Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

New version 0.1.0

The stop button didn't work in the calendar search.
Should work now, thank you for reporting this.

Actually this took some more time. I now changed how search words are used.
Prior to this change a search like this one:
hello girls
searches for the exact phrase "hello girls"
Now, it will search for the words "hello" OR "girls"

If you want to search for the exact phrase you have to quote
the term:
"hello girls"

In addition you have the possiblity to include or exclude some
words:
hello girls -boys
searches for text which includes the words "hello" OR "girls"
and NOT "boys".

And:
girls boys +hello
searches for text which includes the words "girls" OR "boys" AND
must include the word "hello"

Both, include and exclude, can have more words:
hello +boys +girls -friend
Searches for text which must include "boys" AND "girls", and can
include "hello" AND must not include "friend"

This changes were a bit more complicated. Please test
and feedback is welcome.

regards
Nicolai

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Your improvements are endless!

Thanks!

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Thanks for it.

I'd like to abuse of you even a little more... would it be possible to include searches in the phone calls log?

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

i second that

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Why would you want to search the calls log?
Btw, you can filter the calls log entries, just
type name or number (live search).

Nicolai

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Well, I've just found that I was looking for a contact with Scout and then I wanted to know when was the last call received from it. Not a very common use case btw.

Thanks anyway.

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Jeje, did you second the abuse or the feature request?

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Hi Nicolai,

I've been testing the new search feature. For this purpose I created two specific contacts:

First contact:
Name = Record t1
Last Name = Test 1
Note = This is the first note

Second record:
Name = Record t2
Last Name = Test 2
Note = This is the second note

The results of different queries are (S=Search, R=Result):

1) S = Record, R = OK, both records show up.
2) S = "Record t1", R = OK, the first record shows up.
3) S = Record +t1, R = OK, the first record shows up.
4) S = Record +t1 +first, R = WRONG. No records displayed when it should still show up the first record
5) S = Record +t1 -second, R = OK, the first record shows up
6) S = Record -test, R = WRONG, since the two arguments contradict each other, no results should show up, instead I get both records.
7) S = Record -first, R = WRONG, it should display only the second record but instead the two records are displayed.
7A) S = Record -t1, R = OK, only shows up the second record.
7B) S = Record -"Test 1", R = WRONG, should only display the second record but instead displays both of them.
7C) S = Record -"first note", R = WRONG, same as 7B
8) S = Record -first -second, R = WRONG, should not display any records but instead shows both of them.
9) S = Record -first +second, R = OK, only shows up the second record.

Looking at the results, I've the impression that there are two issues at hand: the chaining of inclusions/exclusions and the searches where the arguments are spread over various fields.

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Hi bytebeam,

big thank you for this elaborate test. And from my point of
view all test results are correct :-)

The inclusion and exclusion only works for one text(-field).
So, the query matches a contact if one of the contact fields
matches the string query.

I must admit, as an use case for this search options I only
had the search for conversations text in mind. I didn't considered to use
it that way you did in you test cases.

nicolai

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

We live in an epoch where the amount of information we must carry at all times with us is increasing at an exponential rate. If I could identify a single point of failure common to all smartphones it would be the missing ability to provide accurate "Business Intelligence" at a fingertip regardless of connectivity, specially for high-profile travelers because at one moment or another roaming doesn't work as expected, open wifi spots might be fake, etc...

I sincerely believe that the N900 and maybe future devices of its kind could address this issue. On the N900 in particular, you can install Easy Debian, then LAMP, and then a CRM like Vtiger for example. That way you can provide the end user with an informational business capability regardless of connectivity that to my knowledge no other smartphone can actually offer. But this is not trivial to setup for the average user.

That's why Scout got my attention. Before, we had the old Palm devices which offered a unified search. This is now gone, none of the WebOS devices offer that capability. Ditto on Iphones, Android and BB's, and I'm not even talking about Symbian.

If Scout could handle multiple criteria searches combined across the full range of allowed fields in the Contact module, you could turn the N900 into an excellent business phone.

Do you think that this could be complicated to implement ?

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Nicely said.
Another point with the amount of information is - Security.
My previous phone had space to save some dozens of messages, images ...
Now I have hundreds of times more space for text messages
documents and images. And no simple way to secure my data.
Seven years ago I had a desktop pc with 40 GB harddisk. And I
would freaked out if I "lost" my desktop pc, now I wear a
phone with me with 32GB (+ 8 GB memory card).


Yes this could be complicated, but I will give it a try. But
prior to that I want to bring this version in the extras repository.

regards
Nicolai

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Thx ;)

Correct. However, as soon you travel internationally, laws governing encryption change from one country to another, and you'd better be traveling with a device whose encryption scheme would not hamper a mandatory inquiry, and never travel with a device with an encryption scheme offering "plausible deniability" if you don't want to spend ages locked down attempting to prove that you really revealed all what was indeed stored in your gadget...

A Dell study from 2009 found that 12'000 laptops are lost each week in US airports, mostly at security checkpoints (interesting isn't it ?) and only 33% are recovered (17% before flight, 16% after flight).

Only common sense can save the user: never travel with any device holding sensitive unencrypted information in case it gets stolen or lost, but be damn sure you can grant unrestricted access when required by authorities.

It my old days I did quite a bit of design and programming on Siemens Infineon SAB80C537 and Microchip PIC's microcontrollers in assembler and C. I've no clue what developping for the N900 looks like, but would be glad to humbly attempt to give you a hand. Just send a PM if needed.

Take care

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Hi nicolai.
I was wondering if something like a "display results while digiting" function could be easlily implemented at least for contacts search.

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

@hirabayashitaro

This would be difficult with the current implementation. The contact
search runs over every contact field, not only name and/or phone numbers.
I would have to preload the whole data for all contacts to make this
kind of "live search".

Btw.
A new version 0.1.2 is in extras-devel.
As suggested by an user, from the contact details view, tap on
the contacts avatar to start the contacts editor.

Thanks for this suggestion.

Nicolai

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Why cant i find anywhere search support for the notes that resides in the calendar and that are the ones that synchronizes with outlook??

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

All notes in the calendar application can be searched with this tool.
Just open settings for the calendar search, check/uncheck which type
of calendar events you would like to search (notes, events, birthday,...)
and select the calendars (calendar colour), and the time frame.

nicolai

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Finally.... thanks! Will test it right away!

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Works great!! Would be nice to have an about window, so one can have a check regarding software version and where to send money ;) and other good to have information

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Are you thinking in adding other sources for searching?

I would suggest to add:
- Call log
- Applications menu
- eMail, this has been discussed earlier but, asking is free ;-)

Thanks for your work.

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Great stuff as usual, thanks.

My suggestion is that after searching for a Calendar item, when selecting from the found list of items to go straight to the Calendar app rather than open in editing mode?

I find I am looking for items past or future & want to jump to that week to see whats going on before I would want to edit.

Paul

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

You can open the calendar app from the titlebar menu
in the event details view.
nicolai

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Thanks Nicolai, must have missed that!

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Hi I have a problem with scout.
I have 8 calendars, but I would like to search only in 3 of them.
I tried to configure this in scout. But something goes wrong.
When I choose the 3 I want to search in scout shows me that it searches in 0 calendars.

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

You are right, there is something wrong.
Thank you for reporting this.

Nicolai

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Bug fixed in new version 0.1.4.

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Thanx, works like charme :D

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

Two more votes (or one super tester vote), please.
http://maemo.org/packages/package_in...l/scout/0.1.5/

Nicolai

Re: [Announce] scout - search contacts, conversations and calendars
 

10 out of 10 now :)