# Implement intelligent search

**URL:** <https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/implement-intelligent-search/25211>\
**Category:** Features\
**Created:** [17 April 2022 12:42 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/implement-intelligent-search/25211 "2022-04-17T12:42:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sylock](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/discourse.joplinapp.org/sylock/32/13576_2.png) [@sylock](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/sylock)\
**Post date:** [17 April 2022 12:42 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/implement-intelligent-search/25211/1 "2022-04-17T12:42:10Z")

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Currently the search works only on exact keywords. which is very problematic for a taking note app where the notes are by definition not structured. So you need a powerfull search engine to be able to find later on the data you stored in it.

For me this is a blocker for the use of Joplin even if I really like the projet in general. But I find myself not finding notes because I search on a keywork at the singular but in my notes it is in plurials.

In my scenario : I was searching for "webinar" but in the note it is "webinars"

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**Author:** ![Daeraxa](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/discourse.joplinapp.org/daeraxa/32/6172_2.png) [@Daeraxa](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/Daeraxa)\
**Post date:** [17 April 2022 12:51 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/implement-intelligent-search/25211/2 "2022-04-17T12:51:43Z")

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It uses full text search, you can use basic search by using `/` so `/webinar` would work.

[https://joplinapp.org/help/#searching](https://joplinapp.org/help/#searching)

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**Author:** ![sylock](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/discourse.joplinapp.org/sylock/32/13576_2.png) [@sylock](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/sylock)\
**Post date:** [17 April 2022 13:09 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/implement-intelligent-search/25211/3 "2022-04-17T13:09:41Z")

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Thank you. I did not know this feature. But from my point of view it is not a smart search algorithm if you have to think about which search engine to use. webinar should find notes with nearby words, including at plurials or with orthographic correction or proximity.

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**Author:** ![whitewall](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/discourse.joplinapp.org/whitewall/32/6018_2.png) [@whitewall](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/whitewall)\
**Post date:** [17 April 2022 16:15 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/implement-intelligent-search/25211/4 "2022-04-17T16:15:33Z")

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Have you tried the Goto Anything `ctrl p`? It will probably do what you are after. I gave up on the searchbox long ago. I too find the default of whole words only to be silly.

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**Author:** ![tomasz86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/96bed5/32.png) [@tomasz86](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/u/tomasz86)\
**Post date:** [17 April 2022 17:04 UTC](https://discourse.joplinapp.org/t/implement-intelligent-search/25211/5 "2022-04-17T17:04:09Z")

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> [@whitewall](#):
>
> I too find the default of whole words only to be silly.

Defaulting to whole words only is also very problematic with inflected/fusional languages, e.g. in Polish the word `praca` (work) may come up in various different forms (`praca`, `pracy`, `pracę`, etc.), so you'd normally search for something like `prac` to be able to cover all of them. This applies to most vocabulary, so you basically always need to use the custom search mode in order to find what you're looking for.

It's nice to see that at least some of the Asian languages, i.e.

> Chinese  
> Japanese  
> Korean  
> Thai

get special treatment, but wouldn't it be preferable to include in the exceptions at least the languages listed under [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusional\_language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusional_language)? Alternatively, an option to choose the default search mode and make it stick could possibly be even a better solution 😉.