Frogfoot

Q: Terrible Search Results

I understand the current limitations of the Search function, in that it will only search the main fields of Caledars, Contacts etc, but I am not really having feat success even with that in mind. From some small testing within Calendar, it seems that it only searches a couple of weeks backwards, some way forwards and possibly weeks/months that you actually ace open.

I can type the title of appointments I know are in the Calendar (I can actually go to that date and see them there) but neither the search inside Calendar or the main search off the home screen find those appointments.

While I admit I wouldn't often have cause to search backwards 3 years or more, sometimes I want to go back up to twelve months. There are reasons I have 10 years of appointments synced with this device (and the devices before it)

Any suggestions? Or alternative search programs?

IPad 3G 64GB, Windows 7, i7 with several Nanos and an iPad

Posted on Jun 6, 2010 5:30 PM

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Q: Terrible Search Results

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  • by red555,

    red555 red555 Jun 7, 2010 7:53 AM in response to Frogfoot
    Level 4 (2,561 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 7, 2010 7:53 AM in response to Frogfoot
    Let Apple know your requirements.

    Feedback:
    http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html
  • by Frogfoot,

    Frogfoot Frogfoot Jun 9, 2010 2:06 AM in response to Frogfoot
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 9, 2010 2:06 AM in response to Frogfoot
    Ok, sorry if I'm a little underwhelmed by that response. I am not looking for a new feature, I am trying to find out from other users if anyone has noticed the same problem. Maybe the fault is the way I am using Search, but then maybe it's not.

    Apple, in the iPad manual and other places, describes search as searching calendar, contacts, notes and others titles, locations (but not notes of those items). It doesn't say that it only searches a small part of those applications, such as only the last 30 days of appointments.

    So, my question, has anyone else noticed that Search doesn't find things that it ought?
  • by red555,

    red555 red555 Jun 9, 2010 9:34 AM in response to Frogfoot
    Level 4 (2,561 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 9, 2010 9:34 AM in response to Frogfoot
    I wasn't meaning to give you a incomplete answer. I have not noticed this issue on my ipad.

    I searched the apps store and Google mobile apps says they have some local device (iphone/ipad) search capability, mostly for contacts & history.

    Most of the other apps are not intended for seaching on the ipad itself.
  • by DMangus,

    DMangus DMangus Jun 9, 2010 9:40 AM in response to Frogfoot
    Level 1 (70 points)
    Jun 9, 2010 9:40 AM in response to Frogfoot
    I honestly think that your requirements, though not unreasonable, are unusual so most people won't or haven't noticed. Seriously, send feedback as Apple won't change non issues and until someone tells them about it, it's a non-issue.
  • by Anthony J Howe,

    Anthony J Howe Anthony J Howe Jun 9, 2010 10:14 AM in response to Frogfoot
    Level 4 (1,163 points)
    Jun 9, 2010 10:14 AM in response to Frogfoot
    Have you tried re-syncing your contacts, calendars, e-mail inside iTunes, under 'info' tab?
    Tether your iPad to your computer and open up iTunes if not already open and click on your iPad icon and choose info tab, check to see if you have checked the sync ical calendars, the default is 30 days old. Uncheck it if you have.

    Frogfoot wrote:
    I understand the current limitations of the Search function, in that it will only search the main fields of Caledars, Contacts etc, but I am not really having feat success even with that in mind. From some small testing within Calendar, it seems that it only searches a couple of weeks backwards, some way forwards and possibly weeks/months that you actually ace open.

    My calendar, contacts, e-mail info, works quite well.
    I can put in a name of a person in the spotlight search of the iPad and all correspondence with this person goes back to 2008, the time when he first contacted me.
    I looked at a date in June 2009 of an appointment with a client, the only appointment. Going back to todays date on the calendar, I then enter the clients name in the search field and instantly it shows the appointment.
    So, it works, and goes back much further than two weeks.
  • by Frogfoot,

    Frogfoot Frogfoot Jul 14, 2010 9:22 PM in response to Frogfoot
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 14, 2010 9:22 PM in response to Frogfoot
    So about a month since and several Syncs later I still cannot find appointments I know are there. It seems as though it will go back about six months to a year, but not further, even though they are there listed in the calendar. Perhaps it is to do with the desktop being windows/outlook?? I suppose that's a possibility.
  • by BlueVFR,

    BlueVFR BlueVFR Feb 24, 2012 1:42 AM in response to Frogfoot
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Feb 24, 2012 1:42 AM in response to Frogfoot

    The reason for the search problems is that on the iPad Spotlight will only search backwards twelve months in Calender. Not sure why they've limited it, but they have. It is detailed in a support article that I haven't got a link to.

     

    Found it