[Computer Node] Search displays sub-folder files

[Fazer]

In the computer node, search only displays files which are directly inside the selected folder. I would like a setting which allows search to include files contained in sub-folders, like how the windows explorer works.

It is possible to right click a folder > Manage Folders > toggle "Include Files from Sub-Folders" and then search, however this also changes which files are displayed while not searching which is not desired.

I have a list of genre folders, on a regular basis I want to select the parent folder to search within all genre folders. Or my downloads folders contains music files and subfolders with music files inside, I only want to see what's directly in the downloads folder, but while searching include results from inside the subfolders.

I suggest the following setting to be added:
"Search" drop down menu > below "Local Node Only", add "Local Node + Sub-Folders"
Seems like a straightforward description for users to understand, and the behavior would be familiar, like the Windows Explorer search.

("Search" drop down menu > "Entire Library" does not give the desired effect either, search results should be contained within the selected folderstructure.)

[The Incredible Boom Boom]

I'm thinking your scenario would be better handled by making use of the Tag Hierarchy Explorer. MusicBee is music manager that relies on proper tagging structure and less on Windows folder hierarchies. That being said, @Steven may find this request easy enough to implement.

[phred]

From there you can select which folders to display and whether or not to show the files in sub-folders. You can also configure it to -only- show the filtered folders or all folders.

That still wouldn't account for this bit:

It is possible to right click a folder and toggle "Include Files from Sub-Folders" and then search, however this also changes which files are displayed while not searching which is not desired.

I wasn't sure how to word a reply when I first read this request, but essentially OP wants MusicBee to explicity not do the thing they have asked it do. It could be implemented as a separate menu option, but it would be confusing to most users.

[Fazer]

I'm thinking something along the lines of this:
"Search" drop down menu > below "Local Node Only", add "Local Node + Sub-Folders"

Seems like a straightforward description for users to understand. The behavior would be like the windows explorer search, most will be familiar with it.

...essentially OP wants MusicBee to explicity not do the thing they have asked it do...

It's not contradictory: "Include Files from Sub-Folders" controls what is displayed in the track view by default, while my request is specifically about what is displayed when something is searched.

I'm thinking your scenario would be better handled by making use of the Tag Hierarchy Explorer. MusicBee is music manager that relies on proper tagging structure and less on Windows folder hierarchies. That being said, @Steven may find this request easy enough to implement.

How could I use the Tag Hierarchy Explorer for this?

Musicbee works great though as a music file manager + player. I keep a wishlist and this is on top as most realistic feature to be implemented. It's common that someone would want to browse the contents of a bunch of folders by searching the parent folder, without changing the default folder view.

[The Incredible Boom Boom]

How could I use the Tag Hierarchy Explorer for this?

Musicbee works great though as a music file manager + player. I keep a wishlist and this is on top as most realistic feature to be implemented. It's common that someone would want to browse the contents of a bunch of folders by searching the parent folder, without changing the default folder view.

For this part...

I have a list of genre folders, on a regular basis I want to select the parent folder to search within all genre folders.

You could make a list of your genres in the Tag Hierarchy Explorer and it would filter all the associated tracks from there.

[Fazer]

How could I use the Tag Hierarchy Explorer for this?

Musicbee works great though as a music file manager + player. I keep a wishlist and this is on top as most realistic feature to be implemented. It's common that someone would want to browse the contents of a bunch of folders by searching the parent folder, without changing the default folder view.

For this part...

I have a list of genre folders, on a regular basis I want to select the parent folder to search within all genre folders.

You could make a list of your genres in the Tag Hierarchy Explorer and it would filter all the associated tracks from there.

Thanks for the suggestion. Genre tags are great but for practical reasons I stick to a genre folder structure. I can open a folder structure in any software or device and it will display as expected. It's easy to drag tracks between genre folders instead of tagging the genre. Tagging would not bring me the search complexity I would expect in traktor and rekordbox dj softwares, eg: I want to find all songs that contain either "Disco" or "Funk" and they also have to contain "70s" or "80s". This would give me DISCO and FUNK songs from the 70s and 80s. It's not possible to combine two OR statements. And I'm simply not yet brave enough to put all my files in one big folder and rely only on tags only. I've been considering using genre tags for 10 years, but all things considered decided to keep working like this.

Musicbee works great as a music file manager, here is a screenshot of my setup.

Some time has passed, and I frequently find myself in situations where I wish this feature existed. I would like to bring attention to this request again. Thank you!

[elof]

+1
Some kind of recursive search in the filesystem would be nice, not just filtering the current folder view.

[Steven]

you could try using Path starts with "C:\xxx" in an advanced find query or filter/ autoplaylist

[Fazer]

you could try using Path starts with "C:\xxx" in an advanced find query or filter/ autoplaylist

Hey, thanks for the suggestion, I wasn't aware of these features. This solves the issue of having to toggle "Include Files from Sub-Folders" everytime I want to search all my music, that's great     What it doesn't solve is searching particular folders (with sub-folders) in the tree, sometimes you just want to know if a file is within a random group of folders. Also in my setup it requires scrolling up to see the auto playlist, which isn't as convenient as a searchbar which is always visible, always in one spot and not amongst a list of playlists. And users who haven't read this topic probably won't figure out this workaround, it's not an intuitive method (to me at least).

Your suggestion goes a long way but for these reasons I still believe the added search option I suggested in the opening post would be a valuable addition to musicbee which solves the issue entirely. And since it's a search bar setting, it won't clutter preferences.

[boroda]

For this part...

I have a list of genre folders, on a regular basis I want to select the parent folder to search within all genre folders.

You could make a list of your genres in the Tag Hierarchy Explorer and it would filter all the associated tracks from there.

Thanks for the suggestion. Genre tags are great but for practical reasons I stick to a genre folder structure. I can open a folder structure in any software or device and it will display as expected. It's easy to drag tracks between genre folders instead of tagging the genre. Tagging would not bring me the search complexity I would expect in traktor and rekordbox dj softwares, eg: I want to find all songs that contain either "Disco" or "Funk" and they also have to contain "70s" or "80s". This would give me DISCO and FUNK songs from the 70s and 80s. It's not possible to combine two OR statements. And I'm simply not yet brave enough to put all my files in one big folder and rely only on tags only. I've been considering using genre tags for 10 years, but all things considered decided to keep working like this.

you can keep your current folder structure for using it with other software, and properly enter 'genre' tag for using it with MB.

[Fazer]

you can keep your current folder structure for using it with other software, and properly enter 'genre' tag for using it with MB.

My main purpose for musicbee is managing the folder structure of my collection, for use in dj software. I spend most of the time selecting the music, checking quality, sorting into genre folders, setting energy level/mood tags, making mix playlists, way more than listening to enjoy, so using genre tags just to display in musicbee wouldn't make sense in my case. I am using around 100 subgenres, a big plus of using folders is the ease of dragging tracks between folders instead of changing tags, doing double the work would remove that benefit, and the chance of desyncs and confusion would always be present.