good app, but lame search function

[Inscapes 1]

I've used the free version of Evernote for several years, and generally I'm very
impressed with its abilities to offer a well-organized system of note and information keeping.

However, the one complaint I have, is the lame search function and the total lack of a
search-and-replace function.

All basic notepad apps, and word-processing apps (openoffice, etc), even the free ones,
offer this is part of a basic user package.   I'm using the latest version of Evernote for Mac,
and I enter a search, and it pulls up "found" matches, but the word or string is not highlighted
in the document so I still can't find it!  Absolutely useless.

In previous versions of Evernote, I couldn't even use a string or phrase in the search!
If I entered "before and after" as a search string, it would bring up every document that
contained any one of those words.  *uh* ... this is pretty lame for an app that helps
organize and archive text-based documents.

Having said that, I still like Evernote, but this is a glaring set-back in the ability
to use it effectively as a document organizer.

[DTLow 5,744]

17 hours ago, Inscapes said:

the lame search function and the total lack of a search-and-replace function

I find the search features quite extensive.  There are some complaints, including lack of full boolean syntax
It's impressive the search crosses document types, including pdfs, images, office documents, handwriting

You are right - it's a search function and no search-and-replace option (Mac/IOS)

 

[gazumped 12,066]

Have a look at the help pages too - How to use Evernote's advanced search syntax

[Dave-in-Decatur 4,006]

@Inscapes, welcome to the forums. I note you're talking about the Mac version, and seem perhaps to be talking about searching within a single note, rather than across notes? I don't have a Mac, but in the Windows desktop version, while viewing a note I can press Ctrl+H (or Edit > Find and Replace > Replace Within Note), and this opens a small dialog at the bottom of the window in which I can enter search and replace terms. Perhaps this function is not available in the Mac version, though. I know it is not available in the Web and Android versions either, though I certainly hope it will be some day.