Customize File Explorer Search Default Columns

Excellent, thank you guys for the replies!

I've been looking in that area of the registry to look at how File Explorer remembers column settings. I do have automatic folder type discovery forced to general for all folders. I'll study those suggestions soon and see if I can resolve this. I have some other stuff I'm working on right now and I'll look into it a bit later, just wanted to thank you guys for the suggestions at this point.

Happy to report I'm making headway with this by by modifying the templates here;

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{7fde1a1e-8b31-49a5-93b8-6be14cfa4943}\TopViews

At this point I still need to size columns and I want the Path field in there, but I don't know it's canonical name. Can someone save me the trouble of ferreting it out?

Try3 said:

Keith,

It does seem to me that your method addresses the intended subject and is a solution that I have not previously tried. I'll have to study your posts in this thread and the linked thread again to understand exactly what your suggestion is. I think your suggestion
- Starts by deleting any existing HKCU Registry keys that override the intended search results views
- Then writes {something} into the HKCU key
- but I do not currently understand how the hoped-for search results views are set in the first place in order then to be restored.

1 I currently set up the required Default folder views [Music, Documents, Videos, General, Pictures] and apply them to all views of that folder type.
2 I think what you are saying is that I should add in the step of customising the folders in a search result for each Default folder view [Music, Documents, Videos, General, Pictures] before I then apply them to all views of that folder type. {added a few minutes later - I just tried this but it had no effect on the search results view of another folder of the same type}
3 I think what you are saying is that I can then use your powershell script [or an equivalent reg script] to backup-restore the Default folder views and by so doing I am also restoring their search results views.

Am I on the right track? If so I can start trying it out.

@Edwin @KeithM - I am grateful for your continued contributions despite the awkwardness of our differing timezones.

Denis

Search Result views aren't affected by using 'Apply to folders'
. That only works for Generic, Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, Contacts, and one or two other types. As you probably know, when you use 'Apply to folders', values are created under:

Code:

'HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Defaults'

So if you have a value there named '{7D49D726-3C21-4F05-99AA-FDC2C9474656}', you have used 'Apply to folders' when viewing a folder using the Documents template. These settings now override the default view settings found under:

Code:

HKLM\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{7d49d726-3c21-4f05-99aa-fdc2c9474656}\TopViews\{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}

But Explorer doesn't look for Search Results overrides, so if we want to modify those templates, we have to modify the source ---- the keys under FolderTypes.

The bit of PowerShell I posted earlier just gives you a per-user copy of HKLM\...\FolderTypes to "play with". I didn't include any changes to any of the templates yet.

I have to get going again. Sorry I can't post more right now.

Keith

Thanks for your guidance KeithM.

So far I have the template working the way I want, found the canonical name of the Path field. Just need to get the column widths set up. The following reg tweak gets my columns and view the way I want, but as I said I still need column widths;

Code:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{7fde1a1e-8b31-49a5-93b8-6be14cfa4943}\TopViews\{bdbe736f-34f5-4829-abe8-b550e65146c4}]
"ColumnList"="prop:0System.ItemNameDisplay;0System.ItemFolderPathDisplay"
"LogicalViewMode"=dword:00000001

Got the columns sized so my issue is pretty much resolved now. Though there's one little thing I'd like to add if possible. Searches come up in the desired view, but there's no search order selected. Is it possible to make searches come up sorted on the second column?

I think if you modify the 'SortByList' entry and lead with your desired column:

Code:

SortByList"="prop:System.ItemFolderPathDisplay;System.ItemNameDisplay"

it should do the trick.

Did you add column widths to your column list like so?

Code:

"ColumnList"="prop:0(34)System.ItemNameDisplay;0(50)System.ItemFolderPathDisplay"

I ask because if you just adjusted column widths in a Search Results window, you will see those saved for a while, but they may disappear on you.

Keith