Comment 34 for bug 691380

(In reply to comment #24)
> Charles & friends, if you want this to move forward, I think we need a
> clearer picture of the desired UI. Iow, please provide at least two
> mockup screenshots (before and after typing a search word into the
> customizable quicksearch wigdet requested by this bug) to show what
> "selectable search criteria in persistent drop-down" should look like
> when the simple qs input widget is on the main toolbar (I suppose).
> It's certainly solvable, but right now I am having trouble envisioning
> the whole thing.

I'll try - but I honestly think a more precise description/explanation
will suffice...

I'll try one more time, then if you still can't see what I'm talking about I'll see if I can create a visual representation... so, try this...

First, picture the old Quickfilter searchbox in 3.0...

If you recall, it displays the current selection criteria as a 'hint' - ie, 'greyed out' *inside* the searchbox itself. The 'hint' 'disappears' as soon as you click inside the searchbox, then reappears as soon as you clear the searchbox.

The 'hint' also acts as a 'drop-down' selectbox (with the little 'down-arrow' just inside the left-hand side of the searchbox indicating so) that allows you to choose from pre-defined/hard-coded selection criteria - 'All Messages', 'Subject', 'Sender', 'Subject & Sender', etc... (I don't remember exactly what they all are or what order, but hopefully this is enough to jog your memory and to make it clear what I'm talking about).

Apparently there are problems caused by the fact that this searchbox is a combination of the GLODA search (the 'All Messages' criteria), and the current (3.1) Quickfilter searchbox (the others), depending on the criteria you had selected. The obvious problem is, GLODA searches all accounts/folders, while the Quickfilter function only filters messages in the currently selected view/folder.

Now... what this bug is asking for is simple: keep the GLODA searchbox and the new Quickfilter searchbox separate, but create a new option that will enable me to choose *either* the 'Quickfilter Toolbar', or a 'Standalone Quickfilter Searchbox'. This new option would not alter the current behavior of the Quickfilter Toolbar.

BUT - when in 'Standalone' mode:

1. The 'Stickypin' will be permanently attached/tied to the left (or right, I don't care) side of the searchbox, so it goes where the searchbox goes,

2. The 'drop-down' 'selectbox' for the criteria would be brought back, but instead of the pre-defined/hard-coded criteria, each one - 'Sender', 'Recipient', 'Subject' and 'Body' - would now be available individually,

3. When the 'drop-down' selectbox is being used to select which criteria should be included, it should be 'persistent' - meaning, when I click the mouse on it, it should drop-down the list of *individual* criteria (ie, 'Sender', 'Recipient', etc), and as long as I don't click anywhere outside of the dropped-down list, it should stay down so that I can click on any of the 4 items in the list to enable/disable them. A simple checkmark beside each one would indicate if it was selected (checkmark) or not (no checkmark). When I'm done, just clicking anywhere outside the dropped-down list would save the changes and close the drop-down.

As for what is displayed 'greyed-out' when the cursor is not focused in the searchbox - just let it be a calculated text field, where it simply displays the items that are enabled separated by commas, but with the last one separated by 'or' instead of a comma, and maybe followed by 'contains', ie:

Sender, Recipients or Subject contains

Was 'contains there before? I don't remember, but hopefully you understand what I'm talking about now - if not, let me know and I'll see what I can do for a mock-up...