v1.8.0

Release Notes

Breaking Change

• Plugin API (Flow.Launcher.Plugin) upgraded from .Net Core 3.1 to .Net 5

Users:

If you are on a version prior to 1.8.0, you will no longer recieve plugin updates or newly added plugins. You can still continue to use your existing plugins and download all plugins released prior to Flow v1.8.0 release.

We recommend you upgrade to v1.8.0 to continue to receive new plugins and updates, plus the below features and fixes.

Plugin Developers:

We have added new functionalities in API v2.0.0 (.Net 5 requirement) which includes features such as saving settings via the API- you do not need to write your own code to save your plugin settings anymore.

Features

General

• Install Flow via WinGet: WinGet install "Flow Launcher"
• New documentation page!
• Press F5 in query window to reload all plugin data
• Automatic Python installation for Python plugins
• Added documentation usage tips link in the Settings About tab
• Optimized exception handling and logging
• Remove top and bottom margin of General tab (Settings)
• Added the option to enable or disable auto hiding of the settings window scrollbar
• Increased the Settings page's default width and allow user to resize the window

Performance

• Improved flow's download efficiency
• Optimized result list queuing and updating, this means results return faster
• Reworked result score bumping mechanism to allow more accurate score bumps for frequently used results

Plugin

• Enable Flow's saving mechanism to be used by plugins via direct API call to save their settings
• Added logging, save and load settings json files to IPublicAPI for plugins to use
• IPlugin interface now inherits from IAsyncPlugin
• Optimize plugins manifest downloading behavior
• Updated JSON-RPC model to async
• Added copy command via context menu for Shell plugin
• Enabled saving of Shell plugin's commands history, with option to set the display number of most used commands in result list
• Add API error msg handling method
• Add tips, UserData and Log location commands for Sys plugin
• Run Shell plugin cmds as admin with ctrl
• Ctrl + enter/click opens Plugin's url in the plugins download list
• Copy the bookmark's url to clipboard via BrowserBookmarks's context menu
• Multiple UX/UI enhancements to WebSearch plugin
• Implemented the option to disable program description
• For Explorer plugin, in addition to the main search action keyword also added action keywords to separately search for directory paths and indexed files and folders
• Allow Quick Access Links to be searched using part of the string instead of the starting with word

Bug fixes

General

• Fixed issue causing Flow to turn into a vertical black line after waking from hibernation
• Fixed the Settings window freezing after locking computer screen (Win+L)
• Fixed some minor debuging issues
• Fixed query window's shadow margin not appearing at top and bottom, as well as being cut off at the corners
• Fixed Context Menu bug where when no item is selected going to the context menu results in weird UX
• Fixed the query window not focused when invoked using Shell plugin's Win+R hotkey
• Fix flow's hotkey not working correctly or responding after changing in settings
• Fixed settings window doesn't show back up when minimized in taskbar

Performance

• Fixed progress bar animation, which should drop cpu usage when hidden while query is running

Plugins

• Fixed win32 app loading for Program plugin:
  • Now able to retrieve the correct file path for programs in the start menu that have LNK extension
  • Fix the issue where type 'cmd' does not get you Command Prompt
  • Remove ShObjldITIb.dll used for Win32 loading, we now directly use the code
  • Remove duplicate lnk program pointing to the same exe with the same description
• Removed AppxPackagingTlb.dll used for UWP loading
• Fixed a bug related to operation timeout issue for Flow's version updater and WebSearch plugin
• Updated json response usage in WebSearch plugin
• Fixed WebSearch plugin's action keyword:
  • Changed the WebSearch's google search action keyword to global as the default
  • Fixed ordering of the plugin's result so non global action keyword matches will appear above global action keyword matches
• Re-added missing Google Scholar action keyword sc
• Fixed the issue where indexing would need to finish before Flow could continue loading the rest of startup
• Fixed exclusion of Windows Index search, making it effective also for searches via file/folder names or file contents
• Optimized BrowserBookmarks and Calculator plugins' startup speed
• Remove redundant QuickAccess folder nickname path
• Added/updated Slovak translation for plugins
• Added and corrected Chinese translation
• Fix Plugin Indicator when more than one query term is typed
• Fixed Win32 & UWP's AppxManifest.xml leak
• Fixed loading when no action keywords present for a plugin in user plugin setting
• Fixed duplicate query searches from same global action keywords
• Fix unparsed property when using Python plugins
• Changed sequence of loading for Shell plugin to avoid null reference
• Fixed JSON-RPC model issues
• Fixed a potential issue with querying after loading a Python context menu
• Fixed PluginsManifest constantly updating in the background when queried
• Removed empty entries when specifying program suffixes
• Fixed missing disposable call that allows plugins to do something before flow exits

v1.7.2

Release Notes

Bug fixes

• Fixed an issue where plugin's action keyword setting gets removed when updating
• Fixed an issue where Flow's auto update may crash randomly due to unhandled task cancellation exception
• Fixed duplicate entry when using Quick Access
• Fixed an issue with http proxy that caused Flow to crash

v1.7.1

Release Notes

Bug fixes

• Fixed an issue where PluginsManager is unable install downloaded plugin due to Flow being in a location other than C drive
• Fixed an issue where plugins using the JsonRPCModel would error out
• Fixed some Slovak translations
• Updated Web Site icon image in PluginsManager context menu to use the Plugin's icon
• Fixed the issue where uninstalling plugin does not remove its entry in Flow's settings
• Fixed scaling issue with Flow's setting's icon

v1.7.0

Release Notes

Features

• Added search using acronyms
• Add and remove files or folders in Explorer's Quick Access via context menu, you can now also launch Quick Access files
• Added additional functionalities to Flow's IPlugin interface, this means plugins can all utilise:
  • FuzzySearch to search for user's query against strings and text
  • Http.GetAsync, Http.GetStreamAsync and Http.DownloadAsync to download from the web
  • Plugins can also use add & remove ActionKeyword fuctionalities
• Improve Explorer plugin's handling of long running files and folders search, additionally enhanced result list update speed
• Hide Flow's progress bar when search window is hidden
• Auto re-index Programs plugin when re-index has not run for more than 3 days
• New themes Nord, Nord Darker and BlurBlack Darker
• Improved the logic for how search results are rendered and new results are added to the results list
• Added plugin priority setting, you can now set the priority of each plugin's result manually
• Added ability to manually reload the plugin manifest list, use reload plugin data
• Updated to avoid the task allocation during image processing
• Improved search window's icon(magnifying glass) rendering and quality
• Improved plugin's asynchronous operations and introduced new async interfaces
• Create and deploy releases from CI
• Upgraded the library used to load settings
• Added Slovak translation for PluginsManager

Bug fixes

• Fixed issue where the query c:\> does not use directory search
• Fixed missing translation files
• Use wildcard to include images in projects
• Fixed error causing PluginsManager unable to install plugins
• Added additional error handling and error logging when updating/downloading plugins #270
• Fixed several untranslatable settings text
• Fixed Slovak translation for settings, Url and WebSearch plugins text
• Fixed Http Proxy not initilized at startup and not working in some case.
• Fixed Explorer not opening folder path correctly when path contains a comma

v1.6.0

Release Notes

Features

• New website https://flow-launcher.github.io
• Enhance Pinyin search, now with more precision when using acronyms
• User made plugins are now available to download:
  • Added new PluginsManager plugin for managing the installing, uninstalling and updating of community-made plugins
  • Use hotkeys pm install, pm update and pm uninstall
  • Have a plugin you would like to share, or making one yourself? Head over to the PluginsManifest repo to submit it
  • Use context menu to go see plugin's website, source code or make an enhancement/bug fix request directly with the plugin developer
  • Archived the old PluginManagement plugin
• Improved web connection method for general connections and when via a proxy
• Color plugin has been moved out of Flow as a default plugin, and is available for download via pm install instead
• Added search suggestions from Bing

Bug Fixes

• Polished up Slovak translation on plugins
• Fixed image flickering on results list
• Fixed Python plugin support via JsonRPC.Python:
  • The Python API is now available via PyPI pip install flowlauncher
  • For details of the py support see https://github.com/Flow-Launcher/Flow.Launcher.JsonRPC.Python
• Fixed tray menu translation not updating
• Added notification when version update failed instead of just writing to log

v1.5.0

Release Notes

Features

• Improved the way Flow opens URLs:

  • The default web browser set on the computer will now be used.

  • URLs in Flow's settings will open as a new browser tab instead of window

• Added Slovak translations for plugins

• Added a quick link to open custom theme folder

Bug Fixes

• Fixed unauthorised access to directory causing Flow to quit loading Win32 apps altogether in Program plugin

v1.4.0

Release Notes

Features

• Upgraded Pinyin library to ToolGood.Words:

  • Store whole Chinese words instead of individual characters

  • No longer saves cache on disk

• For Program plugin, added ability to open containing folder using custom app + args, eg. Total Commander

• Improved Program plugin:

  • Optimized the querying of programs in Program plugin by using generics to concatenate Win32 and UWP apps.

  • Removed duplicate fuzzy search calls.

  • Greatly improved indexing speed by changing how Directory enumerates.

Bug fixes

• Added loading of Edge Dev bookmarks and fixed scoring based on fuzzy search

• Improve memory consumption by limiting number of images preloaded in memory:

  • Addressing the unnecessary high memory caused by improperly handling of image caching.

  • Set maximum number of images cached to 50 from 5000.

  • Clean up by removing infrequently used images from dictionary once they go over permissible factor (2) X number of images (50).

• Fix plugin dependency loading and remove excess duplicate package references:

  • Added a custom assembly loader for plugins and resolve any of the plugin's dependent assemblies to load from the plugin's own directory, or if the assembly exists with Flow.Launcher.Plugin then use the assembly there.

  • Added Directory.Build.targets so default plugins will automatically look to Flow.Launcher.Plugin's referenced packages if not available in the local plugin folder.

  • Used CopyLocalLockFileAssemblies=true in project file for both default and future external plugins so all referenced assemblies in the plugin are outputted and available for the main application to point to.

Note:
If you are unable to use the plugins you downloaded after upgrading to this version, please go here to redownload their latest release.

v1.3.1

Release Notes

Join the Flow community on Discord!

Bug fixes

• Fixed encoding error when user's input is GB2312(Simplified Chinese)

• Fixed Calculator plugin copy error when Window's Clipboard is opened by another resource at the same time

v1.3.0

Release Notes

Features

• Added new icon for missing thumbnail image in search result instead of the error icon

• ProcessKiller plugin's result is now sorted in ascending order by title

• ProcessKiller kill all functionality enhancements

  • Do not show a "kill all instances" item in the context-menu of "kill all X processes"
  • Show name of the process when kill all is available and show the number of process that will be terminated
  • Hide the "kill all instances of X process" option when the associated executable path is empty

Bug fixes

• Fixed issue with Explorer's directory search when the file or folder has '#' in its name resulting in broken path display and unable to open

• Fixed various unintended behaviours around Explorer's search

  • Fixed Quick Folder Access not triggering

  • Fixed behaviour to continue searching for files and folders using index search even when a match is found in Quick Folder Access list. This helps if user wants file/folder that has the same name in Quick Folder Access list but in different location

  • Prevent user from using global action keyword for content search

  • Exclude from Index Search when only '_' is typed

  • Fixed file extension search using '*' failing/not returning results

• Fixed method typos in Flow.Launcher.Plugin

v1.2.1

Release Notes

Bug fixes

• Fix navigation to localized path when using Explorer plugin

• Fix environment variables not working, including %homepath%, %homedrive% and %systemdrive%.