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Is there any way to use Boolean operators when using the search function in DropBox ?
When I used the search I usually get too many hits, so a simple way of narrowing down the results would be very beneficial.
Please make it so that you can search for phrases using like "xyz and abc" instead of only being able to search for a single word. This would be a BIG improvement for the search funactionality.
Hi,
I have a large archive of scanned documents in PDF format and I'm testing the (new to me) OCR search functionality. The recognition quality seems good and I can find items using specific unique terms easily. However, I can't figure out how to do anything more than enter a basic search string - and even that isn't always interpreted the way I want it.
Here's a simple example. I see a charge on a credit card statement of GBP 31.34. I'd like to find the receipt document that includes that value. So I search for 31.34. The result set is large, and it includes documents named "2017-08-03-15-31-34.pdf" or similar. When I access documents from the result set, it is very hard to see if "31.34" even appears in them anywhere - there's no highlighting of the search term, and I'm pretty sure some of the result documents don't even contain that term. Btw, the actual document I'm looking for is part of the list - but it takes 30 minutes of manual browsing to identify it.
Now, this is a simple example. It seems impossible right now to specify an exact search string - when I say "31.34", I don't mean any document that contains either 31 or 34 (which is what Dropbox seems to be doing at this time). In reality I would really like to be able to combine terms:
"Customer Ltd" AND (invoice OR quote)
"Customer Ltd" AND (NOT "Project Beta")
This kind of stuff is rather standard and I don't think further examples are needed. I'm impressed by the document recognition and indexing capabilities, but without a search engine that supports more than the most basic auto-interpreted search terms, the value of the entire feature shrinks drastically.
Maybe I'm missing something?
Thanks
Oli
- Jane
Dropbox Staff
Hi @Jane,
I've read the thread, but I'm afraid the topic is quite different - this thread is largely about file name search patterns, while my concern is about searching file content. Perhaps you are correct that both topics are related to "advanced search", but the title of the thread really has nothing to do with the topic of my message. I would appreciate it if you could reinstate my message as a separate thread for discussion.
Thanks
Oli
- Jane
Can you plz add/allow advanced search queries in your web interface (eg. boolean operators) ? WHY IS THIS CRUCIAL? Since you've introduced "Smart Sync" not all files are on my drive anymore. I used to be able to search them with my OS search engine, which is way better equipped than the dropbox search and find what I need. Now I am depending on your online search, but I can't filter in any way the massive result list anymore... :-( Anybody else having the same, or similar needs? (I found some old threads, but was not allowed to follow up on them. E.g.: https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Accounts-billing/Fulltext-search-syntax/m-p/258941#M17933
- Lusil
Hey BramD, welcome to the Dropbox Community!
I'd be more than happy to help, I'll just need a bit more info on this. For example:
- Are you having trouble searching for file names of online-only files through Finder or Windows Explorer?
- Are you trying to search for keywords included in the contents of files via the website and your desktop?
- Do you see a difference in behavior when you revert files from online-only to local by any chance?
Let me know what you find!
It's about refinement.
In the web interface i can only filter on filetype.
But i want to be able to filter within the found results of one category:My top 3:
Exclude words from your search
Put - in front of a word you want to leave out. For example, jaguar speed -car
Combine searches
Put "OR" between each search query. For example, marathon OR race.
Put "AND" between each search query. For example "tallest building" AND japan.
- Rich
Super User II
No, Dropbox has no such functionality. The search function on the Dropbox website is very lacking. If you're syncing your files to your computer, just use your operating system's search function. You'll have much better results.
Thanks Rich.
I agree with your suggestion.
Its a real shame, the Dropbox search which is an embedded word search is so fast. The problem is that You get too many file hits and it’s hard to discern the one your looking for.
Best Regards
PC
Please add this feature.
Yes, a boolean search feature would be a great help in eliminating a response for every word in the search. Please implement this feature.
please add this feature. way too many hits otherwise.
- DaphneStatus changed:NewtoGathering Support
This idea is going to need a bit more support.
We've updated the status to encourage more users to back you up!
This is the critical NEED without which my company may soon switch to another cloud storage source
Please add Boolean Logic as a feature to narrow search results.
Yes, here is the deal. Widely documents on the internet that leaving windows search on for dropbox folders ends up overheating computer with constant searches, not sure why, plus not good idea to have windows search on for solid state drives. Dropbox searches rock for professional files only which is a shame, since everyone needs it. why not give everyone basic search but make boolean search a Professional feature.
