Hi, I wonder if someone knows how to allow Foobar to create more than 1 quicksearch tab.

I know that it is highly customizable, but it's easy to mess up settings as it happened to me, so I ask before doing anything.

See pic, if I select one track and then right click I can choose Quicksearch for same -> whatever tag field.
However, if I select another track and do the same action, previous quicksearch tab is cleared and replaced with the new artist or whatever field I chose.

So, How can I show multiple quicksearch tabs from different tracks (let's say Artist field)?

 

My guide to making foobar pretty (usable).
www.head-fi.org/threads/my-guide-to-making-foobar-pretty-usable.182110

Foobar 2000: Optimally manage your music collection
https://praxistipps-chip-de.transla...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Foobar Manual

Tip & Trick

- Create an history with the autoplaylist manager
Using the playcounter plugin, you can create an history with:
Query : Last_played IS *
Sort Format : %last_played%
But newest files will be added at the end of the playlist.

- Create a most listened playlist
With the playcounter plugin. Use :
Query : Play_counter GREATER 0
Sort Format : $subs(1000,%Play_counter%)
(Use more than 1000 if you need to but it should work well, listening to a track more than 1000 times may never happen..)
Most listened tracks will be at the beginning of your playlist

https://eolindel-free-fr.translate....l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Last edited: Aug 30, 2025 at 12:15 PM

I'm not near my Foobar to check but I guess there are some settings in the preference panel not to reset the search look here:
https://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=Foobar2000:Components/Quicksearch_UI_Element_(foo_quicksearch)

 

I didn't ask that. I want to create multiple tabs from Quicksearch context menu (like artist1, artist2, year.
As for now it works only with one single quicksearch tab overwritten everytime with the new artist field or other criterion chosen.

I thought it slipped from my eye, but now I remember I already tried to uncheck those options, with no result at all on quicksearch tab.

I half solved with the deprecated quicksearch toolbar, that opens as many tabs as many searches, but you have to digit text, it's not practical as the context menu.

 

Sorry, maybe the KI can help:

Spoiler: Source: ChatGPT KI

To create multiple tabs from the Quicksearch context menu in Foobar2000, you'd need to slightly modify the behavior of Quicksearch. By default, Quicksearch is set to overwrite its current tab with each new search, but with a little customization, you can achieve the behavior you're looking for: multiple tabs that display results based on different criteria.

Here’s how you can approach it:

Step-by-Step Solution:

1. Modify the Quicksearch Context Menu:
   
   • In Foobar2000, you need to modify the context menu items in Preferences > Tools > Quicksearch.
     
     
   • The default Quicksearch context menu can only execute one search at a time. To allow for multiple tabs, you can use "Run multiple searches in tabs" scripts or custom commands.
     
2. Creating Multiple Tabs:
   You will need to set up your Quicksearch to spawn a new tab each time you search for a different criterion like artist1, artist2, year, etc. You can achieve this with the following steps:
   
   • First, add a custom search command for each criterion you want. For example:
     
     • Artist 1 search query.
       
       
     • Artist 2 search query.
       
       
     • Year search query.
       
3. Use the Tab Manager Component:
   
   • The Tab Manager component in Foobar2000 allows you to manage and control the tabs in your interface.
     
     
   • By combining Quicksearch with Tab Manager, you can set up a system where each new search opens a new tab with the results.
     
     
   • In Preferences > Tools > Tab Manager, you can define new commands like:
     
     • Search for Artist 1 in New Tab
       
       
     • Search for Artist 2 in New Tab
       
       
     • Search by Year in New Tab
       
4. Using Custom Query Strings:
   
   • You can use Foobar2000’s query syntax to search for different attributes, like the artist or year. For example:
     
     • artist:"Artist Name"
       
       
     • year:2022
       
       
     • genre:rock
       
   The context menu can be customized to include these queries when you right-click on a selected item.
   
   
5. Script for Opening Searches in New Tabs:
   For advanced users, you could also use foo_script (a scripting component) to create a script that opens searches in new tabs. Here's a basic example script:
   
   
   // If the user right-clicks on an artist, open a new tab
   if (quicksearch = "Artist1") {
   open_new_tab(quicksearch);
   }
   if (quicksearch = "Artist2") {
   open_new_tab(quicksearch);
   }
   
   
6. Testing:
   
   • After setting up your search queries and tab configurations, test them to see if each search opens in a separate tab as desired.
     

Possible Limitations:

• Tab Overflow: With too many tabs, navigating could become cumbersome. Consider using a tab manager or organizing tabs into groups.
  
  
• Custom Commands: If you're not familiar with scripting or modifying configuration files, this could be a bit tricky. But Foobar2000 has a lot of documentation and user forums to help with this.
  

Let me know if you need help with any of the specific steps!