A useful addition to the Search function in Scrivener would be extensions to its parameters for searching. At the moment, Scrivener does not search Project and Document References placed in the Inspector. Since Project References are available in the Inspector for every document, all project references are easy to find. But a Document Reference can be impossible to find, particularly when you’ve forgotten to which document you’ve attached the reference. With the current implementation of the Search function, the only way to overcome this limitation is to put all references into Project References. An extended search function would overcome this limitation and necessity.
In another thread Keith has stated that there will be no further expansion of the search function in Scrivener until after version 2.0 is launched. My current solution for achieving expanded search functionality has been to create folders or documents in the Research section of the Binder to match the folders and documents in the Research folder I have on my hard drive for the novel I am writing. Then using the Inspector and the Document References for each new folder and document in the Binder, I have imported the names of the external files into Document References. To be able to search for those names in Document References, I have then copied the file names into the Editor pane, thus making them searchable.
Now I can do all my searching within Scrivener, including the names of the external documents but not their contents of course. And if I want to open an external document within Scrivener, all I have to do is drag the file name from Document References to the header view of the Editor pane. Or if I want to open that external document in an external application such as Adobe Reader or Preview, I simply have to double-click the icon of the external file in the Inspector or after selecting that icon, press Return or Enter. And if I find that the frequency of my referring to an external document increases or if for another reason I change my mind about the inclusion of the contents of the external document in Scrivener, I can drag the external file’s icon from Document References to the Binder to bring the entire file into Scrivener to make that file completely searchable.
Since I’m a relatively new user of Scrivener, I’d be pleased to learn from others in the Forum what methods they use for accessing external reference files, and what criteria they use for their inclusion in and exclusion from Scrivener.
I’m glad you’ve found something that works for you at least. Feel free to remind me about this after about 2.2 if you still find it problematic, as it is something I’ll consider down the line - but it would require some thought and work, and right now I’m so far behind that I’m having to push some minor features into 2.1, 2.2 etc.
All the best,
Keith
My finding a solution is attributable at least in part to the features and functions you Keith have built into Scrivener. I marvel at the flexibility within the application that allows the user to write and work with documents in the way the user wants to and is not forced to follow some rigid structure laid down by a software developer. I congratulate you on your achievement in producing such a successful piece of software that meets the many needs of so many writers.
As to the reminder you suggest after version 2.2 is released, I’m certain I will still want to see Scrivener’s search capabilities expanded beyond what they are today and at that time will start another thread in the Forum about Search Function.