516543 - [faceted search] Quick Search Box: For quickfilter modes, show "search everywhere" autocomplete suggestions when entering search terms (always offer "search all messages")

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 520040

(Thunderbird :: Search, enhancement)

Description

[IagoSRL]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.3a1pre) Gecko/20090912 Minefield/3.7a1pre
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.4pre) Gecko/20090914 Lightning/1.0pre Shredder/3.0b4pre

Small changes to the new search-box:
- When write in search box, press tab to navigate the search tips (like in Firefox 3.5)
- Option 'Search everywhere' must not exists and 'filter' word dissapear from the other search options: the 'search everywhere' action will be only active selecting it from the 'search tips' (like now), and pressing enter by default; in other words, when you write in search box, the current folder is filtered and press enter to open the faceted search, but without an specific option like 'search everywhere'.

Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Thanks IagoSRL for your input. It's a bit hard two understand, but useful and interesting. However, we can't have two issues in one bug. Therefore, I separated first issue into a new bug:

1) When doing "search all messages", pressing <tab> in Quick Search Box should cycle autocomplete suggestions as in FF QS box (contacts, messages mentioning...)
--> bug 520040

I'll morph this bug into your second suggestion:
2) For quickfilter modes, show "search everywhere" autocomplete suggestions when entering search terms (always offer "search all messages")

1 choose quickfilter mode (e.g. new "Subject, sender or recipient" mode from my Bug 462578)
2 enter search term

Actual behaviour
- we only filter current view
- we don't offer autocomplete suggestions as in "search all messages" mode
- if there's no matches, or not the right matches, user needs to start again

Expected
- user should be able to morph filter term into a "search" (everywhere)
- show autocomplete suggestions like in "search all messages" mode
- let user <tab>-cycle through suggestions, and press Enter to pick one
(Reporter even suggests to eliminate "search all messages" mode from the dropdown list, because it would no longer be needed if all the filters show the "search everywhere" autocomplete. But that's a minor detail, and unlikely to happen because it requires an extra key press for each "search everywhere").

IMO this suggestion is very interesting to explore, and very easy to implement, just add the exsisting autocomplete logic to the filter modes.
It might make filters much more flexible than they are now. I think Bryan has already suggested something similar in bug 462578, comment #76.

A small drawback is that autocomplete suggestions will cover the first few of filtered result messages in the message list.

Comment 2

[IagoSRL]

Hi Thomas and thank you very much, it's pretty clear now!! (I explain me bad and my english is poor, sorry)

All it's clear, but only an appointment-enhancement ;)
About:
  'But that's a minor detail, and unlikely to happen because it requires an extra key press for each "search everywhere"'

 I propose that the default 'press Enter' (without select option from dropdown list) launch a "search everywhere" ever (currently, do nothing).

 It's simply: you write, the messages are filtered, don't find the message, you press Enter (only Enter) opening the search (a 'search everywhere' is executed; without press <tab>).

 If you don't use the filter behavior, don't worry, write and press Entry, like in the current 'search everywhere' option but not only in this. And the 'search everywhere' seems 'deprecated' because it's less functional than another (only work when press Enter)


 Thanks again Thomas

Comment 3

[IagoSRL]

I am thinking in your last appointment, Thomas. It's really a problem:

'A small drawback is that autocomplete suggestions will cover the first few of
filtered result messages in the message list.'

Maybe the suggestion list can show at first an informative item 'press <Alt> to show/hide suggestions', and pressing the <Alt> key alternate between show and hide the list.
Thunderbird must remember this preference between restarts, this can help to users that normally prefer the suggestion list to filter behavior, or reverse. 

It's a first idea, more proposals are welcome!

Comment 4

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

(In reply to comment #2)
> It's simply: you write, the messages are filtered, don't find the message,
> you press Enter (only Enter) opening the search (a 'search everywhere' is
> executed; without press <tab>).

IagroSRL, thanks for clarifying your excellent idea. I filed separate Bug 526221 for this: Pressing Enter after quicksearch filter terms should do global search (combine the best of quick filters and "Search all messages").
It's probably better to have a new bug for that, to avoid language and double issue problems of this bug. Besides, it's a separate behaviour: we can implement global-search-on-ENTER behaviour without autocomplete-global, and we can also implement autocomplete-global for quickfilters without global-search-on-ENTER behaviour.

Comment 5

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Conditions for this bug have changed with arrival of separate quick filter bar in tb 3.1rcx, but this might still be valid.

Comment 6

[Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul]]

(In reply to comment #5)
> Conditions for this bug have changed with arrival of separate quick filter bar
> in tb 3.1rcx, but this might still be valid.

The second part isn't aynmore, and the first part is bug 520040. Duping.