Trim suggested applications when pressing Super and typing?

When I want to start applications I'm used to press the Super key and then start typing and quickly get a suggestion of an application. Press Enter and I'm done. However, I recently changed to Ubuntu Mate and while it works it's not "as intelligent" as I'm used to. For instance in Gnome if I type "fi" it already there suggest Firefox. Mate requires me to type "firef" before removing Firewall Configuration as the first choice. I'm not sure if other DE's learns my usual applications or if it's just configured more to my liking. I understand Mate goes by the exact character matching.

But is there a way I could tweak the list? Perhaps tag my usual applications to be suggested before pure alphabetical?

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Hi :slight_smile: The regular mate start menu should work this way :
umdefault
When pressing the 'super' key it should bring you to search for a app inside the startup menu.

Strongly advising you to check also ulauncher :

Yes that's how the Start menu work and what I use. But are there any possibilities to tweak it?

Right click on the menu let you some choice :slight_smile:
Really try ulauncher :slight_smile: you can tweak some extra functions and so on ... productivity winner for me. I didn't managed to run ulauncher only with 'Super' key, but Ctrl+Super works.

@olek, @cub is asking about quality of search results. :grinning: They are not "smart enough" to match our usage or expectation. I agree with him.

To repeat what he said, if I start typing 'fi', brisk-menu search shows 'Firewall Configuration' first and 'Firefox' next. I cannot hit Enter just yet, because that is not the application I want to launch. I hardly ever use firewall but use firefox each and every login. Another example is screenshot program. If I start typing 'scr' it shows, 'Orca Screenreader', 'Screensaver' above 'Take Screenshot'. I don't use screenreader unless I'm testing accessibility and never launched screensaver program from menu, but use screenshot program extensively.

Yes, we can use shortcuts but here the question is how brisk menu displays (or should display) search results. We prefer it to show results based on our usage first (even with alphabetical order, firefox should come before firewall :man_shrugging:).

I had used ulauncher before but did not pay attention to this point. May be should check again. Even if that is a good alternative, it would still be nice if default menu has this 'feature'.

@cub, to test I made firefox as favorite application thinking it would show favorites first. Nil joy. It still shows firewall first. I checked gsettings but could not find anything useful.

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True, I was also hoping having it as a favorite would put it first in queue so to say. On the other hand is it just two keystrokes away with Super and then Arrow Down (if you only have one favorite like I have now).