(Archived) Help with Search String

[TheWarren 2]

I typically write notes with action items for my employees in them so they look something like this

------BEGIN NOTE------

Engineering to provide product spec sheets

[ ] Me - Talk to bob about release timeline

[ ] Denis - Make sure his system are ready

Jenny has informed me that all the system are up and running.

------END NOTE----------

Lets imagine that the [ ] is a todo box.

So I first though this should be really easy to set up a saved search so I can have a liste of all my employees who still have active items.

My initial search string was

todo:false Denis

That is great, it works for uncompleted todo lists. It would return 1 for the note above.

However if I have this string

todo:false Jenny

It would also return 1 and link to that note. So basically any time an employee is mentioned in a note with a todo, they show up for their query, even if the todo item is not for them.

Is there anyways to wrap a query up to only return when the todo that is uncompleted is inline with the person's name?

Thanks

W

[dlu 628]

I think the word boolean scares the average user

[JMichaelTX 4,119]

I clip useful information about using EverNote into my "EverNote" notebook so that I always have it available and easy to find.

I think a lot of us do the same thing.

The problem is that the info immediately becomes static, and we have no way of know when corrections and updates are made.

There have been quite a few errors found in the KB, and it is being updated frequently (I hope :-)).

[hostricity 12]

I clip useful information about using EverNote into my "EverNote" notebook so that I always have it available and easy to find.

[dlu 628]

You'll see that we added Web Clips to the favorites bar as a shortcut to all of your notes clipped from the web. I think the solution is closer to that. No matter how hard I try, I can never get query building to be friendly enough.

We're trying to keep our knowledge base up to date, search grammar is on the list. There's just a lot of info that's constantly evolving, sorry for hole that's currently there.

[jefito 5,598]

If the API was already released then, I (as a definitely average or below-average user at the time) couldn't find it.

The API has been out there for at least a couple of years, but as it's aimed mainly at developers, it's not really visible to most users.

But even today, nowhere in the Evernote Knowledge Base or in the API can a user find the "sourceURL:___" search function. At least I don't see it anywhere there. Am I just very dense? Or has Evernote not made this search public anywhere? All I'm asking is Evernote to somewhere, please, on an Evernote-written page, list search functions like this with full examples of how to use them.

I'm pretty much with you on this. As I said,documentation can always be improved (both in terms of completeness and presentation).

[peterfmartin 221]

Jeff, thank you for your compliments. I don't think I am—or recently was—as skilled as you do, though.

I started using Evernote in early June. I signed up for the forums at the beginning of October, because I had spent a couple weeks struggling to find out how to search for notes with associated URLs, and I couldn't find an answer from Evernote anywhere. You can see my very first post on the forums, in which I asked about that very issue, here. Yes, I eventually got my question answered (thanks again, Jbenson!), but after being confused, frustrated, and lost for a while. That was a shame.

If the API was already released then, I (as a definitely average or below-average user at the time) couldn't find it. But even today, nowhere in the Evernote Knowledge Base or in the API can a user find the "sourceURL:___" search function. At least I don't see it anywhere there. Am I just very dense? Or has Evernote not made this search public anywhere? All I'm asking is Evernote to somewhere, please, on an Evernote-written page, list search functions like this with full examples of how to use them. (Yes, I know that page already exists. I wish it had more searches and more examples.) Or, if the problem is my inability to navigate the web, put this information somewhere where it's easier to find. You're right that I'm no longer a below-average user, and yet I can't find it anywhere.

While you're right that many users only need text searches, (a) I don't think "Hmm, how can I find my notes that come from websites?" is a particularly advanced question (nor do I think are other questions like, "Hmm, how do I find my notes with PDFs?"), and (b ) all of my posts have been in response to dlu writing:

I wouldn't want to require you to get into the search grammar for evernote to be useful

So I'm just sharing my experience, which was that it wasn't until I scoured the Evernote website, didn't find an answer there, assumed for a while that this search was impossible (since I couldn't find any Evernote materials mentioning it), and only a few weeks later came to the forum looking for help, that I started to learn about a lot of the search grammar, which was when Evernote started getting really useful to me.

[jefito 5,598]

I think it's a shame, and an inconvenience for us average-to-below-average users, that Evernote does not make these searches easier to find. Do you disagree with that?

The KB page covers more advanced operators, in a simple way, and it's good for that reason. And it does link to the more extensive search grammar reference.

A large percentage of search cases are covered by simple text search, which searches title, content and tags. More advanced searches are covered in the KB article. And the comprehensive reference is in the API doc. If you want to do advanced searches, as you evidently need to do, you are really not a below-average user, and you probably can be expected to be able to either understand some of the concepts, do some research and experimentation, or ask someone to help you. I know that when I encounter a term that someone uses and I don't recognize, I look it up (e.g. "wiki mime" will make you sorry you asked ). That being said, documentation can always be improved and the search tools can be made easier to use, but no, I don't think that the current state is a shame. You are not a below-average user.

BTW, since the topic's been broached, Evernote's search syntax, while it has its quirks, is miles simpler than SQL. It's not even close.

[JMichaelTX 4,119]

For the record, I find the Evernote Search grammar/syntax very hard to use/remember, and I have many years of experience in software development, including custom saved searches, SQL, API, and a multitude of programming languages. But then, maybe I'm just below average.

For many years I have worked with software that provides very user-friendly tools to create fairly complex Saved Searches (sometimes called queries).

These tools make it easy for most users to create the Saved Searches.

[peterfmartin 221]

Emphasis added:

And a lack of a comprehensive, easy-to-find-on-the-Evernote-website list of all search functions doesn't help.

Or even without changing the search grammar, please provide resources like those JMichael linked to. Currently, the only public Evernote-produced list of all search functions that I can find is in the API, whch is not obvious to get to from the home or Support pages. Since I hope you're not expecting the "average user" to dig into the API, please make this content easily accesible somewhere else.

Or am I just missing another page where Evernote has detailed all the search functions?

Jeff, the page you linked to is missing many of the search functions in the API, including several I've come to rely on since finding out about them on the forum. Additionally, there are several complicated searches that the KB page mentions but does not give example of how to actually implement. Just as I had never heard the word "Boolean" before looking up search functions on the forum, I had also never heard of MIME types. For those who don't know what MIME types are or how they work, there is no way from that page to know that the search for notes containing PDFs is "resource:application/pdf."

I think it's a shame, and an inconvenience for us average-to-below-average users, that Evernote does not make these searches easier to find. Do you disagree with that?

[jefito 5,598]

Well, there's the one in the Knowledge Base: Using Evernote's advanced search operators

[peterfmartin 221]

Or even without changing the search grammar, please provide resources like those JMichael linked to. Currently, the only public Evernote-produced list of all search functions that I can find is in the API, whch is not obvious to get to from the home or Support pages. Since I hope you're not expecting the "average user" to dig into the API, please make this content easily accesible somewhere else.

Or am I just missing another page where Evernote has detailed all the search functions?

[JMichaelTX 4,119]

I think the word boolean scares the average user

OK, so don't use the word "boolean" then.

Just provide some simple instructions and examples on how to use "AND" and "OR" in a search.

This syntax has been around in search engines for a very long time and are extremely powerfull.

If the "average" user can't understand it, they don't have to use it.

For many of us "non average" users it would be a big help.

EDIT: Here are a couple of references you might find helpful:

Boolean operators - Gmail Help - Help with other Google products

Using advanced search - Help with other Google products

[peterfmartin 221]

I didn't know what it meant until I came to the forums looking for help with the search. I think the Evernote search currently confuses a lot of average users. Or maybe I'm just below average.

[peterfmartin 221]

I'm also not sure if the average user would be into that. I wouldn't want to require you to get into the search grammar for evernote to be useful

For what it's worth, Evernote search was not helpful to me until I started researching the grammar. (The rest of Evernote was useful, but I found search frustrating for the first couple months I used the program.) Evernote's search function is, I believe, powerful for those who know many of its non-obvious functions, and confusing and unhelpful for users expecting "tag:A AND tag:B OR tag:C" to work. If the "average user" is into Boolean search, I think Evernote has already left her behind. And a lack of a comprehensive, easy-to-find-on-the-Evernote-website list of all search functions doesn't help.

[dlu 628]

same line and near would be impossible to do across all the clients. Ok maybe not impossible, but it makes my head hurt.

I'm also not sure if the average user would be into that. I wouldn't want to require you to get into the search grammar for evernote to be useful

[jefito 5,598]

Not saying that it can't be done, or wouldn't be useful, mind...

[hostricity 12]

Well, there's that troublesome little reality of implementing it. And pushing it out across all of their far-flung clients.

Anyways, it's not clear from their document whether newlines are considered in their search algorithm; all it says is the following:

Punctuation is used to split the input query and document into words, but it is ignored for text matching. The behavior of a quoted search should behave as if the following operations were performed on both the search query and the target note:

1. All XML markup is removed from the document, leaving only the visible text as a string

2. The string is converted to a list of words which are separated by one or more whitespace and/or punctuation characters.

3. The case of each word in the list is normalized

4. The list of words in the query must match with the same sequence of words in the converted Note

#2 is a little ambiguous, so 'sameline:' might be troublesome (they might have to add line marker tokens); 'near:' might be OK, for some definition of 'near' (some number of tokens?). In this vein, 'adjacent:' might also be useful.

Anyways, as I said before, the grammar tends to change very slowly; I can't remember the last time that it changed.

I agree with your reservations and also your comments about near and adjacent.

[jefito 5,598]

Well, there's that troublesome little reality of implementing it. And pushing it out across all of their far-flung clients.

Anyways, it's not clear from their document whether newlines are considered in their search algorithm; all it says is the following:

Punctuation is used to split the input query and document into words, but it is ignored for text matching. The behavior of a quoted search should behave as if the following operations were performed on both the search query and the target note:

1. All XML markup is removed from the document, leaving only the visible text as a string

2. The string is converted to a list of words which are separated by one or more whitespace and/or punctuation characters.

3. The case of each word in the list is normalized

4. The list of words in the query must match with the same sequence of words in the converted Note

#2 is a little ambiguous, so 'sameline:' might be troublesome (they might have to add line marker tokens); 'near:' might be OK, for some definition of 'near' (some number of tokens?). In this vein, 'adjacent:' might also be useful.

Anyways, as I said before, the grammar tends to change very slowly; I can't remember the last time that it changed.

[hostricity 12]

Actually, all that are needed are a couple of search operators such as "near" and "sameline"

todo:false sameline:Denis

todo:false near:Denis

[TheWarren 2]

Not currently - looks to me like you are looking for a ticketing/workflow solution.

More info on the search grammar is available here - http://www.evernote....m#_Toc297053079

I would not really say I am looking for ticketing / work flow. I just wish I could search for the todo object with an exact string next to it.

A ticketing/workflow system would show you open (unchecked) items, how they relate to each task and the status of each task - just seems like a better fit to me, but you know your business and I have no idea about it.

Yeah, the 'todo:' item is a search operator unto itself; the search grammar isn't like regular expressions where you can string search items together. In most cases it's strictly either a logical AND of all search items, or a logical OR. So a change to the grammar would seem to be indicated, but those appear to be pretty rare.

Interesting use-case. I'll talk to the team about it.

thanks

That would be really awesome, I would love a way to either adapt the search function to do this, or the generation of a 'smart' notebook which is a virtual view of other notebooks with deep search. I have been a premium user since day two of trying the product because I saw all the added value it provides, I just wish I could hammer this one out. Right now I keep messing with other programs hoping to get the perfect note system worked out (which can also drive immediate actions)

The ticketing / workflow system is probably a good analogy for it I guess, I just don't want it to be confused with the likes of a proper ticket system like JIRA, Service Now, RT etc etc etc. Usually I find todo objects and then open them in my Jira system for employees :-)

I discovered as much as the todo is treated like an object :'(

[Metrodon 2,188]

Not currently - looks to me like you are looking for a ticketing/workflow solution.

More info on the search grammar is available here - http://www.evernote....m#_Toc297053079

I would not really say I am looking for ticketing / work flow. I just wish I could search for the todo object with an exact string next to it.

A ticketing/workflow system would show you open (unchecked) items, how they relate to each task and the status of each task - just seems like a better fit to me, but you know your business and I have no idea about it.

[jefito 5,598]

Yeah, the 'todo:' item is a search operator unto itself; the search grammar isn't like regular expressions where you can string search items together. In most cases it's strictly either a logical AND of all search items, or a logical OR. So a change to the grammar would seem to be indicated, but those appear to be pretty rare.

[dlu 628]

Interesting use-case. I'll talk to the team about it.

thanks

[TheWarren 2]

Not currently - looks to me like you are looking for a ticketing/workflow solution.

More info on the search grammar is available here - http://www.evernote....m#_Toc297053079

I would not really say I am looking for ticketing / work flow. I just wish I could search for the todo object with an exact string next to it. I find when I wrap "todo:<true/false> object" in quotes it escapes from treating it as an object. This is just frustrating because a while ago I asked about (via support ticket) the ability to generate a smart/dynamic notebook and was told saved search would be my best option.

Another program I use/was using is called MacJournal it is a brilliant piece of software, however it lacks the OCR and cloud sync that evernote has. It's sync method is wifi with a temporal pin which is highly annoying (IE if I walk away with ipad or iphone the notes off my laptop are not synced augh).

I find the use of Tags to be kinda busy work (although I have been playing with a few options suggested by others with tag use it just seems heavy handed, maybe better for filing).

[Metrodon 2,188]

Not currently - looks to me like you are looking for a ticketing/workflow solution.

More info on the search grammar is available here - http://www.evernote.com/about/developer/api/evernote-api.htm#_Toc297053079