web help: the "quick search" option: Useless, or just me?

[samjones6]

Is it just me, or is the "quick search" option kinda... misleading?

It implies REAL search.... but it is not!

Should it say "search this page" ?

Thoughts?

[NorthEast]

I agree, I never include this feature in our skins, because:
- People often expect it to search the whole help.
- I think it makes it more confusing to have two different search functions.
- All browsers already have a page search feature, so it's a bit redundant.

[Paul Griffiths]

Agreed. Also, AFAIK, the only way to change the default text in the search box is to edit the language skin.

[RamonS]

I agree with the others, it is misleading. But as far as what it is intended to do it works fine. Then again, a CTRL+F in any browser gets you the same if not better results.

[Nita Beck]

I agree -- not so much that it is useless -- but that its label is misleading, as the label can easily be interpreted to mean "Search the Help system quickly." I do include this in my WebHelp skins, but I always rename it so that instead of "Quick search," it reads "Search This Topic." I suppose I should also change the label of the "Search" accordion to read "Search All Topics" to emphasize even more the difference between the two searches. Now that I think of it, that's not a bad idea.

[i-tietz]

We inserted it because we have dropdowns. The quicksearch opens dropdowns with search results. And we changed the label and the tooltip into "Search in document".

But there's still the problem that you have to enter the whole word - it won't search for parts of words ... not nice ...
We're not going to go to the length of writing a javascritp search ourselves - at least not before we start publishing Webhelp (building HTML Help now).

I'm quite fond of the search in Windows 7, by the way - has a new checkbox that allows you to see the search results whilest you're entering the searchstring ...

[samjones6]

Agreed. Also, AFAIK, the only way to change the default text in the search box is to edit the language skin.

Where / how do I edit the language skin?

(I dug around flare help, and could not work out the answer)

Thanks!

[samjones6]

And we changed the label and the tooltip into "Search in document".

Inge,

How do I do this?

Thanks!

[i-tietz]

1. Skin -> Tab Styles
2. List Styles: ToolbarItem -> QuickSearch
3. Group Show: Alphabetical List

properties_quicksearch.png

[Paul Griffiths]

Tools > Manage Language Skins...

then

ToolbarItem > QuickSearch

[Paul Griffiths]

Inge, when I tried changing the skin it had no effect on the text in the box itself. I must try that again...

UPDATE: Yep, you are right. Changing the Tooltip works. Wonder how I missed that before?

[samjones6]

1. Skin -> Tab Styles
2. List Styles: ToolbarItem -> QuickSearch
3. Group Show: Alphabetical List

properties_quicksearch.png

Inge,

You rock!

That did the trick.

Thanks for the good explanation. I could not have found it any other way.

(Flare documentation editor: Please take note! <g>)

[i-tietz]

Inge,

You rock!

That did the trick.

Thanks for the good explanation. I could not have found it any other way.

(Flare documentation editor: Please take note! <g>)

Thanx ...

[Judith]

My thanks also - this thread just saved me a lot of grief. One question: what is the Label property?

Judith