Contacts Search

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ralvy
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2011 5:47 am

Contacts Search

Post by ralvy »

I notice that the Search capabilities in the Contacts tab are more limited than those in the Phone tab. What I really like to do is search on the first letter or two of the first name, followed by the first letter or two of the last name. For instance, suppose I want to find Laurie Smith. In the Phone tab, I can just do either of the following:

la sm
lasm

But neither of those work in the Contacts tab. Am I missing something?

Ralph
dwp
Site Admin
Posts: 713
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:46 pm

Re: Contacts Search

Post by dwp »

Hello Ralph
Thanks for your suggestion, I will improve it in the future.
lz2kc
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2012 8:29 pm

Re: Contacts Search

Post by lz2kc »

Can it be improoved in this situation searching for:
sm la
and the result to be the same?

I have about 1500 contacts and i have 3-5 words in my contacts. I migrate from nokia E71 and when type one, two or 3 letters followed by space this search for this letters in the begining of any word in my contact, letters after space are the first letter in some other word im my contact. Sorry for my english! I will write this example:

Contact 1: Valentin Rusanov Photogaph Mtel
Contact 2: Valentin Rusanov Globul Photogaph
Contact 3: Svetlana Rusanova - Valentin wife Mtel

For only result CONTACT 1 i type:
val m ph
or
ph val m
dwp
Site Admin
Posts: 713
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:46 pm

Re: Contacts Search

Post by dwp »

Hello
Thank you for your suggestion
I will consider the possibility of realization.
This should use more CPU time.
Malversan
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2012 8:20 pm

Re: Contacts Search

Post by Malversan »

Regarding the contacts search, I would like to ask why in heaven there are three different search ways with three different criterias (one for the search tab, another different one for the contacts/groups tab, and another different one for the dialpad tab). And I ask it because, from the user point of view, it is not only confusing, but also not understandable.

As a developer I can imagine the reason, it is because some search criterias are more CPU/time consuming. But I still cannot understand why in heaven there are three different criterias, as having only one search configuration should be good for all tabs.

Try to understand the matter from the user point of view. When an user wants to search a contact, he wants just to search a contact. And to search it he will always use the same criteria and the same words, independently of which tab he is in. It is a hassle having to remember the search criteria of each different tab. And it is A LOT CONFUSING when one contact you found in one tab is not appearing in other search using the same criteria/words.

I propose an elegant and convenient simplification: just use the same search criteria in all tabs (contacts, groups and dialpad). It will end with all the current confusion. It will simplify the configuration as there will only be one search criteria to configure. The user will not have to remember the fields he is searching in depending on the tab he is using. And as a side effect, the program will get rid of the "Search" tab, making the whole interface simpler.

I know the T9 search is a bit more complicated to implement. But that is a matter of ellaborating the filter, not a matter of the search criteria configured by the user.

Regarding the time/CPU consumption, I must say that searching in the search tab (that is, using all search fields), DWP does it really agile and fast in my phone with about 500 contacts. I strongly suggest that this should be the default search criteria for all tabs, making it configurable in just one place.

Another suggestion is to make the matching fields always appear (and highlighted) somewhere in the resulting list of contacts, whatever the matched field is. Because sometimes it is not evident why a contact appears in the search result when no visible field matches the search.

As you can see in my comments, when thinking about software improvements I am a bit user-centric. That is because I know it is the way to go, focusing in the user needs and the program usability always gives the best results. On the other side, I must say you are doing a really great job with this program, that should end being a reference for all the rest of dialpad/contacts management software for portable devices.
dwp
Site Admin
Posts: 713
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:46 pm

Re: Contacts Search

Post by dwp »

Thank you, I will improve it in the new version.
aqus
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:32 am

Re: Contacts Search

Post by aqus »

I thought I read that in contacts if doing a search it doesn't search notes. But mine does. The only place it doesn't is in phone. If I search for my boss who's name appears in practically every clients notes section it is very hard to find.
Can we turn off the featue of searching in notes from contacts and search tab.
dwp
Site Admin
Posts: 713
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:46 pm

Re: Contacts Search

Post by dwp »

Yes, I will add this search option.
lz2kc
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2012 8:29 pm

Re: Contacts Search

Post by lz2kc »

Is there any trick to search by first letter of word and exlude "DCO = Dw COntact". I need just first a few letters of first word, SPACE and a few letterrs of the next word?
dwp
Site Admin
Posts: 713
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:46 pm

Re: Contacts Search

Post by dwp »

Hello
Now only work in T9 search in the dial-TAB.
dwp
Site Admin
Posts: 713
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:46 pm

Re: Contacts Search

Post by dwp »

I can. I need to order number.
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