Add ability to "pin" a search string in quick find

kazar

When making use of the Basic Search field, I suspect I am not alone in "filtering" my search by first selecting a particular collection before typing in my search string, rather than searching on the whole library. Of course sometimes my memory has failed me and the item is not found in the collection I'd selected. It may even be in a different library in my account.

But each time a different collection or library is selected, the Basic Search box is cleared and the search string must be retyped. There is no option to make my search string "stick" while I poke around amongst my libraries and collections.

Compare this to Thunderbird's Quick Filter bar "pushpin". (I took a screenshot forgetting that I cannot attach one here. There is a screenshot & description of the Quick Filter feature at http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2010/06/thunderbird-31-arrives-with-new-filter-bar/ for anyone who is interested in this post but does not use Thunderbird).

Click on the pushpin icon and it turns red and has the effect of making one's search string stay in the box even when switching one's view to a mail list in a different mail folder.

I would love to see a "sticky search" pushpin added to the Zotero interface!

Thanks for reading my request.

kazar

Bionatsci

+1 - this is one of those UI features that I really like - it adds useful functionality, is unobtrusive, intuitive and can simply be ignored by people who don't want to use it.

Gracile

Good idea!
This would be a way to solve this small problem (which is mentioned in another thread -with Dan's comments - but I can't find it).

mronkko

I would vote for this as well.

mark

I like this. It's sensible, I've found myself wanting it, and I've seen a lot of threads about the non-persistency of search in the forums.

Proposal: Perhaps a cheap (i.e. quick) way to get some functionality towards this is to make quicksearch persistent unless there are no results.

To have that as the default behavior would only be worth implementing if people switching views (e.g. collections, libraries) usually want the search to persist. My feeling is that they do — I do, at least, and the many threads in the forum suggest that many people would. Also consider that removing a search (by clicking the X) is usually easier than retyping it.

tobidelbruck

Vote up. This would really be great.

cboulanger

I also vote for this feature - I often have to search through different libraries and groups, and having to re-type or re-paste the search query each time is quite inconvenient. I would think this issue is much easier to implement than multi-library search (which would be the better solution to the problem, but creates much more complex implementation problems). Thank you.