Proposing alternative search bar and tag behaviour

Features
1

Hello, and thanks for taking time to write and mantain Joplin, I use it everyday.

I'm writing this to highlight a confusing behaviour of the search bar.

Ideally, when I'm visualizing a note list of a specific notebook and I start typing in the search bar, I expect that the results show only notes in that specifc notebook. The search however displays results from all notebooks.

Something similar happens when I'm in a notebook and I click on a tag: the results contain all my notes with that tag, while I'm expeting to see only the ones that are in that notebook.

If I were to search for all notes with a given keyword I would expect to click on the "all notes" voice under the notebooks section and start typing in the search bar.

An alternative behaviour could be to filter what I am alredy seeing on the right part when I start typing/ clicking on a tag.

I am aware of the advanced syntax of the search (very powerful indeed) but I think that the original behaviour is quite confusing.

What do you think?

2

I prefer the "search all" default, that way I can search without worrying about which notebook I'm in or remembering to select "All Notes".

If I want to search a particular notebook, I can do so by starting search using notebook:name of notebook followed by search terms.

If you haven't tried it yet, try CTRL+P (CMD+P in Mac?) - the ensuing search filters results as you type. @ for notebook and # for tags.

3

I understand why you've made the suggestions that you have, which would suit your way of working.

I'm sure we all use Joplin in different ways, but for me I need to be able to search across all notebooks and in particular tags.

4

Thanks for taking time to share your point of views.

@jb261

If I want to search a particular notebook, I can do so by starting search using notebook:name of notebook followed by search terms

I know, I would argue that it takes a lot more time to write notebook:name than to perform a click.
Consider this scenario: you click on a specific notebook on the left side, and start looking at notes therein, then you realize that you are only interested in the ones tagged with 'work'.
A simple solution to show them would be the proposed behaviour: you click on the 'work' tag and now notes are filtered.

Now instead you have to click 'CMD/CTRL + P' write the notebook name (but you are already in it) and then write the tag 'work'.

If you haven't tried it yet, try CTRL+P (CMD+P in Mac?) - the ensuing search filters results as you type. @ for notebook and # for tags.

I tried, but @ and # are not working in that search bar, I can use the advanced syntax in the standard search bar, but not there. Maybe am I doing something wrong?

@Dave

I understand why you've made the suggestions that you have, which would suit your way of working.

I'm sure we all use Joplin in different ways, but for me I need to be able to search across all notebooks and in particular tags.

Well, it's not very much about the way I'm working, cause to be honest up to now I've never felt the need for complex queries. I'm making this suggestion because the filter pattern (let's call my suggestion like this, abusing some naming conventions ) is very wide used in the notes app I employed, at least for tags.

I am not advocating to change this and let the global search go away, that wouln't work, as a global search is for sure needed, I'm just asking to a different default behaviour.
A way could be using a different shortucut, like CTRL + SHIFT + P to start the search in global mode.

Moreover, let's say you were to seach a specific word in a note tagged with 'work'. You go on the left pane and click 'work'. You start typing, and the tag filter is gone. So now you have to write tag:work in the search bar.

I think the proposed behaviour could improve the 'manual search of notes' while keeping the global search as a feature of course.

5

This might be implemented as a setting.

For me, i'm used to search through all.

I don't think that one or the other way is better.

We come from different backgrounds
so each of us can feel that this or that way
is more natural.

6

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