Upgrade StorageFeature Request: Show Preview of Results when Searching within Indexed Content
Hello,
I would like to request a search feature for Zotero desktop that
1) searches a word or phrase within the content of all indexed pdfs, notes, etc.
2) displays previews of the searched content (the context of the searched word) in the main window.
Right now, Zotero's search feature works like a filter that shows what entries contain the searched word but doesn't give you a preview of the actual content.
Mendeley desktop has a search feature that searches all the text in your library within a chosen folder (provided that the files are properly ocr-d).
The crucial point is that this highlights both the searched word and shows its surrounding context straight within the main window, like a Google search.
This is what it looks like: https://snipboard.io/y2VCkm.jpg
To do the same on Zotero, you would have to adjust the way Zotero's main window displays search results.
I don't know if this is feasible for Zotero in its current structure. but I would really appreciate it if this feature can be added. It saves so much time that goes into clicking each entry and checking how exactly the word is used.
Since Zotero has its own pdf reader and annotating function now, this would make it complete as a great pdf database as well as a citation generator and reference manager.
There seem to have been a similar request made a few years back, but it seems to have been left behind: https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/36113/better-display-of-search-results/p1
I would like to request a search feature for Zotero desktop that
1) searches a word or phrase within the content of all indexed pdfs, notes, etc.
2) displays previews of the searched content (the context of the searched word) in the main window.
Right now, Zotero's search feature works like a filter that shows what entries contain the searched word but doesn't give you a preview of the actual content.
Mendeley desktop has a search feature that searches all the text in your library within a chosen folder (provided that the files are properly ocr-d).
The crucial point is that this highlights both the searched word and shows its surrounding context straight within the main window, like a Google search.
This is what it looks like: https://snipboard.io/y2VCkm.jpg
To do the same on Zotero, you would have to adjust the way Zotero's main window displays search results.
I don't know if this is feasible for Zotero in its current structure. but I would really appreciate it if this feature can be added. It saves so much time that goes into clicking each entry and checking how exactly the word is used.
Since Zotero has its own pdf reader and annotating function now, this would make it complete as a great pdf database as well as a citation generator and reference manager.
There seem to have been a similar request made a few years back, but it seems to have been left behind: https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/36113/better-display-of-search-results/p1
-
adamsmithYeah, still planned, just hasn't been practicable for a long term due to limitations of the GUI framework Zotero uses. My understanding is that it's closer but still a good bit out.