Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

I would like to be able to define a set of filter patterns and use it in Labels, and/or multiple per-RSS feed mark-as-read filters, but also be able to update the definition used in all the locations by changing the global definition.

Describe the solution you’d like

The current search: keyword is very close, except when you save a label or per-feed mark-as-read pattern it immediately substitutes the current definition of that user query into the pattern. If I discover I need to go back and tweak the user query, I have to go everywhere I put the search:, delete the substitution, and re-add the search keyword so it re-substitutes with the updated definition.

I'd like to instead be able to do something like searchref: and leave it unresolved until the actual filtering occurs. Whatever the definition is at that point gets used, but the saved Label or per-feed mark-as-read pattern keeps the searchref: syntax in it. That would allow me to make tweaks to the global pattern and not have to go update all locations I've referenced it any time it changes.

Describe alternatives you’ve considered

A completely separate workflow that can set global filters and actions, selecting across a range of feeds to apply the filter to (or not), and define custom actions to take when the filter is matched? I know there's some discussion of something like this in the long term, but it would be great to have a stop gap in the shorter term.

Additional context

I would guess this would also impact the directly entered queries, the user could theoretically enter searchref:AName if they wanted to and it would do the search but the pattern in the search box would remain unchanged. I don't know why they'd want to do that, but they could I guess.