Loving the new column search behavior - sometimes?!

[Jamie]

Very cool, but is there a way to toggle or instantiate the search behavior to use the old method as needed? Any advanced search syntax (like “Table: XYZ” versus “Column: XYZ”) that I should be aware of?

[Kirk_Masden]

I’m not aware of a new search behavior. Can you post a link or some more detail about this?

[Jamie]

In the Data/Columns view in the editor, it now searches for column names instead of table names. This fixed the issue where you would sometimes click “View Columns” from a table search and it would take you to the Columns view but the wrong table would be shown. It is also potentially very useful because it will show all tables containing columns that match the search spec, so you can see all the places that a column is referenced:

But…it can be a little confusing because it hides all columns that don’t match the search spec. It would be great if you could choose whether it is searching for table or column names using keywords within the search field!

[Kirk_Masden]

Wow! This really is cool!! I’m really glad to learn about this. I noticed that if I use my browser’s search function, it finds the column names (something that I’m pretty sure didn’t happen in the past) but doesn’t hide any columns. Would using the browser’s search function not be a solution to the issue you describe?

[Jamie]

I hadn’t thought about using the browser search and I could see that coming in handy too. The only limitation there is that the columns need to be visible (table must be expanded) for the browser to register a hit. Thanks for the suggestion!

[GreenFlux]

I agree, it can be a little confusing when switching between sections of the editor and returning to the column list with it already filtered from a previous search. Views and Actions are the same way. But some of my tables have over 100 columns and the search makes navigating them much easier.

@morgan,
Suggestion: Could you display something under the last column to indicate the list is filtered?

Maybe show the unmatching columns greyed out below the ones matching the search. Or a Reset Filter link below the last line. I’m use to it now, but I think it would help others realize where the missing columns, views, actions, etc. have gone.

[Jamie]

I’m kind of in the opposite situation. I have ~130 tables (and growing) so certain column searches will now return A LOT of hits unless I am very specific. I think ultimately an advanced search capability which allows me to target Tables or Columns would be best for me. I know I am a bit of an outlier with the large number of tables.

[Kirk_Masden]

Here’s an issue I found that’s related to the new search function:

Why is everything opened up in the editor by default Questions

I’m having some difficulty finding the proper terminology to describe the issue so I’ll use screenshots. Here’s the default I prefer: [Screen Shot 2020-04-09 at 10.35.51] I find, however, that after I close the app in the editor and then open it up again I get this: [Screen Shot 2020-04-09 at 10.36.05] Everything is expanded and since my app is pretty big, it can take a long time to close everything. I think this started after the search function improved: Is this a problem that others…

Please scroll down to my second post in the thread. I was a bit confused about the cause at first but had figured it out by the second post.