Bug 416087 - Optionally find hidden files using Dolphin's standard search
Summary: Optionally find hidden files using Dolphin's standard search
Status: CONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: dolphin
Classification: Applications
Component: search (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Platform: Other Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Dolphin Bug Assignee
URL:
Keywords:
: 389704 422908 424610 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2020-01-10 13:04 UTC by Peter
Modified: 2023-08-18 06:49 UTC (History)
12 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:


Attachments
screen recording on Neon unstable (1.58 MB, video/webm)
2020-04-19 18:44 UTC, Patrick Silva
Details

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Description Peter 2020-01-10 13:04:52 UTC
SUMMARY
Standard search Baloo, very long stands still. And users increasingly need to resort to other file search methods. Especially when it comes to hidden files or folders.
Can I add the ability to replace the standard search with KFind?


STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Open Dolphin and go to "~/".
2. Open a search and find "baloofilerc".
3. Congratulations, you did not find this file.
4. Install KFind.
5. Find "baloofilerc".
6. Congratulations, you found this file in "~/.config/baloofilerc".


OBSERVED RESULT
It is not possible to find hidden files and folders, or files that are not in the Baloo index.


EXPECTED RESULT
Make it possible to integrate KFind into the Dolphin interface.


SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Windows: -
macOS: -
Linux/KDE Plasma: KDE neon 5.17
(available in About System)
KDE Plasma Version: 5.17.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.65.0
Qt Version: 5.13.2


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In fact, file indexing is only useful for KRunner. In order to be able to quickly access files.

Using Baloo to find files is not a good idea. Since this greatly limits the search logic itself:
- I can’t look for hidden resources.
- I can not search on network resources.
- If the file is not in the index, I will not find it.
- If the resource is disabled in the settings for indexing, I will not be able to search in this resource.
Comment 1 Nate Graham 2020-01-10 15:58:35 UTC
Already implemented in 19.12. When KFind is installed, there's a menu item to open it in the hamburger menu or the Tools menu.

When Baloo is disabled, the default interface falls back to using a non-Baloo search.
Comment 2 Peter 2020-01-10 16:31:44 UTC
Unfortunately the search does not work.
If you disable baloo, then hidden files and folders cannot be found.
https://youtu.be/0qOf3Kn5aE8
Comment 3 Nate Graham 2020-01-12 05:11:48 UTC
So your real problem is that you would like to be able to find hidden files using Dolphin's search. That's a legitimate request. It's always helpful to clearly state the problem rather than proposing a solution. :)
Comment 4 Stefan Brüns 2020-03-20 19:24:01 UTC
Indexing hidden files can be enabled from system-settings starting with Plasma release 5.19 (~June 2020).

It can be enabled via CLI using
$> balooctl config set hidden yes
Comment 5 Peter 2020-03-20 19:38:10 UTC
(In reply to Stefan Brüns from comment #4)
> Indexing hidden files can be enabled from system-settings starting with
> Plasma release 5.19 (~June 2020).
> 
> It can be enabled via CLI using
> $> balooctl config set hidden yes

I think it would be better to change baloo to KFind.
In 95% of cases, baloo cannot normally find files or folders. Search results in baloo cannot be trusted.
https://youtu.be/Q2STx_Rw-pE
Comment 6 Patrick Silva 2020-04-19 18:44:19 UTC
Created attachment 127692 [details]
screen recording on Neon unstable

On Neon unstable baloo indexes hidden files but Dolphin can not find them.
I recorded a video showing the issue.

Operating System: KDE neon Unstable Edition
KDE Plasma Version: 5.18.80
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.70.0
Qt Version: 5.14.1
Comment 7 Peter 2020-04-19 18:59:36 UTC
I believe that using baloo is a very serious logical mistake.

Because:
- Most users do not use search 24/7.
- Baloo at the same time kills my SSD and takes a lot of resources.
- Dolphin gives an irrelevant search due to Baloo.
- Dolphin cannot just find files that are not in the index. This tricks the user. No as a result of the search? So this file does not exist!

Me and 99% of users are ready to wait 5 seconds to find the file. They have been asking for this for almost a decade.

The days of Windows 98 (file indexing) and super-slow hard drives are over. Need to give up Baloo. And ready-made solutions for the search are already there. For example KFind.
Comment 8 Nate Graham 2020-06-13 16:29:26 UTC
*** Bug 422908 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 9 Julian Steinmann 2020-07-26 10:05:44 UTC
*** Bug 389704 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 10 Julian Steinmann 2020-07-26 10:06:20 UTC
*** Bug 424610 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 11 spiesant 2020-10-01 18:06:00 UTC
Just spent half an hour pulling my hair out trying to figure out why search didn't work properly.  Turns out the files I was looking for were within a hidden folder. I have Baloo disabled, as no need to expend system resources, storage, & ssd wear to make searches slightly faster.

If it's difficult to integrate i.e kfind or an alternative better-working search implementation directly into the Dolphin UI, is it at least possible to remap the Ctrl+F hotkey in Dolphin to launch kfind (in a separate window), rather than showing the Baloo search bar?  Remapping the ctrl+f key is obvious (Settings->Configure Keyboard Shortcuts), but I don't see an option to map it to launching an external application (kfind).  And mapping Ctrl+F globally doesn't work, as it would get in the way of the search hotkey in other applications.
Comment 12 soredake 2021-02-16 09:00:38 UTC
Any progress on this?
Comment 13 ttrovo 2023-08-16 10:34:55 UTC
Please, reconsider and address this issue.
A lot of people are not expecting current behavior and many of them consider it to be a bug. Important bug. The behavior of search in Krusader and ANY other file manager is different and better.

Please also take into account, that it can easily lead to user DATA LOSS. I had these situations multiple times myself in real life, so it is not far-fetched at all:

1. User opens directory and check there it has no valuable files with sub-string "foobar" using dolphin search.
2. User deletes directory expecting it to lack valuable files.
3. The files where in path like: `subdir/.local/foobar`. Dolphin removes them.

Why would dolphin remove files that it kind of does not see them? Obviously ignoring "hidden" files during removal would be not a good idea, why would anyone consider ignoring them during search to be a good idea in the first place? Especially when Show hidden files is on.

Awesome Nate Graham and other guys, please, reconsider, address this issue and make Dolphin even better and once again reliable (currently search is not reliable). Maybe search provider that does not search properly should be opt-in instead of being irreplaceable opt-nothing.  Thanks a lot!
Comment 14 ttrovo 2023-08-17 17:29:26 UTC
Additional link to a popular reddit topic where people discuss search in Dolphin and consider it to be "broken".
https://www.reddit.com/r/kde/comments/smlevb/dolphin_search_doesnt_work_well_any_way_to_make/

Maybe the the issue should be marked as a bug, as a lot of people really consider it a bug. Almost nobody will say that it is not a bug not to find files when they exist.
Comment 15 spiesant 2023-08-17 17:34:16 UTC
(In reply to ttrovo from comment #14)
> Additional link to a popular reddit topic where people discuss search in
> Dolphin and consider it to be "broken".
> https://www.reddit.com/r/kde/comments/smlevb/
> dolphin_search_doesnt_work_well_any_way_to_make/
> 
> Maybe the the issue should be marked as a bug, as a lot of people really
> consider it a bug. Almost nobody will say that it is not a bug not to find
> files when they exist.

Agreed. Clearly this is not desired or even remotely intuitive behavior - not really sure why it's being ignored...
Comment 16 tagwerk19 2023-08-18 06:49:33 UTC
(In reply to Metal450 from comment #15)
> ... not really sure why it's being ignored ...

Not really being ignored. The summary given in in Bug 463830 shows how much needs to be smoothed out, it is definitely tangled.

Scroll down to:
    https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=463830#c3
for a mention of where hidden folders come in...

Boils down, at least in part, to: 
    ... Dolphin should give the same results (as far as is possible) irrespective of
    whether it is asking baloo or doing its own search ...