Search over the whole DB with a better viewable message box and cancable

[sinus]

This is one of the really not important FR. 
If you do a search over the whole database, IMatch turns a bit darker and present a message on screen, that it does a search. 
As you can see in the attachments, this message is not seen very good. Of course it depends on the images, what is on screen. 

I wonder, if this message could not be a bit better viewable. More "prominent".
Something like in the "Compact an Optimize", what is very cool. 
Maybe with the time and the search term. 
Of course, a search over the database is mostly done very quickly, but nevertheless, maybe the time would also be quite nice. 

And specially very good would be, if we could cancel the search. 
I do not know, how many times I hit on search, before looked at the icon, if it searches over the whole DB or not.
Often I forget this (hmmmm   ) and the search is on the way, though I would have wished only a search in the actual window. Well, of course my fault, but it would be great, if I could then cancel the search. Or is there yet a possibility to cancel the search?

In my case a search over the whole DB could go about 30 seconds up to 3 minutes or so, of course depending on the search value. 

If this is not doable with not too much work, well, no problem. 
Maybe one time my brain will be enough trained, to look always first on the icon for "searching the whole DB". 

[Damit]

To be able to cancel a search, filter or sorting option is something that this program sorely lacks.  I don't know how many times I have stuck with one that I did not want and had to wait, at times, over 10 minutes, maybe more. It would be great to hit esc or something similar to stop a sorting or searching function.

[Mario]

In case you don't know: When you search via the File Window search bar, clicking on the X button next to the search bar input field cancels the current search ASAP. Asap does not mean immediately, because when the search has been handed over to the database system, it cannot be aborted by IMatch.

I did not want and had to wait, at times, over 10 minutes, maybe more.

That sounds very unusual. A typical search in a 200,000 files database takes between 5 and 10 seconds maybe (cold cache, hot cache) on my notebook.

1. Please switch to debug logging via Help menu > Support.
2. Repeat your 10 minute duration search.
3. Use Help > Support > Copy logfile to save the log to a file on your hard disk.
4. ZIP the file and attach.
This will show me where IMatch spend 10 minutes or more searching.
Please include your exact search settings so I can rerun the search on my systems.

IMatch once had a "cancel" for searches. It was removed when the typical search time for the majority of users dropped to < 5 seconds or less years ago.

I've made a test with a 920,000 files database on my four year old PC.
Using the File Window search bar I searched in "Frequently Used Tags" for a 12 letter word.
The database was "cold", no search data was cached yet.

The search finished after 19 seconds.
Subsequent searches (with a "hot" cache) take 12-14 seconds.

A search that takes 10 minutes would be extraordinary slow.

Please double-check that you have made an exception for the folder containing your database in your virus checker and that the database is on your fastest SSD.

[sinus]

I've made a test with a 920,000 files database on my four year old PC.
Using the File Window search bar I searched in "Frequently Used Tags" for a 12 letter word.
The database was "cold", no search data was cached yet.

The search finished after 19 seconds.
Subsequent searches (with a "hot" cache) take 12-14 seconds.

OK, if my times here would be that quick, I would not have ask for cancel the search.
And if I search over the whole DB, "Frequently Used Tags" is not enough for me and I use also often "AND" and "OR".
But cancel with the X-button, I did not know this, thanks a lot for this tip, I will check this in my office.

But to be honest, the other thing, to put the message better viewable, e.g. in a box, is for me prio one.
And to have a bit more info in the box message, is priority 2 for me.
Ideally, the current search time, the search expression and, at the end, the past search time.

For example, I hit the search for searching the whole DB, I stand up and do something else.
I know that the search time takes around 1-4 minutes, depending on the search term (the first search is always the longest, of course), and I occasionally look at the monitor from a distance.
And it is difficult to see whether the search is still running or finished, even if the monitor is "dimmed" during the search.

But of course, as I wrote at the beginning, this is not an important feature request for me now.
I wanted to write this every now and then, but then I thought "ah, it's not that important" and did nothing.
And now I was in the mood, and I've just written it.

[Mario]

I've made the font for the overlay a bit bigger by using the largest cached font IMatch has. And I moved the text "Searching entire Database" into the vertical center of the File Window.

Your File Window color set is quite colorful, loud even. This makes reading text on top of it particularly hard. I doubt many users will have the same issue.

And if I search over the whole DB, "Frequently Used Tags" is not enough for me and I use also often "AND" and "OR". 

If you have to search the entire database routinely, maybe reconsider how you organize your images?

In my experience, many if not most of "I need to search entire database" can be avoided by using IMatch features like categories, data-driven categories, people, events etc. Consider adding some data-driven categories, maybe formula categories to let IMatch organize your files automatically by the search criteria you use for your database-wide searches. Or maybe not, when you search for very different things all the time in your entire database.

[sinus]

Thanks a lot, Mario 
Very good, I am sure, this helps!