Hi,
I’d like to request a standard feature that’s common in Finder-style windows, usually called “Type Ahead.” Serato calls their version “Playback Keys Use Shift,” and VirtualDJ calls theirs browserSearchByFirstLetter.
I want to point out that this is completely different from folder/playlist search, and the two get conflated:
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Type Ahead — instantly locates the playlist or column entry you want. You already know the name you’re looking for, so you type the first letter(s) and it jumps straight there. This is a 1-step process: type → land on it. It’s the fastest, real-time way to jump straight to the crate/playlist you want — nothing quicker. Whatever window is in focus or whichever column is selected determines what gets matched — it works this way both for locating a playlist and for jumping to entries inside a playlist itself. Both Serato and VirtualDJ already have this.
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Search Folder (VirtualDJ’s term) / crate search — completely different: this searches across multiple crates/playlists at once and gives you a list of matches that contain the text you typed, then you pick which one you want. This is a 4-step process: 1) search, 2) look at results, 3) click, 4) choose the result — versus Type Ahead’s single step.
These solve entirely different problems and are used in completely different workflows. They are not interchangeable. Please consider implementing both rather than treating a global search box as a replacement for native type-ahead navigation. Also please notice these are very different from Favorites bank workflow as well.
Thank you!
