287047 - Confusing layout in empty search results

Status: NEW

(Bugzilla :: Query/Bug List, enhancement)

Description

[Mark Clements]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.6) Gecko/20050225 Firefox/1.0.1 (ax)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.6) Gecko/20050225 Firefox/1.0.1 (ax)

If a search returns no results, the layout of the page implies that the 'save
search' box is really a 'search again' box.  I often type a new search term into
this box and end up accidentally saving the search.  I would suggest that the
page includes the 'search bugs' form (with all 3 boxes), and a separate 'save
this search' box to avoid this problem and to aid refining of your search terms.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
Search for something that will return no results, e.g. "dasjkfh"

Comment 1

[Frédéric Buclin]

*** Bug 295261 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 2

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Bug 295261 is not a duplicate of this bug IMO, as this does not ask that a new
search form be displayed, only that the UI be cleaned up.  I think Bug 295261
should be unduped and confirmed on it's own merits.  But I'll await other comment.

It's crystal clear to me what the author is requesting (what are 3 boxes for
example) and I've already read it 2-3 times - perhaps he could rephrase it and
provide an example layout.

But I'll take a stab: move "Remember search as" to a seperate line, ditto for
"Edit Search"?  (all the rest refers to functions that operate on the buglist
RESULTS, not the search criteria per'se

And BTW don't eliminate "remember search" - it is possible that someone might
want to remember a search that has ZARRO results, as it might yield results in
the future.  Or, maybe the search in question is to simply to confirm there are
NO such bugs.

Comment 3

[Mark Clements]

Attachment: Example of alternative layout

I think you're on the right lines, Wayne.  My main point is that in most search
engines, if a search fails (and often even if it doesn't) there will be a box
to search again/refine your search.  Having a 'save this search' box instead
violates the the principle of least surprise - I have often saved a failed
search because of this.  My proposed solution would be to provide both of these
functions and to reword the labels to make things clearer.  I have uploaded an
example layout that in my opinion solves this problem.

Note that Bug 295261 is a duplicate of the _solution_ I proposed here, not of
the bug itself.  For the moment though I would leave it marked as a duplicate,
and only unmark it if this bug is resolved in a way that doesn't resolve that
one.