Search not working

[Moiz57 8]

Hi  I am working on a desktop versio of EN running Windows 10.  I am still building up my database but now have c. 1,600 notes.  I have tried searching in the past and the expected results were returned.  However, now, I am searching for words I have know I have created as tags and they are not being returned in the search results.  This is happening on a lot of entries - like LOTS.  I wonder if I need to re-index? And if so, how do you do that?  I cannot find any helpful options..................Not sure if it makes any difference but I am  a Premium user.  Anyone able to help?  Without a reliable seach feature I may as well not bother finishing my database!

[Mike P 2,979]

41 minutes ago, Moiz57 said:

However, now, I am searching for words I have know I have created as tags and they are not being returned in the search results. 

The indexing in V10 is a bit of a black art! There is no way you can reindex you are largely dependent on indexing happening on the server. Normally indexing now only takes a few seconds although if the server is having a bad day it can take hours but everybody is effected which I don't think is the case at the moment. Here are a few things to try in no particular order:

• Go onto the web version and try the searches there. If they don't work there either it is definitely an indexing delay on the server. If it does work correctly then you probably just have to wait or possibly delete your local database ( see https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500004231762)
• While on the web version also check that the number of notes, tags etc corresponds between the desktop and web versions
• Try different ways of searching for the tags. Searching and filtering can work differently e.g
  • Click the tag in the sidebar
  • Select the tag from the filter menu
  • Search using the search syntax tag:tag_name
  • Search for the tag name and see if it comes up as a tag option in the dropdown
• Try going offline and see what happens

You are obviously creating notes at an incredible rate. If you are importing them from elsewhere it may just be that EN will take a while to catch up. My experience suggests that most people who have serious problems with search are at the beginning of their V10 journey and it tends to work fine after a frustrating period of not knowing what an earth is going on. The absence of any real indicator as to whether everything is ok doesn't help.

[Moiz57 8]

Hi Mike P - thank you so much for your reply.  I will try your suggestions and report back.  Patience isn't my forte!

 

[scojjac 62]

I am having a similar issue with a much smaller Evernote library, at about 400 notes. A note that I have searched for using a portion of the note title is no longer showing up in search results. However, I can browse to it. This happens in v10 apps (mobile, desktop, web), but not Legacy. I am not using a search filter.

[Moiz57 8]

Unfortunately that hasn't helped.  Notes I have added today seem to be searchable OK but there are a whole load of notes I put in within the last week that are not.  The only way I can find to get them into the search results is to delete the notes concerned and re-create them.  Then it finds them in the search OK.  Even duplicating the note doesn't work - I have to delete and start again.  The real pain is I don't know how many notes this impacts - clearly there was a problem at some point but I have no idea which notes I created during that period of time.  Not happy

[Moiz57 8]

I have now re-created what I hope are most if not all of the notes that were not being properly returned in the search.  It was very tedious!  As far as I can tell the problem related to a batch of notes I created over a couple of days - all earlier and later notes seem to be searchable correctly.  I can only assume EN had a problem with indexing in the time period I created the notes that were not searchable.  This has definitely knocked my confidence in EN...................

 

[PinkElephant 8,808]

Anybody tried support on this ?

When I had a search issue a while ago, I contacted support about it. The problem was handled professionally, and solved.

[birdnote 0]

On 5/5/2021 at 5:07 PM, PinkElephant said:

Anybody tried support on this ?

When I had a search issue a while ago, I contacted support about it. The problem was handled professionally, and solved.

I have the same problem.

I'm a free user.

Is there anything I can do?

[Moiz57 8]

Interestingly I have had the problem again with a note I created today i.e. it won't find it in any search.  However, I looked at my devices in settings and it isn't registering that I was logged on today on the device I used to create the note.  It is showing that I last logged on on  with that device on 15th May instead of yesterday or today.  I am speculating that may have something to do with the search problem?  I.e. it isn't finding it in the search as EN doesn't think I was even logged on - even though clearly I was to create the note!  Anybody have any thoughts on that theory?!

[Mike P 2,979]

8 minutes ago, Moiz57 said:

Anybody have any thoughts on that theory?!

Check the web version. That looks directly at the database so doesn't depend on synchronisation etc. If it is on the web version then it obviously has picked it up from your device and it's presumably an indexing problem.

[Moiz57 8]

Hi Mike P - thanks for replying.  I did create the note with the web version........my original suspicion was some sort of indexing issue but I really have no clue what to do to fix it.  Thanks again

[birdnote 0]

I thought the legacy version might be useful for checking because the index is stored locally.

After rebuilding the index in the legacy version, I compared the search results between the legacy version and the current version.

Then, the "disappeared" note appeared in the search results even in the current version.

Was it good rebuilding the index? Did the time resolve? I don't know.

It would be reassuring to have a way using the legacy version to find out how many "disappeared" notes actually are.

[Moiz57 8]

Hi Birdnote - I see where you are coming from.  I have downloaded the Legacy version and will consider using this as you say should I 'discover' another missing note in the web version. I have over 1,800 notes now so it is difficult (impossible) to know if I am missing results in the search unless I just happen to know something in particular should have come up.  My rate of note entry has slowed down now and I have taken to checking the search every time I enter a new note - hence finding the problem the other day.  I had to re-create the note multiple times before it was finally returned in a search.  Very tedious but the only way I can have some confidence my searches are returning all the appropriate notes.

[PinkElephant 8,808]

It is never bad to compare searches. I use 4 data bases resp. Apps: Local on legacy, Server on v10 desktop, Server on iOS, offline on iOS.

A while ago I had a significant difference, that seems to have been caused by the server search not finding older notes. This has been fixed by the technical support team.

Currently I have an open ticket concerning sear for tags using the search syntax. Notes are found, but the tag is marked as an error. So maybe more a GUI issue, not the search itself.

When using legacy as yardstick, it is important to apply the additional tools in the help menu (hold down Strg/ctrl or alt/opt before opening the help menu, additional options will show) first to make sure that the local database is solid, and the search index has no errors.

[Moiz57 8]

Hi PinkElephant, thanks for the tip re the help menu on Legacy, appreciated. 

I know you are not technical support (!) but do you know - if I log in with Legacy does EN automatically create the index on my local device?  Or have I misunderstood how that works?

[PinkElephant 8,808]

Legacy creates and works on a completely local database. It creates a local index as well. Changes are up-synced to the server. The server data is the master copy, but the local copy is significant for the apps function.

v10 AFAIK works like a browser: It executes a task locally, but first syncs it with the server, not with local data. The local data (depending on that little switch in what few settings there are) „Keep local data when leaving“ is only for offline use.

This is why the repair functions for legacy are important: Because it executes everything on the local data base. If need be, a forced sync can be done, which forces an overwrite of all local data (except the local notebooks, that don’t exist on the server) by server data. If I remember correctly, Strg or opt down before clicking the sync wheel. This can be done if the repair options fail, or I want to do it quick & dirty.

When you assume there is internet connectivity, v10 is more elegant behause it avoids to have 2 copies, and maybe work on a defunct or outdated local data set. One price for that is no more local notebooks, another that a bad connection makes the app feel sluggish, or even create shadow duplicates.

Disclaimer: No inside knowledge, I am just piercing information together.

[Moiz57 8]

Thank you PinkElephant, I very much appreciate you taking the time to provide your perspective.

[yffaria 0]

This is so frustating about how worse new evernote is rather than legacy.

[yffaria 0]

1 minute ago, yffaria said:

This is so frustating about how worse new evernote is rather than legacy. When I search for a specific word, its not on my top results, however in some cases the word is not even found on top notes.