Change default tag filtering operator

[AlexDev 0]

Currently, when we filter with tags, it's an AND operator which in my opinion is not useful, it should be an OR operator in order to be able to search for multiple tags.

[Mike P 2,641]

9 minutes ago, AlexDev said:

Currently, when we filter with tags, it's an AND operator which in my opinion is not useful, it should be an OR operator in order to be able to search for multiple tags.

I disagree. I am happy with the default as it is. I have no objection to an option to change the default or a much simpler way of switching between AND and OR (as in the legacy version). It seems a bit overkill to have to use the advanced search syntax simply to search for tag1 OR tag2.

[AlexDev 0]

Problem is that currently there is no way to change the AND except with professional plan and advanced search. Charging for a so basic option is not justifiable.

An option to change the way this filter works ( AND or OR ) should be provided.

[gazumped 11,665]

I presume everyone's aware of the easy work-around.  Can't see Evernote changing the standard operation,  which has been used by millions of people for 12 years - not only would that bury them in complaints while users re-word and re-save millions of standard searches,  but as you note they already offer that feature in a higher level package.  Why undercut themselves?

[PinkElephant 8,111]

Use the advanced search syntax. If you have a problem to memorize it, save searches, and modify them.

cat dog      Cat AND dog

any: cat dog        Cat OR dog

cat -dog       Cat NOT dog

There is much more possible:

https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/208313828-How-to-use-Evernote-s-advanced-search-syntax

There are a few search types (full boolean, geographic) reserved for Professional and Teams, but the search syntax is free for all. Again: Nobody gets charged for it - @AlexDev  I don’t know from where you get the idea it would cost money to use it.

[AlexDev 0]

Of course not change it for everybody but add an option for it. There are check-boxes with tags name when I filter by tags. Problem is that it is implicitly an AND filtering, I don't need advanced search but only to search for Tag1 OR Tag2. I'm not aware of a way to do this filtering without the pro plan but maybe there is a way ?

[gazumped 11,665]

17 minutes ago, AlexDev said:

I don't need advanced search but only to search for Tag1 OR Tag2.

So do multiple searches?  One for each tag?

[AlexDev 0]

The idea is to be able to filter notes horizontally, I almost don't use notebook for classification but tags.

I have a tag for the form ( Exercise tag ) which could be my first filter and then add another one which could be the content ( Mathematics tag ) and another one ( College tag ) , it's just an example to get the idea. It allow to narrow down the note based on what I want to search, with AND I need to know exactly how I tagged my notes.

What's the point of tags if I need to do multiple search to do this operation ?

[PinkElephant 8,111]

To search mytag1 OR mytag2 the search syntax will perfectly do:

any: mytag1 mytag2 

If you want complex searches, you need to get the Boolean option, which is part of the Professional (or Teams) Package. Something like 

Myterm1 AND myterm2 AND (myterm3 OR myterm4) NOT Myterm5

This can’t be build with he search syntax, at least not in one go.

Yes, it will cost an additional 2 bucks a month.

If you NEED it, you will easily pay the 2 bucks, because it saves you a lot of time. If it doesn’t save you enough time to make up for 2 bucks a. month, you don’t NEED it - maybe you just WANT it, like you want other things in life without a real necessity.

[AlexDev 0]

I tried with any: keyword and it doesn't filter the tags but the note content. Anyway, doing a simple OR search for tags is not advanced search and it's a bit overkill to use this kind of syntax for that, my suggestions was just to add an option either to change the default ( on personnal basis ) or maybe to add a Switch OR/AND in filter Window to take benefit of user interface. Seems that it was possible to do it this way with legacy version. 

[PinkElephant 8,111]

Now I ask myself if you read stuff we send you, and try to understand and use it, or just need your serving on a silver plate ?

any: tag:computer tag:internet

is equivalent to

computer OR internet 

with both arguments restricted to tags only.

Note there must be a space behind „any:“, but no space behind „tag:“ to make it work.

And that’s it, my opinion is you can find out how to use it yourself now. There is everything to make it work, you just need to DO it instead of standing at the sideline and murmur „… but it does not work the way I would like it to work“. It is very powerful, it just takes a little more than clicki clicki here and there.

[AlexDev 0]

9 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

To search mytag1 OR mytag2 the search syntax will perfectly do:

any: mytag1 mytag2

 

Yes I read your stuff but not my bad if you are not precise in your explanation.

Indeed, by adding keyword tag: it works, and I don't think being condescending is useful, if you don't have time to explain things, update the Evernote documentation which doesn't mention the fact that we can combine keywords ( any: tag: ). Having said that thanks for your help

[PinkElephant 8,111]

Sorry, even we regulars in the forum are users - not employees. We share our time, but we can’t talk you through every little step.

If you want to see some examples of complex searches, you can find them here, quite to the end of the reading:

https://dev.evernote.com/doc/articles/search_grammar.php

This document is linked in the one about the advanced search syntax.

Mastering it means there are only very few use cases that IMHO would require Professional to get full boolean capabilities. I am on Personal, no need for more.

[MarshaLyn 1]

Coming into the discussion late:

I am still using the legacy version just for the tag feature, which was completely messed up in the new version. No search solution will replace a simple OR feature for a tag hierarchy. For example, suppose I want to work on filing AND daily tasks AND weekly tasks today. I drag the tags "filing" "daily tasks" and "weekly tasks" under my Today tag. I then select Today and it gives me all the notes that are tagged Tuesday OR "filing" OR "daily tasks" OR weekly tasks". I may have three dozen tags under Today, some of which are further down in the hierarchy.. To build a search for each of those is time prohibitive. In legacy, there was no search at all. I just clicked on the Today tag and had a complete list of notes with ANY of the tags under Today (an OR search), giving me a long to-do list to work off of.

[gazumped 11,665]

19 hours ago, MarshaLyn said:

I am still using the legacy version just for the tag feature,

I can only repeat the warning that - as other users - we're frequently offering these days:  legacy's days are numbered and the meter is running down.  Evernote are already making special concessions to allow legacy users to sync their data alongside v10 users,  and one MacOS update has already limited the features of that legacy client.  More OS,  browser and Evernote updates will gradually leave all legacy clients orphaned and unusable. 

v10 must be approaching 100 updates since it was launched, and is now vastly better than the very basic original.  Better to accept that now and attempt to argue for more improvements from within,  than to stick to the dubious comfort of the old app and simply wait for it to crash.

Entirely your choice  of course,  and there's always the option to find an alternative provider and leave.

[Mike P 2,641]

19 hours ago, MarshaLyn said:

In legacy, there was no search at all. I just clicked on the Today tag and had a complete list of notes with ANY of the tags under Today (an OR search), giving me a long to-do list to work off of.

You can still do this without the use of search syntax. There is a way of searching for all the sub-tags under a main tag using OR. Filter by the main tag and then use the drop down in the blue lozenge at the top of the search results to select "include sub-tags". 

 

I still wish there was an easy way of switching between OR and AND (like in legacy) for any selection of tags but in the specific case of wanting to search for a tag and any of it's sub-tags you can do it.

[Mike P 2,641]

21 minutes ago, Mike P said:

Filter by the main tag and then use the drop down in the blue lozenge at the top of the search results to select "include sub-tags". 

 

One word of warning. If you try to save this search and don't have the professional plan you get an error message

However it still saves the search. If you click on the saved search you get the error message again. Because EN insists that you have to run a saved search in order to delete it you can never delete the search! This is probably also true for people with saved Boolean searches who downgrade from professional.

Second point - the list of tags that appear as part of the drop down are copyable (highlight and then ctrl +C). This means you could create a search string without having to type in all the tag names and just pasting in tag: at appropriate places.

Final extra point - a naming convention works wonders. If all the required tags start with XXX then 

any: tag:XXX*

Finds any of the tags starting with XXX

[MarshaLyn 1]

9 hours ago, gazumped said:

I can only repeat the warning that - as other users - we're frequently offering these days:  legacy's days are numbered and the meter is running down.  Evernote are already making special concessions to allow legacy users to sync their data alongside v10 users,  and one MacOS update has already limited the features of that legacy client.  More OS,  browser and Evernote updates will gradually leave all legacy clients orphaned and unusable. 

v10 must be approaching 100 updates since it was launched, and is now vastly better than the very basic original.  Better to accept that now and attempt to argue for more improvements from within,  than to stick to the dubious comfort of the old app and simply wait for it to crash.

Entirely your choice  of course,  and there's always the option to find an alternative provider and leave.

Or I can keep begging for the feature that keeps me on the legacy version for at long as it exists, which is my purpose for posting.

8 hours ago, Mike P said:

You can still do this without the use of search syntax. There is a way of searching for all the sub-tags under a main tag using OR. Filter by the main tag and then use the drop down in the blue lozenge at the top of the search results to select "include sub-tags". 

I don't see a drop-down menu. I am at the "premium" level. Maybe it is reserved for those willing to pay more?

[Mike P 2,641]

1 minute ago, MarshaLyn said:

I don't see a drop-down menu.

In my image it is the little v between BookResources and the X. You will only see it if the tag contains sub-tags. I think it is available for all levels.

[MarshaLyn 1]

5 hours ago, Mike P said:

In my image it is the little v between BookResources and the X. You will only see it if the tag contains sub-tags. I think it is available for all levels.

Two subtags, no v. Version 10.13.4 on Windows 11.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

Check your version. You say 10.13.4 - this is more than 40 (!) releases backwards.

Current release is 10.58.8.

 

[MarshaLyn 1]

1 hour ago, PinkElephant said:

Check your version. You say 10.13.4 - this is more than 40 (!) releases backwards.

Current release is 10.58.8.

 

You're right. I downloaded the newest version yesterday, but somehow didn't get it installed. Doing "check for updates" told me 10.13.4 was the latest version, but it was obviously wrong.

So now I have a drop-down menu to include sub-tags and it seems to work sometimes, but not always. I'll work on figuring out its quirks. Thank you, PinkElephant & Mike P. for your assistance! I'm at least a little closer to being able to leave the legacy version behind.

[Mike P 2,641]

On 6/23/2023 at 12:22 PM, Mike P said:

However it still saves the search. If you click on the saved search you get the error message again. Because EN insists that you have to run a saved search in order to delete it you can never delete the search! This is probably also true for people with saved Boolean searches who downgrade from professional.

If anybody stumbles across this post I have found a workaround. As explained above, you cannot delete the saved search because you can't run it. However you can edit it and add it to the shortcuts. Right clicking the shortcut gives you the option to not only delete the shortcut but also delete the saved search (which automaticlly deletes the shortcut).