Search with Everything doesn't work in folders with short (DOS 8.3) names

[Fla$her]

Execute cd %Temp% on XP, for example. You will see C:\DOCUME~1\<Username>\LOCALS~1\Temp\ in the header.
Press Alt+F7, check the Everything checkbox if necessary, and press Enter.

Result: nothing will be found.
The presence of ed: with any parameters doesn't change the situation.

[petermad]

Confirmed - but only if "Configuration" -> "Display" -> "Use long names (recommended" is disabled

[Fla$her]

but only if "Configuration" -> "Display" -> "Use long names (recommended" is disabled

Not confirmed. This option was enabled for me.

[petermad]

Then your %temp% variable must have been set with the short name (which it is not by default in my XP)

[Fla$her]

HKCU\Environment\TEMP=%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp
USERPROFILE=C:\Documents and Settings\<USERNAME>

js —>

Code: Select all

WSH.echo(WSH.createObject('Scripting.FileSystemObject').getSpecialFolder(2))   // —> C:\DOCUME~1\<User>\LOCALS~1\Temp
WSH.echo(WSH.createObject("WScript.Shell").ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%TEMP%")) // —> C:\DOCUME~1\<User>\LOCALS~1\Temp
WSH.echo(WSH.createObject("WScript.Shell").environment("PROCESS")("TEMP"))     // —> C:\DOCUME~1\<User>\LOCALS~1\Temp
WSH.echo(WSH.createObject("WScript.Shell").environment("USER")("TEMP"))        // —> %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp

[petermad]

Hmm, I had changed my %TEMP% and had saved the original default variable in %TEMPOld% - the same value as yours (%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp) And if I use cd %TEMPOld% then the path above the file panel is not changed to short 8.3 name, but if set TEMP=%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp then cd %TEMP% changes the path to short name.

Same thing if I set TEST=%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp - then cd %TEST% does not use the short name in the path.

%TMP% is treated the same way as %TEMP% , but any other variable name pointing to %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp does not change the path to the short name.

BTW in 'Everything' I cannot search for paths whith short names e.g.progra~1
In 'Everything' I can use shortfilename:progra~1[/b] but it is very slow.

[Fla$her]

TEMP and TMP are some kind of unique cases, it turns out. In this case, it's better to get the value not from the process, but from the user.

BTW in 'Everything' I cannot search for paths whith short names e.g.progra~1

This means that TC must convert such paths automatically before searching, regardless of the specified option.

[ghisler(Author)]

This is intentional and will not be changed. TC does not convert paths it receives from short to long names, the user may actually want to open the short path name. You can change the variables if it bothers you that you get the short name.

Also TC cannot know whether Everything can see a certain path or not.

Moderator message from: ghisler(Author) » 2026-04-15, 08:12 UTC

Moved to will not be changed

[Fla$her]

TC does not convert paths it receives from short to long names, the user may actually want to open the short path name.

It's not about opening, it's about providing absolute paths for searching with Everything.

You can change the variables if it bothers you that you get the short name.

How to change it? Why doesn't TC do this? What is the point of an option that doesn't work?

[petermad]

Hmm, is it even possible for TC to determine wether a name like test~1 is a short name or just a user-entered name that happens to end with ~1

[ghisler(Author)]

Hmm, is it even possible for TC to determine wether a name like test~1 is a short name or just a user-entered name that happens to end with ~1

It would have to read each directory in the path and look for the name test~1 either in the long or short name field. While doable, it would be rather slow. And that's not all of the problems - the user wouldn't expect search results like
c:\test folder\test file.txt
when starting the search in test~1.

[Fla$her]

2ghisler(Author)
You didn't respond to my post.

[ghisler(Author)]

To which one? You made 5 posts (plus one asking that).

[Fla$her]

To which one? You made 5 posts (plus one asking that).

That's a strange question. I reached out to you with quotes after your first publication with the mod box. You didn't react. Other posts have nothing to do with it.

[Fla$her]

2ghisler(Author)
You still haven't answered:
1. Why can't you pass an absolute path to Everything?
2. Why does the enabled option "Use long names (recommended)" not work in the given case?