Search for tools in PDF-Tools needs to be improved SOLVED

[Jensen Head]

Below I have given an example of queries that consisted of words that appear in the name of a tool, but do not find this tool just because the search query words are not in the tool name in the exact order that was used in the query:
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Bad Search Tool.gif

[Paul - PDF-XChange]

HI Jensen Head,

I see the same and am reaching out to the dev team to see if they agree this should be changed.

I'll post here what comes from the discussion.

[Paul - PDF-XChange]

We will improve this.

RT#6227: Feature request :: PDF-Tools :: Improvements to "Search for Tools"

As usual, the ticket is for internal use, ask here for updates if required.

cheers

[Jensen Head]

Since the Actions in PDF-Tools are often quite complex, finding the "basic" tool you need can sometimes be a challenge. Especially if you are used to how well the search for commands and settings works in PDF-XChange Editor. For example, the Action "Enhance Scanned Pages" has the following operations: Deskew, Background Removal, Despeckle, Descreen, Text Sharpening, Remove Black Edges and Correct Perspective/2D distortions. But one of them cannot be found by search, which can create the impression that these Actions are not in PDF-Tools (which is not true).

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Jensen Head

I have raised this with mention of possibly attempting to add keywords, based on the actions that are part of a given tool. I do worry this could result in a few too many results for some searches, but the decision is for the Dev team to make.

RT#7548: FR: PDF-Tools action-search improvements

Kind regards,

[Jensen Head]

Search is now much better! You can use almost all Action names to search for standard tools. However, for custom tools, searching by Action names within them doesn't work as well. To reproduce the issue, you could, for example, create a new tool from the following Actions:

1. Choose Input Files
2. Create PDF from Images
3. Change Document Properties
4. Save Documents
5. Show Files

Next, try to find it using the query "Change Document Properties" - it will not be found.
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[Sean - PDF-XChange]

Thanks Jensen - I have let the team know.

Kind regards,

[Vladimir G - Tracker Dev]

Hello Jensen Head,

No search is performed by action names because most of them contain general words rather than specific terms. For example, using “Change Document Properties” would result in almost all Standard Tools being displayed, which makes the search results meaningless.

Instead, the search is performed using predefined action keywords, which are designed to reflect the internal options and capabilities of each action.

Therefore, we are not planning to include action names in the search source data at this time.

Best regards,