http://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=323
http://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=542
For me recently it's been more and more apparent that this is a very important usability feature. Windows 10 will have a similar feature from the box: see here
Now if you think about it, it makes sense and it will be perfect in many cases. However, there is at least one problem: it takes space. With it enabled, user might not be getting same amount of space he got on Windows 7 / 8.
My suggestion is: drop the whole idea of implementing an input element inside the taskbar. Instead:
1. Make it as a separate application. Just a window with input-box control and no header.
2. Make it work like a dock. Allow user place it anywhere on screen edges. Auto-hide it when mouse cursor is not near. Make it appear when mouse is on screen edge or when hotkey is pressed. Make it optionally auto-focus on appear.
3. When first character is typed, display a results window nearby and update it as usual. Can have hidden caption and controls aswell, as it will be hidden by itself when clicked outside.
There is an application that looks and operates similar to this, Famulus (it's also open-source, albeit using AutoHotkey)
It's of course rather limited though, and serves a different purpose. It's also designed to launch on hotkey press, while I'm suggesting the tool can be nice and useful when activated with mouse.
Check the AutoHide sliding effect in RocketDock - run it and you'll see what I mean. With it, it can appear no matter how much screen space is occupied, by just moving mouse to screen edge. That's how I imagine the best option for Everything search-bar.
So, if it's made like that, I think everyone will see the benefits:
- you won't need to mess with creating some kind of additional control element on Windows taskbar that may or may not work on older Windows or after new OS updates.
- taskbar space is not wasted, while it's still possible to use the bar, even after desktop is filled with windows, even without pressing hotkeys.
- user may be able to set bar/results position himself, not limited to taskbar.