Openrefine: Free text search/filter across all columns

[tfmorris]

_Original author: [email protected] (November 15, 2010 21:16:12)_

Most Google products have a free-text search box near the top of the UI page. This would be helpful here too.

Sometimes a one-step search would be more convenient than a multiple-step facet/cluster.

This is would behave the same as a Text Filter facet, but across all columns in the project.

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?

Google Refine 2.0/Windows 7

_Original issue: http://code.google.com/p/google-refine/issues/detail?id=213_

[tfmorris]

_From thadguidry on November 15, 2010 21:28:33:_
This is already on the Roadmap with "traditional find and replace"

[magdmartin]

Now in 2015 and the search or search and replace across multiple fields is a frequently requested feature by the community via the mailing list or direct feedback I have during demonstrations.

[wetneb]

Closed by #1744

[tfmorris]

1744 implements a different feature, multi-column search and replace, not what is requested here - multi-column text filter.

[thadguidry]

@tfmorris that's not entirely true. #1744 (Edit cells -> Replace menu option) does not work across multi-columns. It only works against 1 columnName. I tested the functionality here against master branch:

  {
    "op": "core/text-transform",
    "engineConfig": {
      "facets": [],
      "mode": "record-based"
    },
    "columnName": "item - topping",
    "expression": "value.replace(\"5001\",\"TEST\")",
    "onError": "keep-original",
    "repeat": false,
    "repeatCount": 10,
    "description": "Text transform on cells in column item - topping using expression value.replace(\"5001\",\"TEST\")"
  }

[tfmorris]

Well, in that case, I don't see how it's even remotely related. I'm assuming this just got closed by mistake.

[wetneb]

I guess I read your message about the feature being in the roadmap as "traditional find and replace" - the feature we have feels like a pretty good match with that. It is common that the discussion in an issue gradually refines its scope.
I am not opposed to reopening this though!

[thadguidry]

I have no idea sometimes who is responding to whom because we don't prefix our comments enough sometimes with @<nickname>. Let's try to improve that since we also have many more contributors and users trying to follow discussions in issues. Thanks!

[tfmorris]

Or people could just quote what they're responding to, if it's not obvious, and read carefully before writing.

I presume the "roadmap" comment is about:

From thadguidry on November 15, 2010 21:28:33:
This is already on the Roadmap with "traditional find and replace"

That comment is wrong because it doesn't match the what the user asked for:

[Most Google products have a free-text search box near the top of the UI page. This would be helpful here too.]
[Sometimes a one-step search would be more convenient than a multiple-step facet/cluster]

This 2015 comment, https://github.com/OpenRefine/OpenRefine/issues/213#issuecomment-102531496, is also off-base (probably misled by the 2010 reply).