Upgrade StorageUX Feedback on Z10 Advanced Search: Workflow disruption when organizing search results into nested c
Hi Zotero Team,
I'd like to echo @ajb59's point regarding search scope in Zotero 10 (https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/133278/how-can-i-search-my-entire-library-in-zotero-10), and also share a major UX bottleneck caused by how the new Advanced Search interacts with collection management.
Currently, running an Advanced Search filters the items directly within the main view of whichever scope/collection is selected. While this inline approach feels seamless for simple filtering, it introduces a severe conflict with common drag-and-drop organization workflows:
1. Loss of Collection Context: Applying an Advanced Search inside a target collection hides all non-matching items. If I need to reference or interact with other items in that collection while evaluating search results, I am forced to clear or close the Advanced Search.
2. Friction in Drag-and-Drop Workflows: Prior to Z10, Advanced Search ran in a separate window (or overlay) and allowed global search across the entire library. Once a relevant item was found, users could instantly drag it into any target collection visible in the collection pane.
3. Severe Overhead for Complex Hierarchies: Under Z10's current model, if I am working inside a deeply nested collection and realize I need an item from elsewhere, I have to:
o Navigate all the way back up to "My Library".
o Perform the Advanced Search to locate the item.
o Manually locate and scroll through dozens of multi-layered nested sub-collections in the left pane to drag the item back into my original target collection (which takes significant time and effort compared to having the target collection already open).
Suggestions:
• Allow Advanced Search to run in a separate tab or modal window (similar to pre-Z10 behavior) so users can maintain their current active collection context.
• Alternatively, provide a toggle for "Global Search Scope" that doesn't collapse or override the view state of the currently selected collection, or enable easier "Add to Collection" context menu actions directly from search results.
Thank you for your continuous work on improving Zotero!
I'd like to echo @ajb59's point regarding search scope in Zotero 10 (https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/133278/how-can-i-search-my-entire-library-in-zotero-10), and also share a major UX bottleneck caused by how the new Advanced Search interacts with collection management.
Currently, running an Advanced Search filters the items directly within the main view of whichever scope/collection is selected. While this inline approach feels seamless for simple filtering, it introduces a severe conflict with common drag-and-drop organization workflows:
1. Loss of Collection Context: Applying an Advanced Search inside a target collection hides all non-matching items. If I need to reference or interact with other items in that collection while evaluating search results, I am forced to clear or close the Advanced Search.
2. Friction in Drag-and-Drop Workflows: Prior to Z10, Advanced Search ran in a separate window (or overlay) and allowed global search across the entire library. Once a relevant item was found, users could instantly drag it into any target collection visible in the collection pane.
3. Severe Overhead for Complex Hierarchies: Under Z10's current model, if I am working inside a deeply nested collection and realize I need an item from elsewhere, I have to:
o Navigate all the way back up to "My Library".
o Perform the Advanced Search to locate the item.
o Manually locate and scroll through dozens of multi-layered nested sub-collections in the left pane to drag the item back into my original target collection (which takes significant time and effort compared to having the target collection already open).
Suggestions:
• Allow Advanced Search to run in a separate tab or modal window (similar to pre-Z10 behavior) so users can maintain their current active collection context.
• Alternatively, provide a toggle for "Global Search Scope" that doesn't collapse or override the view state of the currently selected collection, or enable easier "Add to Collection" context menu actions directly from search results.
Thank you for your continuous work on improving Zotero!