(Archived) Issues with Evernote 5

[Nathaniel 4]

The newest version of Evernote, version 5, has made some changes to the interface that is hampering my ability to use the product. Specifically:

• There does not seem to be a way to edit saved searches; in version 4, one could right-click on a saved search and edit the saved search as needed
  
• Saved searches need to be manually dragged from the dropdown menu in the search bar to the shortcuts bar for easy access
  
• I was unable to figure out how to create new saved searches; the menu option is no longer there, nor does dragging searches to the shortcuts seem to work
  
• It took me a while to figure out how to create nested tags; in the sidebar, dragging tags into existing "category" tags I already have set up does not create a nested tag as expected (and which was the behavior in Evernote 4). However, it can be done by clicking on "Tags" in the sidebar and managing tags there. I've seen other posters on the forum also unable to create nested tags.
  

Some things will just take getting used to, and I do like the overall look of the new version. Plus, the Atlas view is pretty neat; I can see it being useful in the future. Really, the feature I'd like is to add a "Saved searches" item in the sidebar, and restoring the editing of saved searches by right-clicking. (And while I'm making feature requests, can we get a "saved searches" tab for the iOS version of Evernote, too?) And little things such as options to insert date and time (new in the Mac version, I believe) are going to be great time-savers. Saved searches seems to be the weak point of the new version.

Is anyone else having difficulties with saved searches?

[ka8uhl 1]

Overall I think Evernote 5 for Mac will be OK. I'm still adjusting. I'd like to see the Back Button restored, an ability to clear the Recent Notes list, and an ability to customize the tool bar to add back buttons for New Note, Print and Delete.

I've encountered one very big problem, but only on one note that I've noticed so far. I don't know if it's a fluke & if I'll encounter it again elsewhere. On one note, all my attachments were null files with 0 bytes. Yikes!! Luckily my other computer had the same note with all the attachments. I copied everything into a new note with a new name and synced. I've got the full content again on both computers, but this was alarming. Anyone else have this happen?

[jbh 1]

I don't remember nested tags ever working like that--as far as I know nesting tags only serves to visually organize the tags without adding any additional functionality. I don't think the search function reads the tag hierarchy.

[Pasko 1]

Hi. I have a serious issue with the way nested tags work. Say I have a tag named "holiday" and nested under it are other tags name "NZ" "Africa" etc, when I select the "holiday" tag, there seems no way to automatically display the child tags. I thought this could be done previously in an earlier version of evernote. I would really love for this functionality to return. Why is it that we have this option currently (vers 5) with Nested notebooks but not tags? With nested notebooks there is a option of the nested notebook list that says "view all notes in .... Stack" . Please add this to tags. The reason why it would be better for tags is that one can create create multiple generations under tags which notebooks currently cannot do. Tags are more flexible. This would be a simple option toggle but would help so many people. 

[jbh 1]

I have tried to push Evernote on everyone I know for years, and Oh my god this update is a disaster. I made the mistake of trying to edit the spelling of a tag, and the program is stuck in a loop that I can't get out of even if I quit. None of the "improvements" serve me in the least. The features that I used to make it work have been eliminated.

[evan.mcnally 0]

Thanks, Metrodon. All notebooks in sidebar working, and much better now. Thanks!

[Metrodon 2,188]

You can show all your notebooks in the sidebar, right click on the notebook icon.

There is no evidence that the hierarchy is going to get any deeper - this is not new with v5.

[evan.mcnally 0]

Another "thumbs down" to the new version 5 interface. I tend to collect items into notebooks for when I want to review them in a list rather than searching for a specific note.

The way that sub-notebooks in a stack are not all shown and then scroll sideways for the ones that do show is just awful. The whole thing is vaguely reminiscent of Windows 8's Metro interface--and I mean this in a very bad way. Show me a random and incomplete collection of my stuff and call it progress?

Combined with Evernote's longstanding inability to do a decent job actually creating well-structured notes (compare with MS OneNote which has stellar note taking abilities), and I am not sure why I need Evernote. If I wanted to have to search for each and every item then I would just use Google.com and call it good enough.

Evernote's web clipping is clearly much better than OneNote, but since the ability to do more than tag everything is apparently being deprecated, I guess the best use for Evernote is as a dumb bucket with a search function.

What is needed:

-Hierarchical Notebooks

-Hierarchical view of stack sub notebooks

-No collection of items should ever spill over into multiple columns that mingle the levels of the hierarchy--not in any interface in any program, ever. This is just a crime again clarity of presentation.

Guess I'll be looking for something different and not renewing my subscription. It's really a shame when "new" replaces "good".

[Jackolicious 808]

I would open a support request jbh. All comments noted thus far.

[jbh 1]

Is this the place to report bugs? If so, going to "tags" view causes beach-balling. It's death to the workflow.

[jbh 1]

Is there really no "back button"?? If so, this is going to force me to totally reorganize my notes so I can use my organizational system with links. Please tell me there is a way to activate this feature. I am DEEPLY committed to Evernote, and changing or eliminating the functional aspects of the interface is very frustrating. Note links are much less useful if they only go forward.

I understand the desire for simplicity and clean design, but 2 forward and back triangles that make it act like a browser was a feature for me.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

Glad you found them Nathaniel.

Me, too, though I'm embarrassed that I asked for a feature that was already there. :-) (Even worse, having been a software developer, I know what it's like to have customers complain about things needlessly.) Thanks for following up, Jack -- Evernote really does seem to be a company that listens to its user base. Do you know if there are any plans to put a greater focus on saved searches in the new interface, such as adding them to the sidebar along with Altas, Tags, etc., or is my heavy use of saved searches not the normal use case for most customers?

I make heavy use of saved searches, especially on mobile devices. The Saved Searches work well in the Shortcuts menu. I wouldn't mind a separate section for them, though.

[Nathaniel 4]

Glad you found them Nathaniel.

Me, too, though I'm embarrassed that I asked for a feature that was already there. :-) (Even worse, having been a software developer, I know what it's like to have customers complain about things needlessly.) Thanks for following up, Jack -- Evernote really does seem to be a company that listens to its user base. Do you know if there are any plans to put a greater focus on saved searches in the new interface, such as adding them to the sidebar along with Altas, Tags, etc., or is my heavy use of saved searches not the normal use case for most customers?

[ChrisCrete 0]

I think the user interface in version 3.3.1. is far better than the one in 5.0. Is there a way to go back to the older version?

[Jackolicious 808]

Glad you found them Nathaniel.

[Nathaniel 4]

Ah, I found how to make new saved searches at http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/31491-evernote-500/:

"Saved searches appear in the search field now. Then can be made through Edit > Find > Save Search"

Not intuitive to me, at least given experience with using previous versions of Evernote. That said, I think that overall this is good work by the developers, and continues to be a vital application for me.

[Ganesha 19]

Plus:

- No 'Back' Button

- I miss a list of notebooks somewhere where they are visible all the time (ok, workaround: drop all notebooks into the favorites bar)