Shoutbox

Only happens on Windows 7, not on Windows XP:


Installed Messenger Plus! long time ago. A few weeks ago I noticed the Find dialogue box that comes up after pressing CTRL + F in the Chat Log Viewer (log veiwer.exe) brings up a new Find box which searches instantly and does not wait for me to finish typing and press enter. The previous one did (which is on XP as well). No amount of downgrading or upgrading of the software works. Why did this happen? How do I get the old one back?

Box that I want and which used to come:




New box:

Did you upgrade your IE8 to IE9 on Windows 7?

Yes, I did and I suspected that may be the case, but when I downgraded to IE8, it was still the same. I asked a friend and he has everything the same, including IE9, but he has the old search box.

quote:

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Originally posted by Sierra117
Only happens on Windows 7, not on Windows XP

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incorrect...

On Windows XP I also have the second searchbox....

The standard windows searchbox used when you press CTRL+F or F3 depends on what MSIE version you have installed (More specifically on the version of oleacc.dll I think *not verified*).

This hasn't got anything todo with Messenger Plus!. Messenger Plus! simply uses the MSIE browser component to display the chat logs in the Log Viewer, and therefore it also inherits MSIE's functions like this search box. So, Messenger Plus! can't do anything about it.

The 'new' search box was introduced in MSIE 8 afaik.

Also beware that 'downgrading' windows programs will not always install the complete previous versions of all the needed components of that program. If a newer component was found/already installed, it might not be overwritten with the old one. This to ensure compatibility in Windows in general and to avoid that you, by installing a program, you overwrite an up-to-date component with a buggy old one.

eg: many (good) installers will first check if a certain component has been installed and has a specific version number or above prior to installing that specific component. If so, that component will not be 'installed' but simply be skipped and the installer will move on to the next component to install for the program.

Other than that, the second style search box is more versitile, though the search starts immediatly it otherwise works in the exact same way. I don't see why you would want the first one though...

Hey CookieRevised, thanks for that insight, I really wanted to know what was responsible for the different search boxes because my registry adventures didn't help much.

I never saw the change in XP to the search box after upgrading Plus!, hence why I said it only happens on Win7. I didn't mean to generalise, but maybe I was a tad ambiguous.

The reason why I prefer the old one, is because:

1) Instant searching removes the context and jumps down. Sometimes I'm looking at text in front within the chat and keying in words into the search box.

2) A large chat log (i.e. lots of talk recorded in the same session or there are several messages recorded) means that search becomes VERY slow. Often it stops accepting letters till it finds ALL the matches of the already-entered letters.

And of course, being familiar with searching algorithms, I do prefer that the processor does not waste time searching for things I don't want it to.

I really want the older one back. I didn't know that it is, as you say, probably related to the MSIE version/oleac.dll, so I appreciate that a lot. Where exactly is this file located? It would save me some time if you already know. Also, if you do know where I can get the older one from (I will obviously search myself right now) then that would be a huge help too. I hope you are right about it being related to this file.

Also, if I may ask, how did you come to notice that it is this file?

Thank you!

I'm not 100% sure oleacc.dll is the culprint, but some things point to that. However, I very very very very discourage you to downgrade that file (or anything else you may find)!

You will most likely break many more things (including stuff you might not notice right away) in many programs if you do. Windows and many other program depends on those libraries to function properly; they are part of the backbone of Windows. And those libraries do not simply include 1 thing (eg: the search box) but often include hundreds of things which will all be downgraded when you change that file to an older version.

PS: to avoid the two disadvantages you summed up, you can also use Plus!' own search box in the Log Viewer (press the button in the bottem left corner labelled "search").

I suppose, but Windows 7 is not currently my main OS so I do not update it a lot. You are right, there are lots of things that will be affected, but I can always backup should I see something wrong. I'm confident that Windows has its errors to tell me if something isn't working, but yeah, better not take the chance, although I would still like to know what exactly it is - even if I have to change lines of code manually or construct the dialogue box myself, I don't mind lol.

I can, but it is ALMOST the same thing - it searches for all occurrences, which is a slight waste of CPU clocks should the first result be the answer you're looking for /crazy efficient mode

What I am baffled about is why my friend, who has been using his PC like me (and that too, as his main OS) with IE9 upgraded, hasn't suffered the same fate.

quote:

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Originally posted by Sierra117
What I am baffled about is why my friend, who has been using his PC like me (and that too, as his main OS) with IE9 upgraded, hasn't suffered the same fate.

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Yeah. Maybe he hasn't got certain Windows updates (or programs) which might affect this search box... Hard to find out...

Perhaps, but as far as I know, he doesn't tweak around and be selective about updates so both of us have updated in the same way - let Windows do it.

I just really want the old box back. Even the one Plus! provides has an issue where it crashes the entire messenger or just the log viewer occasionally.

OH, I just remembered/realised:

Especially to CookieRevised and any developer:

Why not use this one, which is used inside the chat window whilst chatting, in the log viewer as well? It functions in EXACTLY the same way as the one Windows decided to replace:



I don't mind doing anything so long as I have the same functionality present.


Of course I do use the one provided by Plus! in the log viewer, but that, I believe, has its own place where it performs best when searching ALL logs. Of course, no substitute for that. But for within a specific chat, this lightweight one is best IMO.