33 replies to this topic

[GrumpyMonkey]

I consider search to be the thread holding all of my memories together, and it is coming unraveled. I just don't know how and where! I know there are lots of other threads about broken searches. I thought it would be nice for me, everyone else, and the developers to pull them all together in one place. If you want a list of basic search operands, see the Evernote Knowledge Base (https://support.ever...earch-operators). For a complete list, see the API overview (http://www.evernote....vernote-api.htm).

Obviously, it goes without saying that Evernote will sort this stuff out. But, let's leave stuff criticizing them out of this thread. They must know about some of them by now, but maybe they don't know how and where it is broken either.

1. -created
As far as I can tell, -created is broken on the Mac. It is broken in iOS on the iPad. But, it works correctly on the Web.

[jbenson2]

I mentioned this issue back in 2010.

To get around the missing Due Date field, I use the Created Date field for appointments and tasks in the future, including stuff for later in the day.
I was looking for a tip on how to search notes that only contained today's date plus the past.

Here is Dave Engberg's response:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Re: Saved Search Grammar for "today plus the past"
by engberg on Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:14 pm

We're adding '+' to the grammar in anticipation of due dates, so you'll be able to do:
-created:day+1

I think it already works that way on the web, but we're adding it to the clients.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Year and a half later - still waiting for a Windows solution.
In this example, I assume it is either too difficult or it is not a priority.

My rather clunky workaround to find notes for just today (Feb 4) is to use:
created:20120204 -created:20120205

Feb 5 will be:
created:20120205 -created:20120206

.

[JMichael]

I consider search to be the thread holding all of my memories together, and I am sorry to say that it is coming unraveled. I just don't know how and where! I know there are lots of other threads about broken searches. I thought it would be nice for me, and everyone else, to pull them all together in one place.

Evernote has done a great job of creating/capturing/collecting our "memories".
I too have collected all my memories somewhere in my brain.
But I can't always retrieve all of my memories.

That's where Evernote is supposed to come in -- provides us with a great tool to quickly and easily retrieve our "memories".

The current Evernote Search is supposed to be the tool by which we do this.
Unfortunately, it has two major drawbacks at this point:

• Search grammar/syntax is too hard to use, and is incomplete.
• Search engine appears to have a number of bugs, which are different on different platforms

Could someone provide a comprehensive list of known search bugs?

[GrumpyMonkey]

@jb
i wanted to try that, but the created search doesn't work on my platforms. it's really too nad.

@jm
that's what this thread is for! let's collect the broken stuff and we can keep track of it. maybe it will also help get search back on the roadmap.

[Crsawood]

I seem to be finding more problems as well. Yesterday, I was trying to search "Intitle" for a word in a specific notebook, and it returned 2 results. 5 exist in the notebook. The web-based version finds all 5.

It appears that all of the "-" functions are not working for me. I have a support ticket, and the first suggestion was to re-install Evernote. I did so, and the same problem was still here. The next suggestion was to move the Evernote database, and let the software re-download a new database. I am trying that right now to see how it works, but I am doubtful, given the other problems reported.

[JMichael]

@jm
that's what this thread is for! let's collect the broken stuff and we can keep track of it.

I guess I was hoping that the "someone" would be an Evernote employee who would list for us the known search bugs they have on their bug list. I know they don't normally share their bug list, but was hoping that they would make an exception in this case.

We could then add any bugs not on their list.

[Owyn]

Not sure what the issue is with "created:".

e.g. I created a new saved search "Created Yesterday" (created:day-1 -created:day) on the web client and synced it to the Windows and iOS Touch clients. The search worked correctly and consistently on all 3 clients.

[jbenson2]

Not sure what the issue is with "created:".

e.g. I created a new saved search "Created Yesterday" (created:day-1 -created:day) on the web client and synced it to the Windows and iOS Touch clients. The search worked correctly and consistently on all 3 clients.

If I want to see what is behind me in the past, then Created Yesterday is fine.
created:day-1 (53 notes)
-created:day (16,280 notes)

But as far I can tell, there are no effective searches for what is due for all of today.
Consider the following scenario.

It is the start of business day at 8am.
I want to see, or print, all the appointments, tasks and reminders scheduled for all of today. ( 5 items )

1.) The Evernote search for today (since) is created:day

• will find everything for today before 8am (2 items)
• will find everything for today after 8am (3 items)
• will find everything else in the future (75 items in my case)

2.) The Evernote search for today (before) is -created:day

• will find everything entered today before 8am (2 items)
• will not find everything for today after 8am (0 items)
• will find everything before today (16,280 items)

And there is my clunky workaround to find all of today's items.

• created:20120205 -created:20120206 ( 5 items - for the Win! )

As I have mentioned before, I found a way to get around the missing Due Date.
My solution is certainly not acceptable to the average user, but it works for my needs.
The addition of a Due Date field would improve Evernote's search grammar substantially (and allow 3rd party developers to create To Do.programs)
.

[Owyn]

Tested "Created Today (Exact)" (created:day -created:day+1). I post dated one note for testing.

Works on Web client. Fails on iOS and Windows clients.

[jbenson2]

Tested "Created Today (Exact)" (created:day -created:day+1). I post dated one note for testing.

Works on Web client. Fails on iOS and Windows clients.

Yup, thanks for verifying.
That is what Dave Engberg mentioned a year and a half ago.
http://discussion.ev...post__p__123985
No fix yet.

[JMichael]

Tested "Created Today (Exact)" (created:day -created:day+1). I post dated one note for testing.

Works on Web client. Fails on iOS and Windows clients.

FAILS on EN Mac 3.0.6

[Crsawood]

I thought that the re-install fixed it, but it did not. Intitle search is inconsistent on the Mac, only returning part of the results. Any search with the "-" appears to be broken on the Mac client, and is completely ignored. Both work fine on the web-based client, as I just confirmed.

[JMichael]

I assume this is the same issue as reported above, but I could not find a way to filter the Note list to a specific date using EN Mac 3.0.6.

I find the EN Search syntax for dates to be counter-intuitive and hard to remember and use.
I have never used any other app Search that works like EN.

It just doesn't feel right for "updated:20120201" to mean updated SINCE 02/01/2012
Seems like we need another Date Search keyword.

For example:
updated:ON(20120201)
updated:ON(today)
updated:WITHIN(20120101, 20120131)
updated:WITHIN(lastmonth)
updated:WITHIN(thismonth)
updated:ONAFTER(20120101)

I think just about anyone could read the above and understand what it means.

If you wanted to be really user friendly, you could allow multiple date formats, perhaps according to the users country.
updated:ON(02/01/2012)

Once you understand just a few grammar keywords that are much like how we talk/think, it becomes pretty easy to remember/use.

There may be better/easier keywords that the ones I used above. I don't really care as long as they are intuitive to most users.
Again, if you wanted to be really user friendly, you could use autocomplete:

USER TYPES		  EN COMPLETES
upd			  updated:<dropdown list of keywords>
				   ON
				   ONAFTER
				   WITHIN
<selects WITHIN>	updated:WITHIN(<start>,<end>)
01/01			 updated:WITHIN(01/01/2012,<end>)
01/31			 updated:WITHIN(01/01/2012, 01/31/2012)

You could also display a popup for date selection.

[Owyn]

The Evernote date/time search specs are all ONAFTER using your syntax.

e.g.
created:20120201 = Created On or After 2012 Feb 01
created:20120202 = Created On or After 2012 Feb 02
and
created:20120201 -created:20120202 = Created ON 2012 Feb 01

[JMichael]

The Evernote date/time search specs are all ONAFTER using your syntax.

Yeah, I think I have finally figured that out.

created:20120201 -created:20120202 = Created ON 2012 Feb 01

This FAILS on EN Mac 3.0.6.

[dlu]

The Evernote date/time search specs are all ONAFTER using your syntax.

Yeah, I think I have finally figured that out.

created:20120201 -created:20120202 = Created ON 2012 Feb 01

This FAILS on EN Mac 3.0.6.

Noted and taking a look at it. Doing a sweep of attributes (including created/updated dates) on the Mac Client

[JMichael]

Just to make sure all bases are covered, Search failures for EN Mac 3.0.7 Beta 1

• Both -Created and -Updated fail
• Search using the UI Left Panel Attributes fails for ALL BEFORE dates, both "Created" and "Last Modified"

[dlu]

thanks

[GrumpyMonkey]

it looks like jnenson has found another peoblem with how search handles capitalization of search grammar. if we can't fix them, it might be nice to keep a record here of search bugs/inconsistencies.

[May]

Excluding words doesn't work on iOS

http://discussion.ev...post__p__131780