How to keep a search result in focus?

❓Help
#1

I am asking about the classic search functionality of any text editor (e.g. Word, Notepad…)
I search for a word in a document to find an item, then I want to view the whole document around the item I found and start working on it.

Is there a way to search, select the desired item to focus on, then remove search and see the document focused around the selected item? Or to iterate over the results while viewing the non-filtered document?

Conceptually, it feels to me like search is trying to do both classic search and filtering.

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Simple, top-level, non-filtering hightlight search
#2

we need this behaviour … its the classic mode of working in all environments (workflowy too)

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#3

This is one of the features that keeps my work in Workflowy. I use it everyday.

#4

Zoom and then use Esc to escape search? Is that what you mean?

#5

but, without the need of zooming ! @Erica
because later you want to search another thing, and you cant because zoomed in, there isnt what you need.
you need
to search > to zoom in. > erase the search > edit
to zoom out > to search > too zoom in > erase the search > edit
to zoom out …

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#6

How is it done differently in WorkFlowy then? Just curious.

#7

workflowy
you search . you find.
a) you exit from the search and you are still on your found item. you edit it.
you from there can search again another item in the all-document (you arent zoomed in that item so the entire document is still searchable)

current dynalist.
you search. you find.
a) you exit from the search and oh…you lost your found item.
b) you zoom in and edit it. now you need to zoom out to look for another item.

(this comment has a bulleted hierarchical dynalist-like structure
lol my writing is becoming like this, obviously <3 )

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#8

I still don’t fully get it… you can edit the search result right there, if you’re not searching across all documents. I think you meant global search, but in the original post you said “I search for a word in a document to find an item”?

#9

You can’t exit from the search currently . If you do you lose the found item.
Unless you zoom in, but if you do you can’t search until you zoom out.

It’s not a big deal though

#10

Rarely a found item from a search is self-contained.

To edit it or get the information I need from it, I need access to its context, i.e. the items around it.

In fact, I may not even be sure if what I found is the one I am looking for if I don’t see the rest of the items around it.

At the very least, I need to keep focus on the item I clicked on the search when I remove the search.
Ideally, I would want to search without hiding the items not matched and iterate over the found items, classic search.

This is why I mean there are two distinct use cases:

  1. Filtering, I guess mostly used along with bookmarking it, which is what we have now and works nicely
  2. Classic search, i.e. ad-hoq search for a word/phrase to find the area a user has in mind.
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#11

Yes, I have also struggled with the search as it is a bit non-intuitive and unlike standard expected behaviour. A lot of clicking is required to get bearings. Agree that the “filter” works well, but “search” and even “find Next” in context is desired.

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