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UI: show recently selected items at the top of searches #110828

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Jacques Lucke merged 24 commits from JacquesLucke/blender:recent-searches into main 2023-09-25 10:56:20 +02:00
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Jacques Lucke commented 2023-08-05 12:22:49 +02:00
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The goal is to make the search faster to use by dynamically adapting to the user. This can be achieved using the simple but common approach of showing recently selected items at the top. Note, that the "matching score" between the query and each search item still has precedence when determining the order. So the last used item is only at the top, if there is no other search item that matches the query better.

Besides making the search generally faster to use, my hope is that this can also reduce the need for manually weighting search items in some places. This is because while the ordering might not be perfect the first time, it will always be once the user selected the element that should be at the top once.

This patch currently includes:

  • Support for taking recent searches into account in string searching.
  • Keep track of a global list of recent searches.
  • Store recent searches on disk similar to recently opened files.

Things that we might want to include:

  • Add a setting somewhere to enable this feature because it might potentially break tests. Note, that if a test types in the fully correct query, the result is always deterministic.
  • Add a separator in the search list to make it more obvious how the order of elements came to be. To me this would be a nice to have, but does not actually improve anyone's workflow in practice and makes this whole patch much more complex. Also, after a while, most elements at the top will be the ones you recently searched for, making the separator less useful.
  • Give searches an identifier so that one search does not affect another. While nice, this was never an issue in practice for me. It's something we can also add separately later. Giving every search a different id would bloat up the patch quite a bit.

This topic has been discussed in the past on phabricator.

The goal is to make the search faster to use by dynamically adapting to the user. This can be achieved using the simple but common approach of showing recently selected items at the top. Note, that the "matching score" between the query and each search item still has precedence when determining the order. So the last used item is only at the top, if there is no other search item that matches the query better. Besides making the search generally faster to use, my hope is that this can also reduce the need for manually weighting search items in some places. This is because while the ordering might not be perfect the first time, it will always be once the user selected the element that should be at the top once. This patch currently includes: * Support for taking recent searches into account in string searching. * Keep track of a global list of recent searches. * Store recent searches on disk similar to recently opened files. Things that we might want to include: * Add a setting somewhere to enable this feature because it might potentially break tests. Note, that if a test types in the fully correct query, the result is always deterministic. * Add a separator in the search list to make it more obvious how the order of elements came to be. To me this would be a nice to have, but does not actually improve anyone's workflow in practice and makes this whole patch much more complex. Also, after a while, most elements at the top will be the ones you recently searched for, making the separator less useful. * Give searches an identifier so that one search does not affect another. While nice, this was never an issue in practice for me. It's something we can also add separately later. Giving every search a different id would bloat up the patch quite a bit. This topic has been discussed in the past on [phabricator](https://archive.blender.org/developer/differential/0013/0013739/index.html).
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Jacques Lucke added 5 commits 2023-08-05 12:22:57 +02:00
Jacques Lucke changed title from UI: sort recently used search items to the top to UI: show recently selected items at the top of searches 2023-08-05 12:25:01 +02:00
Jacques Lucke added 1 commit 2023-08-05 12:43:13 +02:00
buildbot/vexp-code-patch-coordinator Build done. Details
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Jacques Lucke commented 2023-08-05 12:44:24 +02:00
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Jacques Lucke requested review from Campbell Barton 2023-08-05 12:45:02 +02:00
Jacques Lucke requested review from Julian Eisel 2023-08-05 12:45:02 +02:00
Jacques Lucke requested review from Hans Goudey 2023-08-05 12:45:02 +02:00
Dalai Felinto commented 2023-08-22 15:21:42 +02:00
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Would it work well if we show the latest item(s) with the Recover Last Session icon?

Would it work well if we show the latest item(s) with the Recover Last Session icon?
Jacques Lucke commented 2023-08-23 11:43:57 +02:00
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Would it work well if we show the latest item(s) with the Recover Last Session icon?

Hm, not sure if that would help too much. Especially since over time, most entries at the top would likely have this icon. (not to mention that I don't know how to add an icon there right now)

For reference, this is how e.g. the menu search looks like. I guess the icon would be shown on the left side, but then there would be an empty space for other entries.
image

> Would it work well if we show the latest item(s) with the Recover Last Session icon? Hm, not sure if that would help too much. Especially since over time, most entries at the top would likely have this icon. (not to mention that I don't know how to add an icon there right now) For reference, this is how e.g. the menu search looks like. I guess the icon would be shown on the left side, but then there would be an empty space for other entries. ![image](/attachments/57461ea3-090b-4b22-b888-d818f2cf8d98)
image.png
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Hans Goudey reviewed 2023-08-23 13:47:29 +02:00
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I wonder if it makes more sense to add the search that takes the cache into account to the UI module, with a new file like UI_string_search.hh. It feels a bit high level for blenkernel, since it's really about user interaction.

I wonder if it makes more sense to add the search that takes the cache into account to the UI module, with a new file like `UI_string_search.hh`. It feels a bit high level for blenkernel, since it's really about user interaction.
source/blender/blenkernel/BKE_string_search.hh Outdated
@ -0,0 +14,4 @@
*/
void add_recent_search(StringRef choosen_str);
const blender::string_search::RecentCache *get_recent_cache();
Hans Goudey commented 2023-08-10 16:30:06 +02:00
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Unnecessary blender:: here I think, same below

Unnecessary `blender::` here I think, same below
Jacques Lucke commented 2023-09-01 19:22:04 +02:00
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That's actually necessary here because otherwise there is an ambiguity.

That's actually necessary here because otherwise there is an ambiguity.
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source/blender/blenkernel/BKE_string_search.hh Outdated
@ -0,0 +20,4 @@
void read_recent_searches_file();
/**
* Wrapper for the lower level #StringSearch in blenlib, that takes recent searches into account
Hans Goudey commented 2023-08-23 13:44:44 +02:00
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Unnecessary comma after blenlib

Unnecessary comma after `blenlib`
JacquesLucke marked this conversation as resolved
source/blender/blenlib/BLI_string_search.hh Outdated
@ -19,0 +23,4 @@
struct RecentCache {
/**
* Stores a logical time stamp for each previously choosen search item. The higher the time
* stamp, the more recent the item has been selected.
Hans Goudey commented 2023-08-23 13:46:05 +02:00
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the more recent -> the more recently

`the more recent` -> `the more recently`
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Jacques Lucke added 2 commits 2023-09-01 11:58:38 +02:00
Jacques Lucke added 4 commits 2023-09-01 19:32:49 +02:00
Jacques Lucke requested review from Pablo Vazquez 2023-09-04 15:10:11 +02:00
Jacques Lucke added 2 commits 2023-09-04 15:11:30 +02:00
Jacques Lucke added 1 commit 2023-09-06 15:43:49 +02:00
Pablo Vazquez added the
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Pablo Vazquez added this to the User Interface project 2023-09-13 11:55:13 +02:00
Pablo Vazquez approved these changes 2023-09-15 18:24:30 +02:00
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After using this for a while it just becomes natural and expected. The order of items becomes irrelevant because I was simply scanning for names of operators I used prior.

Yes, a separator would be a nice touch but even without it's not that important because after a while most items shown as you open the dialog will be recent searches anyway.

+1 looks wise.

After using this for a while it just becomes natural and expected. The order of items becomes irrelevant because I was simply scanning for names of operators I used prior. Yes, a separator would be a nice touch but even without it's not that important because after a while most items shown as you open the dialog will be recent searches anyway. +1 looks wise.
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Jacques Lucke added 1 commit 2023-09-15 18:38:31 +02:00
Hans Goudey approved these changes 2023-09-18 23:41:03 +02:00
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This works well in my testing too, and I find the diff straightforward and even elegant :)

This works well in my testing too, and I find the diff straightforward and even elegant :)
source/blender/editors/interface/interface_string_search.cc Outdated
@ -0,0 +31,4 @@
return storage;
}
void add_recent_search(const StringRef choosen_str)
Hans Goudey commented 2023-09-18 23:34:57 +02:00
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Spelling: choosen -> chosen. Same in the header.

Spelling: `choosen` -> `chosen`. Same in the header.
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Jacques Lucke added 2 commits 2023-09-20 10:27:26 +02:00
buildbot/vexp-code-patch-coordinator Build done. Details
00dbd213cc typo
Jacques Lucke commented 2023-09-20 10:28:40 +02:00
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@blender-bot build

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Campbell Barton commented 2023-09-21 09:16:26 +02:00
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While the feature is handy, I think there should be a preference to disable it.

  • So users who prefer predictable actions on key-stokes can disable it.
  • So automation can use menu search without depending on files in the home directory.
While the feature is handy, I think there should be a preference to disable it. - So users who prefer predictable actions on key-stokes can disable it. - So automation can use menu search without depending on files in the home directory.
Jacques Lucke commented 2023-09-21 09:22:39 +02:00
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Ok, I'll add the option. Do you have any opinion on where it should be shown in the user preferences?

Ok, I'll add the option. Do you have any opinion on where it should be shown in the user preferences?
Jacques Lucke added 2 commits 2023-09-21 09:40:28 +02:00
Jacques Lucke commented 2023-09-21 09:41:35 +02:00
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I added the option in a fairly random place in the user preferences right now. I'm not sure where to put it, should it be in a new panel for search related stuff?

I added the option in a fairly random place in the user preferences right now. I'm not sure where to put it, should it be in a new panel for search related stuff?
Pablo Vazquez commented 2023-09-22 18:01:39 +02:00
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I'm not sure where to put it, should it be in a new panel for search related stuff?

There are no other search options yet so it's probably okay to put it in there.

How about adding a separator, column heading, and change the label to something more descriptive:

mockup

diff --git a/scripts/startup/bl_ui/space_userpref.py b/scripts/startup/bl_ui/space_userpref.py
index e40898ae458..25bc312d349 100644
--- a/scripts/startup/bl_ui/space_userpref.py
+++ b/scripts/startup/bl_ui/space_userpref.py
@@ -216,7 +216,10 @@ class USERPREF_PT_interface_display(InterfacePanel, CenterAlignMixIn, Panel):
         sub.active = view.show_tooltips
         sub.prop(view, "show_tooltips_python")
 
-        layout.prop(prefs, "use_recent_searches")
+        col.separator()
+
+        col = layout.column(heading="Search", align=True)
+        col.prop(prefs, "use_recent_searches", text="Sort by Most Recent")
 
 
 class USERPREF_PT_interface_text(InterfacePanel, CenterAlignMixIn, Panel):
> I'm not sure where to put it, should it be in a new panel for search related stuff? There are no other search options yet so it's probably okay to put it in there. How about adding a separator, column heading, and change the label to something more descriptive: ![mockup](/attachments/66bb5bd6-1b68-4ce8-99f6-0ff1c3e663ab) ```diff diff --git a/scripts/startup/bl_ui/space_userpref.py b/scripts/startup/bl_ui/space_userpref.py index e40898ae458..25bc312d349 100644 --- a/scripts/startup/bl_ui/space_userpref.py +++ b/scripts/startup/bl_ui/space_userpref.py @@ -216,7 +216,10 @@ class USERPREF_PT_interface_display(InterfacePanel, CenterAlignMixIn, Panel): sub.active = view.show_tooltips sub.prop(view, "show_tooltips_python") - layout.prop(prefs, "use_recent_searches") + col.separator() + + col = layout.column(heading="Search", align=True) + col.prop(prefs, "use_recent_searches", text="Sort by Most Recent") class USERPREF_PT_interface_text(InterfacePanel, CenterAlignMixIn, Panel): ```
image.png
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Jacques Lucke added 2 commits 2023-09-22 22:09:56 +02:00
Pablo Vazquez commented 2023-09-23 13:00:21 +02:00
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Thank you! UI-wise this is good to go, and a great addition especially for the Add menu search.

Thank you! UI-wise this is good to go, and a great addition especially for the Add menu search.
Campbell Barton reviewed 2023-09-25 08:10:39 +02:00
source/blender/blenlib/BLI_string_search.hh Outdated
@ -16,3 +18,3 @@
int length;
void *user_data;
int weight;
int recent_time;
Campbell Barton commented 2023-09-25 08:10:39 +02:00
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Worth noting what units this is in & if it can ever be negative.

Worth noting what units this is in & if it can ever be negative.
JacquesLucke marked this conversation as resolved
Campbell Barton approved these changes 2023-09-25 08:10:57 +02:00
Jacques Lucke added 2 commits 2023-09-25 10:48:23 +02:00
Julian Eisel reviewed 2023-09-25 10:52:45 +02:00
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Do we really need a new preference option for this? I feel like with every new usability feature we add, we start having this discussion. It's easy to bloat the preferences this way, just because "there might be some people who prefer to disable this". Then I rather take the time to evaluate things first. I would say this feature can just be disabled in background mode?

Scrolled over the code briefly, looks fine.

Do we really need a new preference option for this? I feel like with every new usability feature we add, we start having this discussion. It's easy to bloat the preferences this way, just because "there _might_ be some people who prefer to disable this". Then I rather take the time to evaluate things first. I would say this feature can just be disabled in background mode? Scrolled over the code briefly, looks fine.
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Jacques Lucke merged commit 8362563949 into main 2023-09-25 10:56:20 +02:00
Jacques Lucke deleted branch recent-searches 2023-09-25 10:56:21 +02:00
Campbell Barton commented 2023-11-01 06:56:15 +01:00
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Do we really need a new preference option for this? I feel like with every new usability feature we add, we start having this discussion. It's easy to bloat the preferences this way, just because "there might be some people who prefer to disable this". Then I rather take the time to evaluate things first. I would say this feature can just be disabled in background mode?

Scrolled over the code briefly, looks fine.

Menu search is used in undo tests that don't run in background mode, in general I think it's reasonable to have functionality run predictably without depending on previous executions.

Without a way to disable this option, automated actions will manipulate the users history too.

> Do we really need a new preference option for this? I feel like with every new usability feature we add, we start having this discussion. It's easy to bloat the preferences this way, just because "there _might_ be some people who prefer to disable this". Then I rather take the time to evaluate things first. I would say this feature can just be disabled in background mode? > > Scrolled over the code briefly, looks fine. Menu search is used in undo tests that don't run in background mode, in general I think it's reasonable to have functionality run predictably without depending on previous executions. Without a way to disable this option, automated actions will manipulate the users history too.
Pablo Vazquez commented 2024-01-31 17:49:50 +01:00
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I just realised the title is UI: show recently selected items at the top of searches, yet it seems that only items that have been searched for are added to the top, not the ones I clicked on. This issue was brought up by Julien Kaspar as well.

@JacquesLucke Should I open a report on this, is it out of scope? I mentioned this once in person I think, but forgot to ask again.

I just realised the title is _UI: show recently **selected** items at the top of searches_, yet it seems that only items that have been searched for are added to the top, not the ones I clicked on. This issue was brought up by Julien Kaspar as well. @JacquesLucke Should I open a report on this, is it out of scope? I mentioned this once in person I think, but forgot to ask again. <video src="/attachments/c91789d9-7c52-42f6-b060-b089b0a1a42e" title="Screen Recording 2024-01-31 at 17.48.34.mov" controls></video>
Screen Recording 2024-01-31 at 17.48.43.mov
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Jacques Lucke commented 2024-02-01 11:30:18 +01:00
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The recent-searches thing only applies to the search indeed. We can also make it work when clicking on things in a menu I guess, can't say how difficult it will be yet. It's not really a bug currently.

The recent-searches thing only applies to the search indeed. We can also make it work when clicking on things in a menu I guess, can't say how difficult it will be yet. It's not really a bug currently.
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