Filter?

AKAJohnDoe · Post by **AKAJohnDoe** » 2009 Feb 23, 01:06

I have a number of quasi-toolbars that I bring up off a shortcut that is on my main Windows toolbar. Each of the icons on each of these folders (toolbars, kind of) have custom icons for the shortcuts.

I have them popping up in the X2Solo already.

I want to keep my global setting to see system and hidden files and the like; however, on these specific folders of shortcuts I do not really need to see DESKTOP.INI.

I tried /*desktop.ini*, which works at one level, but shows nothing when dropping down to subfolders. That is, the structure is:
Menu
Admin
Apps
Photo
Secy
Sys
Tools
When I set the "not desktop.ini" filter on the Menu level, the Admin level shows nothing, but tells me items exist and to turn off the filter to see them.

What is the simpliest and/or most elegant method to accomplish this?

fgagnon · Post by **fgagnon** » 2009 Feb 23, 01:32

the negative filter definition for that is simply: -desktop.ini
(either as a "wildcard" rule or a "name" rule)
but there is no command line argument to invoke the filter at start-up.

Alternatively, if those shortcuts are the ONLY ones using x2solo, just use the x2 option to not show hidden files and folders. It will, of course, hide more than desktop.ini. (or you could define another layout for use by those shortcuts and set it to not show hidden files & folders.)

All of the above simple, but probably not as elegant or not as precise as it seems you are looking for.

AKAJohnDoe · Post by **AKAJohnDoe** » 2009 Feb 23, 01:34

-desktop.ini does the same thing with the subfolders. It seems like it would be the easiest solution, but does not seem to be working as I would expect.

In fact, applying the -desktop.ini filter at the Admin folder level by itself seems to show nothing.

Also, going in via X2 (not x2solo) and creating a filter -desktop.ini on the Admin folder level does the same thing: items exist ...

They are all just shortcuts in that folder.

I am puzzled.

AKAJohnDoe · Post by **AKAJohnDoe** » 2009 Feb 23, 01:45

I figured it out, but I am still puzzled as to why it makes a difference.

The shortcuts have special characters in their names. e.g.:

¤ CMD ¤
+ FDNS +

Post by **nikos** » 2009 Feb 23, 09:13

i have understood exactly nothing!

what do toolbars have to do with filters etc

AKAJohnDoe · Post by **AKAJohnDoe** » 2009 Feb 23, 16:13

OK.

I have a folder of shortcuts (link) that I have set up as a windows toolbar.

The second icon on this toolbar invokes x2solo on behalf of another folder full of shortcuts. Since some of the shortcuts have custom icons there is a desktop.ini in that directory. I simply do not want to see the desktop.ini file in this context.

If I assign a filter -desktop.ini to that view of the folder in x2solo, the desktop.ini is no longer shown. All well and good so far?

However, when I select one of the shortcuts from there which invokes another folder of shortcuts, ADMIN in this case for example, x2solo shows nothing and informs me that items exist; turn off visual filter to see them.

I have determined that this is due to the shortcuts that are contained within the ADMIN folder having names with special characters.

I am puzzled as to why a visual filter of -desktop.ini would also filter ^Menu and ¤ CMD ¤ and + FDNS +. In fact, having any negative visual filter enabled exhibits this erroneous behavior. I suspect that the OR/XOR used to implement the negative filter is not utilizing the entire ASCII character set; only the alphanumerics.

X2 and X2Solo both behave similarly. And both display these shortcuts correctly without a visual filter enabled.

fgagnon · Post by **fgagnon** » 2009 Feb 23, 17:10

I don't know why -desktop.ini as a wildcard filters out more than desktop.ini, but I verified the behavior. And whether there were special characters in the filename or not, didn't matter: they were all filtered out.

Try adding any wildcard character before or after or both viz:
-*desktop.ini or -desktop.ini? or -*desktop.ini*
That worked for me.

What also works is Show items according to rule | Additional rules:
with the Rule being: -desktop.ini

Post by **nikos** » 2009 Feb 23, 17:22

when x2 sees a filter without any wildcards it adds them so -desktop.ini turns into *-desktop.ini* which hides everything. To combat this use *,-desktop.ini which is what -desktop.ini means anyway (see comma separator)

AKAJohnDoe · Post by **AKAJohnDoe** » 2009 Feb 23, 17:55

I will try that when I get back to that machine in a little bit.

So, essentially AND the NOT with an everything, eh? I have to admit, I had not yet tried that!

Although that does not explain why using a filter of -desktop.ini shows shortcuts with names like Test but not shortcuts with names like ^Test in the same folder.

AKAJohnDoe · Post by **AKAJohnDoe** » 2009 Feb 23, 18:30

*,-desktop.ini does in fact work. I am no longer puzzled.

Still, I will need to experiment with alternative layouts and such as, it was previously noted, there is no facility to apply a filter on start-up.

fgagnon · Post by **fgagnon** » 2009 Feb 23, 19:47

I should have recognized that this case is the complement of an earlier discussion, and suggested right away to use *,-desktop.ini

PS - I updated that discussion to include the case in point here,
... but not the reported mystery (which I cannot reproduce) as to why

AKAJohnDoe wrote:that does not explain why using a filter of -desktop.ini shows shortcuts with names like Test but not shortcuts with names like ^Test in the same folder.

which appears to be a non-issue, as the original "How do I ... filter" question is answered; but not the start-up with filter invoked (implied) feature request. ;)

AKAJohnDoe · Post by **AKAJohnDoe** » 2009 Feb 23, 21:05

I am OK with the resolution I chose to implement: I went with what seemed to be the simpliest; Changing the options for x2Solo to not show hidden and system files.

It would be useful to be have the ability to start with a filter, though.