Programmatic Access to "Search Companion" [Gurus only]

[valued customer]

### PROBLEM
User wants the ability to have programmatic access to Explorer 'Search
Companion' in order to enable 'single click' access to frequently-used
file views, as well as greater flexibility.

### PROBLEM DETAILS
In Windows XP, a user is able to 'filter' for files that meet specific
criteria. These criteria are very flexible. The user can, for example,
display files based on text found inside the files, and other useful
stuff.

The problem with this feature is that the user has to type this
information in by hand *each time* she wants to access that particular
'filter' setting.

For example, to display files that contain the word
"pnuemonoultramicroscopicvolcanosiliconiosis" she has to type (or cut
and paste) that into the Search Companion every time she wants to
invoke that filter. If the user has several filters with varying
options, this can become
quickly tedious.

### QUESTION
Is there a user-scriptable way to modify the 'filter' settings of the
Search Companion? Is there an alternate way to modify this
programmatically?
Is there an altogether different way to show a 'dynamically filtered'
subset
of files inside Windows Explorer, such as with wildcards and
text-in-file
searches (without having to use the DOS Prompt)?

Any suggestions? Insight?

[Keith Miller]

After a search has been executed, you have the option under the file menu of saving the search
parameters. Launching the file created from this save gives you the search window with the
parameters filled in, ready to go.

Keith

"valued customer" > wrote in message
om...
> ### PROBLEM
> User wants the ability to have programmatic access to Explorer 'Search
> Companion' in order to enable 'single click' access to frequently-used
> file views, as well as greater flexibility.
>
> ### PROBLEM DETAILS
> In Windows XP, a user is able to 'filter' for files that meet specific
> criteria. These criteria are very flexible. The user can, for example,
> display files based on text found inside the files, and other useful
> stuff.
>
> The problem with this feature is that the user has to type this
> information in by hand *each time* she wants to access that particular
> 'filter' setting.
>
> For example, to display files that contain the word
> "pnuemonoultramicroscopicvolcanosiliconiosis" she has to type (or cut
> and paste) that into the Search Companion every time she wants to
> invoke that filter. If the user has several filters with varying
> options, this can become
> quickly tedious.
>
> ### QUESTION
> Is there a user-scriptable way to modify the 'filter' settings of the
> Search Companion? Is there an alternate way to modify this
> programmatically?
> Is there an altogether different way to show a 'dynamically filtered'
> subset
> of files inside Windows Explorer, such as with wildcards and
> text-in-file
> searches (without having to use the DOS Prompt)?
>
> Any suggestions? Insight?