Run calculator should allow equals sign at the end for calculator results

[longzheng]

Description of the new feature / enhancement

I'm not sure if my configurations are wrong or there's a bug, but if I input a calculator query that has a equals sign = at the end, I get a result for "Search the web" instead of the calculator result I would have expected.

For example 1+1=

But with 1+1 I definitely get a calculator result.

Scenario when this would be used?

I expect a lot of people typing maths queries into PowerToys Run will use an equals sign at the end expecting it to return the maths result, rather than leading them to a search query.

Supporting information

There are my PowerToys Run configurations, which I believe to be standard/defaults.

[Jay-o-Way]

Hello and thanks for your message. The "direct activation character " is supposed to be at the beginning of the query 🙂

[cinnamon-msft]

Jay-o-Way is right, you need to start the query with "=" :)

[longzheng]

I appreciate that the direct activation command feature expects an equals character at the start, but I think there's some confusion about the intention of this issue.

In my scenario, "include in global result" is selected which means "Show results on queries without direct activation command" applies.

For this scenario, I'm confused why adding an equals sign at the end of the query, which is how I imagine a lot of people type maths equations, breaks the expected output of the calculator to provide a result.

[Jay-o-Way]

I see what you mean. Well, the most quick and simple answer would be "that's just how it works". Thing is, you can choose/set any string of characters. So, while "=" is logical because of the context, that logic fails for any other character/string. In a broader perspective, using the special character(s) at the beginning are a way to "specify" a specific plugin, followed by the input.

[riverar]

I'm confused as to why folks think typing the activation character = anywhere else and failing is OK. Seems like bad UX.

[riverar]

@cinnamon-msft Can we get this reopened? This wasn't a user support scenario.