Searching My Notes

[Felicia L 2]

I've used and loved Evernote for years. Then things changed. I wouldn't even mind paying for it, but now it seems every other day, there's a new version to install (I'm currently at vs. 6.0.6.1769) and I can't keep up with the changes. The most frustrating is the way Search works. I absolutely hate it.

Now when I search, the results tell me that "X was found in several notebooks."  How does that help me??? Sometimes it lists all the notes in which X was found, but the one matching exactly is not even at the top of this list. 

Can someone tell me which version had the normal search function, and how I can revert to that?

Felicia

 

[gazumped 11,658]

Hi.  You're lagging behind the current version somewhat - I'm on 6.5 now (a beta version) - the general release version is 6.4.x - your frequent update reminders might be due to that;  actual updates are usually every 5 months or so.  I'd suggest biting the bullet and getting up to date when you can.

As to searches,  it sounds like you are in a random notebook when you start the search - try using F6 to clear the search feature out and then type your term - you are then searching in the 'all notes' view and shouldn't see any mention of other notebooks.

Also try Ctrl+F10 to see the 'search explanation' bar which can help explain why your search isn't working the way you'd like.  

See also this help page...

[Felicia L 2]

Thank you, Gazumped. I didn't realize that I wasn't using the latest version. I am now! The 'search explanation' bar is what I was complaining about. I see now that I can simply hide it. Much better!

I also just realized that my search results include words in the body of the notes and are listed in the order in which I'm viewing my notes; for example, sorted by "Updated." Therefore, when I search "social media," I see several in the list where social media is in the title, but they are not all at the top as I expected. Maybe there's a way to configure this. If not, at least I now understand how it's working. Thank you for your tips. 

(Ah, just created a table of contents with the highlighted notes. This will help, also.)

 

[jefito 5,589]

The search explanation bar is one of my favorite features; it tells you what Evernote thinks your search means in plain English, which is helpful if you are working with a complicated search.

On 3/11/2017 at 7:44 PM, Felicia L said:

Now when I search, the results tell me that "X was found in several notebooks."  How does that help me???

I find it helpful if for some reason I don't have the correct notebook context set my search; Evernote is telling you that your search would succeed elsewhere, and if you click on the linked notebook there, it will do that search.

[Felicia L 2]

Thank you, jefito. I understand how that can be helpful, and I'm also glad that I can 'hide' it when doing a simple search. I look forward to exploring more of the new features. 

[jefito 5,589]

1 hour ago, Felicia L said:

I look forward to exploring more of the new features. 

Feel free to keep asking -- there are a fair number of knowledgeable Evernote users here who are happy to help others to use Evernote better.