[jcater]

Is there a proper way to search for tasks/projects in AppleScript containing a string (much like the Search toolbar item), short of looping through projects/folders and manually checking each task?

Provided that that the toolbar has a search panel, you can set the search term using Applescript. e.g.

tell application "OmniFocus"
	tell front window
		try
			set search term to "tax"
		end try
	end tell
end tell

[a11en]

When running the above script, you need to run it from inside Omnifocus, so that the front window call gets you the front window. Alternatively, you can use the description "first" window (assuming that is the topmost) which will work within script-editor.

Note that "first window" will give you an error unless the script is run within omnifocus.

-Allen

ps- remove "try" commands to see the errors that get thrown otherwise.

Update: I'm using the following subprogram in a project I'm working on right now...

on SetSearch(searchstring)
	tell application "OmniFocus"
		tell front document
			tell document window 1
				set search term to searchstring
			end tell
		end tell
	end tell
end SetSearch