Find actions should use more modern filtering mechanism

[tivervac]

Most modern editors use fuzzy searching or subsequence searching. This basically means they add wildcards in between characters allowing for the following:

• I want to go the file AliasFormattingTest.java
• I do a Ctrl+3 and type aliasformtest
• The file shows up

Right now this doesn't work, Aliasform works, and so those FormattingTest but Aformattingtest doesn't again. This is a phenomenon that's very prevalent in Eclipse and makes it feel less modern. Ctrl+Shift+T and R, Ctrl + O, ... - Open Type, Open Resource, and Quick Outline in JDT - suffer from the same issue. Basically, if you don't know the name of the file you have to type wildcard * all over your query.

[jonahgraham]

Content assist suggestions does use this fuzzy searching (in JDT) with the preference Java -> Editor -> Content Assist -> Show subword matches. This request is to add the same type of searching to all other places.

Ideally a solution to this problem would be done so all extensions that use this type of functionality can take advantage, e.g. PyDev and CDT's open type should be able to easily take advantage of this too.

[mickaelistria]

This would be relatively easy to implement, however it wouldn't be a general change; it would have to be particular to file match and then other matches... OpenResourceQuickAccessComputer#computeElements is where such magic can happen, PRs are welcome.

[jonahgraham]

however it wouldn't be a general change

I think it can be the basis of a general change by enhancing SearchPattern to have a new search option that achieves the goal in #741 (comment). Then anywhere that searches can use the new API. This would be similar to what was done to enhance things in f31b811.

Additionally, as @vogella said in #12 (comment):

If the matching algorithm can be adjusted easily why not change it without any API changes? I think it would be OK for our search to become better without offering API to go back to the "not so nice" behavior.

[jonahgraham]

Note that Eclipse IDE WG Funded Development Effort #21 has been raised to resolve this problem.

[guw]

@jonahgraham Please note that Java -> Editor -> Content Assist -> Show subword matches is very expensive and only works reasonable fast in small/medium workspaces. A more efficient implementation is needed if this is enabled at scale for Ctrl/Cmd+3 dialog.

[jonahgraham]

Thank you @guw for pointing that out. I think we should set some performance parameters.

e.g. If we import all projects in simrel (all git repos in simrel.aggran imported as a single project) that is about 660,000 files. Is this a sufficiently big workspace?

[guw]

That sounds like a good example. Having a benchmark done to confirm the numbers not regressing will help.

[vrozkovec]

Related: #1241