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This is a mockup of sidepanel what includes multiple different search functions:



KDE SC 4.5 included a search bar what was on top right corner, just after the normal toolbar and it was just a input box where user could type wanted text and press enter to get results. But since KDE SC 4.6 release the inputbox was removed and the toolbar includes now a "Search" button what opens the search bar top of the file view.

The search bar can only be closed by the red cross left of the bar and it includes four option for search. Filename or Content and From current directory and everywhere.

If user selects "Filename" the search is done as it is done with ksearch tool what goes trough all the folders and files, it is slow and the old way.
The "Content" use Nepomuk/Strigi index and does faster search, but does not search from locations what is not indexed.

The 4.6 release as well includes now a "Filter" sidepanel what has ticks to filter Documents, Audio, Video and Images. And the time when the file was created/modified by anytime, today, this week and so on. Rating is only possible to choose any rating or "x or more" or then just the max (5) rating.

The user can as well filter specific tags as well.

I feel that the top panel to search is limited and so is the filter options for rating and date.

The calender bottom of the sidepanel has feature to user to choose the date or range of the search, instead just selecting "last week" or "last month". The user can select week or week day by clicking week number or day letter. With shift/ctrl button pressed user can select multiple weeks or days or even months.

In this example, when user clicks "W" what stands for Wendsday search then shows all files what were created or modified on wendsday on that month. If user clicks "10" what stands for "Week 10" then the search filters all files created or modified at that week. User could as well click day no: 4 and press shoft and then click day no: 24 to get files created between 4-24 days.



That would help user to focus what weekday it was when the file was created/modified, so no more just remembering week or month, but like "it was monday or tuesday when I edited that presentation". And of course the Shift/Ctrl buttons would work as well on the week numbers and weekday letters. So user can select multiple different date filters like:

Days 4, 7, 9, 13, 24, 25 and 26.
Weeks 10, 13 and 14
Weekdays monday, tuesday and friday.

From sidepanel user can as well easily select the range of the ratings with min and max values.
The inputbox can take multiple different search criteria like .ext for file extension. So user could search file "example document.odt" easily or just filter all document files from last week with extension ".odt" just by typing it to box.

Currently missing functions are filter by size (min / max sizes) and "Search" button what is now under consideration. And of course the switch to search files from current/everywhere or by using nepomuk or ksearch tool. Those would take one button space more if needed.

And the "Search" button in the toolbar would work like tick button, you press it one and search panel is shown and search button stays pressed. You click again and search panel is hided and button is again normal.