Search doesn't work as I want
 

If I have choosen a project and do a search for something in that project, OF finds it.
But, if I am not on that project, it doesn't find it.
Spotlight finds it no matter though.

Have I done something wrong or is this intentional behavior? Of course I would like to find everything in OF when I do a search in OF's search field...!?

I wonder if "Search" should really be called "Filter"...

[QUOTE=carlsson;66956]If I have choosen a project and do a search for something in that project, OF finds it.
But, if I am not on that project, it doesn't find it.
Spotlight finds it no matter though.

Have I done something wrong or is this intentional behavior? Of course I would like to find everything in OF when I do a search in OF's search field...!?[/QUOTE]

Yes, the search only works in the data shown in the current display. You might always want a global search, but we don't all feel that way! It would, however, be nice to be able to easily indicate whether a given search should be global in scope. Use Help->Send Feedback to send in your feature request...

Carlsson, definitely send in that feature request.

In the meantime, though, if you want to do a global search, you can hold down option while selecting Perspectives -> All items from the menu bar. That'll open a new window showing the entire contents of your database. The search field will then show you the kind of results you're looking for. Hope this helps in the meantime.

I'm all for easier ways to change the search scope (i.e. toggle between searching the current sidebar selection and the entire database). I sent in a similar feature request a while back.

But I don't want to lose the ability to search only a subset of my data. In fact, I tend to do subset searches a lot more often than global searches (partly because of performance and partly because I usually know which folder stuff is in).

The "search the current sidebar selection" behavior seems quite common on the Mac. That's how Apple Mail, iTunes, Address Books, and many others work. Third party apps (e.g. Yojimbo) also follow the same principle. Even the Finder can be configured to search only the current selection on Snow Leopard (can't remember what it does by default).

So Spotlight's behavior of searching everything by default might actually be the anomaly here. ;-)

-Dennis

I think a lot of apps do this:

- The search bar (and Command-Option-F) means "search the current sidebar"
- Command-F pops up a dialog to "search in the current action/message/etc"
- Command-Shift-F pops dialog to "Search entire project/database"

This seems like a good way to slice it. I'd find it surprising if typing something in the search bar revealed -more- than what was already in my current perspective - but I find it equally surprising when I search for something that I know I typed, and I can't find it.

(I also think that search won't find things in the Inbox, at least in context view, but not sure if that's a bug or just a sad Works As Designed.)

[QUOTE=Jay Levitt;67105]- Command-Shift-F pops dialog to "Search entire project/database"[/QUOTE]

That's an interesting idea, but what other apps do this? I'm having trouble finding one. :-)

-Dennis

[QUOTE=Toadling;67119]That's an interesting idea, but what other apps do this? I'm having trouble finding one. :-)[/QUOTE]

TextMate and Thunderbird are two that come to mind.

[QUOTE=Jay Levitt;67124]TextMate and Thunderbird are two that come to mind.[/QUOTE]

Ah, okay. I don't use either of those. But now that you mention it, BBEdit also uses Command-Shift-F as the default shortcut for doing a multi-file search, where as Command-F searches only the current document. So that sounds similar to TextMate.

-Dennis

Too keep it all in one place, how about if the search magnifier had a drop down arrow and then a choice between Search View Only and Search All (and maybe Search All Available, Search All Completed, etc)?

[QUOTE=pjb;67143]Too keep it all in one place, how about if the search magnifier had a drop down arrow and then a choice between Search View Only and Search All (and maybe Search All Available, Search All Completed, etc)?[/QUOTE]

Yes, that's exactly what I've been imagining ever since this topic came up about a year ago. :-) Seems like a simple and elegant way of doing it, and there's lots of precedence for this approach.

But this doesn't preclude the addition of a key combination to do the same thing. There's room for both, I think. ;-)

-Dennis

Really annoying me too.

Search just this page = semi useful
[B][COLOR="Red"]Search everything (active / on going) = best[/COLOR][/B]
Search all time = OK I can see t his being a drag sometimes

Instead of creating a new thread, I'm bringing this to life again.

I mentioned that Spotlight finds what I'm looking for, but I was wrong.
I have rebuilt the Spotlight Index to no avail.

Is Spotlight supposed to find things in OF?
If not, why?

Please help me, because I don't understand the thinking behind OF's "Search" function...

[QUOTE=carlsson;82758]I don't understand the thinking behind OF's "Search" function...[/QUOTE]

The name and design of OmniFocus both suggest that there has so far been more emphasis on zooming in and narrowing the field of view than on zooming out, finding everything, and building an overview. I suspect that the return stage of the journey will be upgraded to first class in OF 2 ...

(In the meanwhile, I am using a rough draft of an applescript to do broad (and saveable) boolean searches in the 1.8 sneaky peeks (which already have an upgraded applescript interface).

[url]http://bit.ly/OF-Find2[/url]