Instant Answers & Keyword Features
Beyond local file search, Lertaro includes a powerful suite of instant calculations, system tools, and keyword-triggered plugin extensions. Answers appear instantly without waiting for file search results.
1. Always Active Instant Answers
These features do not require any trigger prefix; they activate automatically whenever the input matches their patterns:
Calculator & Base Conversion
Type any arithmetic expression directly into the search bar. Results appear in real time. Press Enter to copy the evaluated result to the clipboard:
12 * (4 + 3)
100 * (1 - 0.15)Common number base conversions are supported out of the box:
255 to hex
0xFF to dec
101010 to binEnvironment Variable Expansion & Inspection
- Expand Variables: Type
%NAME%(e.g.%PATH%,%APPDATA%) to inspect its evaluated value. Multi-path variables such asPATHare split into clear line-by-line lists for inspection. - Fuzzy Search Variables: Type
%followed by a keyword (e.g.%temp) to fuzzy-search across all system and user environment variables.
Quick Command Execution
Run commands directly without launching a terminal window first:
#<command>: Opens a command prompt and executes the command with Administrator privileges (e.g.#sfc /scannowor#net start Lertaro.Service).$<command>: Opens a command prompt and executes the command with standard user permissions (e.g.$ping 1.1.1.1or$ipconfig /all).
Direct URL Navigation
Type or paste any URL beginning with http:// or https:// and press Enter to open it immediately in your default browser. Entering a valid protocol-less web address such as example.com generates two instant results in the Quick Search Window: https://... and http://.... Each result uses the two-line browser-open presentation, the query text is not modified, and an address that already includes a protocol produces one result.
Clipboard text in the Quick Search Window
When the Quick Search Window is summoned without prefilled text, a non-empty clipboard text is imported and selected automatically if it differs from the last clipboard value imported by that window. The same value is not imported repeatedly, and prefilled queries from a URI or from returning from the full search window are never overwritten.
2. Keyword-Triggered Plugin Extensions
By typing a short trigger keyword + space followed by your query, you can invoke dedicated plugin capabilities. All keywords can be customized under Settings → Plugins.
| Default Keyword | Plugin Name | Description & Use Case | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
ps | Process Manager | Search running processes by name, PID, or window title (supports pinyin). Press Enter to terminate. | ps chrome or ps 1234 |
win | Window Switcher | Search and jump to active application windows with live background thumbnail snapshots. | win code or win browser |
bb | Browser Bookmarks | Search bookmarks from Chrome, Edge, and Firefox profiles. | bb github |
bh | Browser History | Search browsing history from Chrome, Edge, and Firefox profiles. | bh github |
set | Settings Search | Fuzzy-search Lertaro's internal settings. Selecting an item jumps directly to that setting page and highlights it. | set hotkey or set fuzzy |
flow | Flow Launcher Bridge | Lists loaded Flow.Launcher plugins and their action keywords, connecting with the Flow community ecosystem. | flow |
cs | Content Search | Searches the text of indexed local documents and returns matching files with snippets. | cs project plan |
3. Web Search Engines
The Web Search plugin provides built-in shortcuts for major search engines. Type the prefix followed by your query to search in your default browser:
| Shortcut | Search Engine | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
bd | Baidu | bd deep learning | Search via Baidu |
g | g lertaro github | Search via Google | |
bing | Bing | bing microsoft docs | Search via Bing |
gh | GitHub | gh Lertaro | Search directly across GitHub repositories |
wiki | Wikipedia | wiki quantum computing | Look up Wikipedia entries |
yt | YouTube | yt lofi hip hop | Search YouTube videos |
You can add, edit, or remove search engines and custom URL templates under Settings → Plugins → Web Search → Configure.
4. Instant Translation
Type the default trigger tr followed by text to translate it automatically into the language currently selected in Lertaro's interface:
tr Hello, how are you today?- Results appear asynchronously as you type; press
Enterto copy the translation. - Customize the trigger keyword under Settings → Plugins → Translator → Configure.
5. File Filters
Under Settings → Plugins → File Filters → Configure, you can bind a trigger keyword to specific folders so a normal search can be scoped to them:
- Target Folders: One path per line (e.g.
D:\Engineering\Drawings); environment variables (e.g.%TEMP%) and shell virtual paths (e.g.shell:Downloads) are also accepted, and an entry that resolves to nothing is skipped. Results come from the file index, so folders should be index-covered (an enabled local drive, or added under Settings → Index → Folders, which also accepts network shares); an uncovered folder is skipped with a warning in the log. - Matching Rules: File name patterns such as
*.dwg;*.dxf(folders always included). - Trigger Keyword: Bind a prefix (e.g.
cad), then typingcad bracket_assemblyin the quick search window runs the normal index search -- filename fuzzy matching, pinyin aliases included -- restricted to the bound folders. Typing the keyword alone asks you to keep typing.
6. Custom Commands
Under Settings → Plugins → Custom Commands → Configure, wrap complex scripts, tools, or applications into concise commands:
- Parameter Placeholders: Supports positional placeholders
%s1,%s2... and full query capture%s. - Quick Navigation Integration: Check "Show in Quick Navigation" to pin the command directly into the Quick Navigation menu, with optional
/submenu paths (e.g.DevTools/RestartService).