Another annoyance, the magical moving search dialogue

[B. Clay Miles 29]

Behold the Search dialogue. I've placed the before and after side-by-side - note that the top margin is identical in both images. I make no claims to artistic competency in creating this simulation.

 

Note how the entire search box is now down roughly over the 'New note' bar.  The cursor - because evernote has no control of it - remains where it was when I clicked in the box.

This is absolutely ghastly UI/UX. The location of what I clicked on should not change as a result of clicking it, unless that change is expected, desired, and meaningful to the operation. I'm now looking at my cursor which is no longer in the search box. The mentally automatic reaction is that I'm no longer "attached" to the search dialogue, so need to move the arrow down and click again. Which is spurious because the dialogue is already selected.

DON'T DO THIS.

The solution is easy and obvious. Move the (for me) utterly useless 'select mode' elsewhere, so that the dialogue box stays where it was. While you're at it, create a new option I can select in settings: "No, I never, ever, will use this "AI-Powered" search mechanism, because I do not want what I type sent to an unidentified "third-party AI vendor" who I have to agree to indemnify and hold harmless, so please remove entirely the "Select mode" dialogue so that the application can operate like any other (sane) application would".

I've reached an age in my life that my tolerance for nonsense like this is as short as a firecracker fuse. As this post demonstrates.

Look, you want to do the buzzword-of-the-year AI play, great, make it something people opt into, as in, don't force a modified UI unless and until someone actually opts in.

Sheesh.

[s2sailor 2,426]

This is somewhat old news.  I'm not a fan either but it has been there for a while since they added in the AI search option, IIRC.  Many would like to have that option removed, or at least a setting to remove it.  I'm pretty sure Evernote thinks that AI search is a value add.  I don't, but others do so it will likely remain prominently visible somewhere.  This is a user's forum, so it is doubtful if employees read these comments.  It would be best if you provided your thoughts to feedback@evernote.com.

[PinkElephant 8,773]

This is a lot of text over a very small issue: When you click on search, the cursor is not at the same place as before clicking. Mildly irritating at first, but without any practical disadvantage.

After clicking into the search field, the cursor is already positioned in the newly opened search box. There is no need to click again - just start typing .

[B. Clay Miles 29]

Providing full context and clarity to what one is commenting on is superior to a drive-by comment that adds nothing, and states that which I already acknowledge.

 

[PinkElephant 8,773]

Yes, your OP was meant.

First there are already a number of similar threads about this very topic in this forum, so you indeed did only add a repetition of similar opinions to this forum, without adding much. A forum search can prevent this, prior to posting.

Second you generate the impression that it would be necessary to reposition the cursor using the mouse and place it into the new position before being able to perform a search. You correct this further down your text, which makes it necessary to read it all to follow your story line. This is a forum, not a place to write prose. OK, I could copy it to EN and ask the AI edit to make a summary.

Third you posted, other users answer. That’s how things work here.

[Cristiano478 236]

I will be forced to agree with @PinkElephant . It seems like such a small problem to me that it's actually funny to create a topic about it. I get the impression that some users want Evernote to be the perfect app. Any slightest detail generates great indignation as if it were a great absurdity. I've noticed this here on the forum since I started participating more actively a few months ago.

I'm curious to know if the same level of charges exist on the forums of other applications like Notion or Obsidian as there is here. Something tells me there isn't.

[mackid1993 1,236]

37 minutes ago, Cristiano478 said:

I will be forced to agree with @PinkElephant . It seems like such a small problem to me that it's actually funny to create a topic about it. I get the impression that some users want Evernote to be the perfect app. Any slightest detail generates great indignation as if it were a great absurdity. I've noticed this here on the forum since I started participating more actively a few months ago.

I'm curious to know if the same level of charges exist on the forums of other applications like Notion or Obsidian as there is here. Something tells me there isn't.

Seems like at this point people are just looking for new things to complain about.

[B. Clay Miles 29]

Geez, the sycophants are out in force.

 

[mackid1993 1,236]

15 minutes ago, B. Clay Miles said:

Geez, the sycophants are out in force.

 

Polite!!  

[Paul A. 675]

On 5/29/2024 at 9:33 AM, PinkElephant said:

This is a lot of text over a very small issue: When you click on search, the cursor is not at the same place as before clicking. Mildly irritating at first, but without any practical disadvantage.

As has been discussed many times before, it has the practical disadvantage of not allowing a double-click to select the existing text in the search box. Something that contravenes how just about every other text box works.

On 5/29/2024 at 3:47 PM, Cristiano478 said:

I will be forced to agree with @PinkElephant . It seems like such a small problem to me that it's actually funny to create a topic about it.

It's "such a small problem" to people who aren't trying to double-click to select existing text in the box. If it's not something you ever do, then of course it's a small problem. However, for those of us with years (or decades) of muscle memory doing just that, then it becomes much more bothersome. And what's more irritating is that it would be such an easy thing for them to fix, but they still haven't...

[MvdH 487]

There are many such problems in Evernote, and yes, I call them problems. They don't follow expectations/conventions. You can say what you want about the old Legacy Evernote developer team, but those were the kind of nerds that worked like I work. So every convenient UX/UI or smart thing to do, they did. v10 is build like a lot of software is build now-a-days, like the user has all the time of the world and likes overhead and doesn't think about improving their own workflow every day. They seem to be non-critical people on how the scarce time is that they can spend in the single (I assume) life they have. 😉 

Another example is not being able to close the edit tags dialogue with the Escape key, and other dialogues too. But curiously enough, there are also dialogues that do close with Esc. For people only using a mouse, or people not using Escape to close dialogues, it's not a biggy. For me it's a daily annoyance. I consider myself a keyboard-ninja, and my mind is programmed to use the (purposely stimulated and enforced) common Windows conventions/hotkeys/etc..  So for me Escape not working in this dialogue is a big nuisance with kilo's of Zen needed to mentally cope with it and it is costing me some time added up because this software program does not behave like the many other tools I use, or to make it easy, like Office 365. I edit/view tags via that dialogue a LOT during the day. I slip up many times a day.

Same goes for the opening poster. That extra click is hell if you do it 100 or 250 times a day... By the way.. If/when I click...I don't double click to select... I triple click, so it doesn't select only a word, but the whole phrase... 🙂 

Suggestion for the thread starter: If you want true convenience and work like a ninja, don't use your mouse. Use the keyboard short-cut to open the search, and Ctrl+A after that to select all......then type the new search That's what I do in this case. 🙌👊👍 Most of the times I use the "switch-to" search-option, also for broad searches.

I do agree with some of the responders that it is a small thing compared to loosing attachments, not being able to copy-paste with images from Outlook e-mails, not being able to sort on the tags column....However, those are also subjective. People who don't use that, don't encounter that, and will consider it small issues.

😘🙏🤗❤

@mackid1993  Thx for the noticeable effort you make all around the forum trying to keep some love flowing, respect prevailing and stimulate true curiosity by asking questions.

 

 

[AlbertR 694]

My current example of horrible UI implementation is the handling of the text input cursor in note editor:

• If you move the cursor with arrow keys, it becomes invisible if you come across attachments, title links, horizonal lines or other things except simple characters...
• If you are on an attachment inside a numbered or bulleted list...
  • the attachment is selected (but I expect a the cursor just before or after the attachment...)
  • if you type <RETURN>, a new line is opened (OK) - but this new line is simply a new line within that paragraph (I expect a new paragraph - within a list a new list item...). This functionality is normally bound to <Shift><RETURN>) 😡
• If you move around horizonal line, I expect the line to be an atomic piece of my text (like a character or an attachment or whatever)
  • ... but EN seems to ignore the horizontal line an jumps to the next line above or below... 🤔
• If you're working with collapse list items, it's always amusing/frustrating where you end up after hitting <RETURN>
  • If you are at the end of such a line and hit <RETURN>, EN seems to open a new sections on the same level (OK). In truth if opens the new section but moves all collapsed content the the new section. The old sections is empty 😤
• ... <try yourself to edit longer texts with all formatting stuff 😉>

[Feitz 262]

4 hours ago, Paul A. said:

Something that contravenes how just about every other text box works.

Exactly, and all those 'little inconveniencies' do add up and make V10 a very cumbersome and unpleasant to use app - besides all the other issues that keep popping up.

 

[Feitz 262]

18 minutes ago, AlbertR said:

My current example of horrible UI implementation is the handling of the text input cursor in note editor:

Thanks a lot for bringing this up.

Editing a note with images/PDFs in them is a major PITA nowadays. In legacy the cursor could be positioned exactly where you wanted to add things, in V10 you simply can't.

Had to edit s larger note yesterday and ended up composing in textedit and pasting into V10 (don't call it Evernote any more)...

 

[MvdH 487]

24 minutes ago, Feitz said:

In legacy the cursor could be positioned exactly where you wanted to add things, in V10 you simply can't.

Not to spark the legacy discussion: It has nothing to do with legacy, except that legacy followed the Windows Aplication Design Principles. It's simply that v10 breaks many expected and promoted conventions which are well thought out. If one can use Word, one should be able to use any application that follows the Windows 11 design principles; Build desktop apps for Windows | Microsoft Learn  They are well thought out to make things easier to learn, to recognize and to use. Speed and convenience in mind. (Also interesting: Windows User Experience Design Principles | Design Principles FTW)

[Feitz 262]

34 minutes ago, MvdH said:

Not to spark the legacy discussion

Agreed, but they already knew how to do it and threw usability under the bus in V10.

Those universally followed app design principles established for a reason and should not be violated without need.

[mackid1993 1,236]

8 hours ago, MvdH said:

@mackid1993  Thx for the noticeable effort you make all around the forum trying to keep some love flowing, respect prevailing and stimulate true curiosity by asking questions.

 

Thank you for being so kind as well. 😊

[Feitz 262]

Gianluigi just sent me a list of corrupted notes and I tried to find and review them in V10 using the now dreaded search dialogue. What a mess!!!

- it searches for each and every word in a search string obviously without promoting those results with a higher match or - even better with the exact note title that is actually in the notes. So you have to add " " to every search consising of several words. If you have 100% matching result why not show it on top???

- recent searches would be handy but they are randomly shown or not, could not find a pattern for this

- when I add a note to inbox it is not shown in search results, at least not for a while, although it sits right there in my inbox.

- from habit you always double-click in a search to mark the search string, but in V10 this is not a good idea since the search window moves after the first click when the search dialogue opens. This is not something you will get accustomed to since each and every other app behaves according to windows / mac standards, just V10 doesn't.

- when I create a new note from an attachment of a corrupted note (i.e. draging the attachment into V10 again) and then deleting the corrupt note, the new note is deleted as well, probably because V10 somehow stopped storing duplicates of attachments, so when you delete one version, the other goes as well. So I saved a corrupt note only to permanently delete it an instant later (emptied trash to avoid deleted notes showing up in search results).

[PinkElephant 8,773]

Which search order have you selected ?

By Relevance ? By date ? By title ?

 

[Feitz 262]

I always view notes by 'latest first', but search results are automatically sorted by relevance, which they should be. 

Although the exact note title exists it is buried under a heap of irrelevant results.

 

E.g.: I have four notes titled 'updating the Mac pro'. As far as I remember Legacy would have shown them on top of my results, with less valid matches further down.