Find box is filling with predictive text, DO NOT WANT

[Victorianola]

I apologize for my tone here, but this is driving me crazy: The find box is now automatically filling with what it thinks I might want. The problem is I DO NOT WANT this feature. It didn't used to be on. I can't find an instruction to turn it off. Even if it weren't interfering with my constant need in my work to search for specific terms that change, and might start with the same letters but are different-- even if it wasn't causing me problems in my muscle memory routines, it refuses to respect case when I tell it to. It simply won't accept a capital letter, for example, even though I have "respect case" checked.

I don't want it, I don't need it. How do I turn it off? All the way off.

Please help, and I thank you for your time.

Victoria

[Sean - PDF-XChange]

Hi Victoria,

You can do that via File-Manage Settings-Reset Settings. Note that this will reset all settings, unless you customize the settings to be reset—so if you have settings you want to keep, please ensure to deselect the relevant boxes.

Kind regards,

[Victorianola]

Thank you for getting back to me, I didn't see/receive the notice I had a reply, thank you. Attached is a screenshot of the options I'm given when I go to File/Settings/Reset Settings. I have no idea what I should allow to change, but I know the Find Box Predictive Text is the only setting I want to change.

And, is it possible for me to know where I can find settings that would involve the Find Box, since you seem to be saying that something I did changed the setting to allow predictive text? I would like to know where that setting is so I can see what other options there are as well as perhaps be more surgical about a reset?

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[Willy Van Nuffel]

Hi,

It seems like this additional feature in the "Find"-box (= autofill with predictive text) came with version 11 of PDF-XChange Editor.
In previous versions, a list with already searched words was built up, but you had to select a specific word from that, if needed.

For as far as I know, there is no option to turn off that new feature, at this moment.

I tried "Reset Settings" but that just clears the list of already searched words in the Find-box.
After that, the list will build up again with every word that you search.

For some people this autofill feature in the Find-box will be handy, for some it will be annoying.

@PDF-XChange Support
Can you please ask for some advise from the Development Team ?

Kind regards.

[Sean - PDF-XChange]

HI Victoria,

There is currently no setting to enable/disable this feature. All you can do is delete the existing list of words that have been searched already, following the steps detailed above.

As Willy indicated, this may be annoying for some users - so I will ask the development team if we can consider a feature request here.

Kind regards,

[Victorianola]

Hi Sean,

I have uninstalled v11 and reinstalled the last v10 available, although I would prefer to be up to date. I'm a paid user, have been using this program for 20 years or something (don't know when you came out but my tech guru suggested I go with your program because of the ever-increasing amount of screen real estate Acrobat was hogging with menus and ever-shrinking window to view documents), a really long time. I see now (after searching for info about reinstalling v10) that there has been some controversy with v11 already, and that you have your hands full. Insertion of chaos is never fun for the user.

PLEASE ask Development if they can put out a patch for this, or at least notify people (me) when the situation is repaired. PLEASE do not let this just turn into the only option, because v10 will age and I will have to be able to upgrade.

I don't think it is at all proper to change the basic function of something like this after 15/20 years without an off-switch. And as I said, it already REQUIRES alteration because it WILL NOT ALLOW ME to capitalize a word (with "respect case" chosen) when, for example, I need to search for a name that is also a common word (I can get it to search for a capitalized word if I type in some other word first, then the capitalized word, then move cursor over and del first word carefully-- does that sound functional or efficient??).

Also, I fell in love with your find/search replace functionality from the beginning because when I need to search (for example) endnote number-signals in a pdf, if I used the ENTER key to progress through instances of the number, the old search term would stay highlighted so all I had to do was type in a new search term for my next search, I didn't have to reposition the cursor into the Find Box. That doesn't work in v11 (because it aggressively inserts the last number that matches the ones I type in, never mind that I have stopped typing), so there is one more aspect that has made the Find function more tedious, tiresome, and anti-productivity (it takes me longer to do my work because of fighting with the Find Box).

I cannot function with this program with this change. Yes, v10 has autofill, but it isn't aggressive like it is in v11. It doesn't require fighting with--I can ignore it and go about my normal typing and nothing happens. With v11, it INSERTS its CHOSEN text whether I want it or not, so I have to change my methods to accommodate its whims. I don't appreciate the nonconsensual involvement of autofill. yanno?

It's a battle to get the search term into the Find Box, which is beyond absurd. I don't use autofill because I'm a much faster typist than the time it takes to frutz around getting at the mouse and finding whatever, I prefer not to move my hands off the keyboard (I use a matrix-style mechanical board [with color-coded keycaps] and a large-size trackball but mousing hurts my RSI), and to keep my attention on what I'm doing. (If it's a longer term I copy the text and paste in the Find Box.)

user info: I work in publishing, I'm a tech writer, I write back-of-book indexes using a tiny-footprint legacy program. PDFs are a tool I use in my work.

Thank you, please let me know what the outcome of talking with Development is.

--Victoria