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R
RoboFan
Inspiring
January 12, 2021
Question

Enabling "Add special characters for search" = 0 results for all searches

  • January 12, 2021
  • 5 replies
  • 656 views

RoboHelp 2020.3 (Windows).

 

Received a request from our end users to be able to include/incorporate special characters in searches.

 

  1. Enabled "Add special characters for search" in the output preset.
  2. Entered special characters: 0;1;2;3;4;5;6;7;8;9
  3. Generated output (Responsive HTML5, Azure_Blue).
  4. Performed a test search.
  5. Received results.

 

  1. Edited same output preset.
  2. Modified special charcters to: 0;1;2;3;4;5;6;7;8;9;*;&;%;$;@;#;-
  3. Generated output (Responsive HTML5, Azure_Blue) 
  4. Performed a test search (without any special characters).
  5. Expected to receive hunders of results; instead, output reported "0 results"

 

  1. Tried many other searches and still received 0 results. 
  2. Tried other combos of special characters (e.g., just the numbers and the asterisk) and received 0 results.
  3. Tried different projects, different outputs, etc. No matter, anytime I try to define at least ONE special character OTHER THAN a numeral, it breaks search.

 

Thoughts?

This topic has been closed for replies.

5 replies

V
Adobe Employee
vikchand
Adobe Employee
January 14, 2021

Hi

It seems * is currently not supported in special characters list. Please remove this from the input characters list and tryout the search. We will be fixing this in future updates.

Peter Grainge
Community Expert
Peter GraingeCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 13, 2021

I have flagged this thread with Adobe and they will be responding.

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R
RoboFanAuthor
Inspiring
January 13, 2021

Yep, I can't figure it out either. Appreciate the testing. 

 

I logged a bug - https://tracker.adobe.com/#/view/RH-8498

 

A
Community Expert
AmebrCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 13, 2021

One further test.

 

I turned off the setting, generated and searched for "2". No results returned. [wtf??]

 

When I turned the setting back on, the previous list of characters that included the - and * was populated, so it looks like even when the setting is off, the list of chars is being applied/checked/used? 

A
Community Expert
AmebrCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 13, 2021

I can confirm if I add * (asterisk) to the list, I get zero results when I search for a regular word.

 

I feel like maybe that setting doesn't do what we think.

 

For example:

I turned off the setting, generated and searched for "2". Results returned. [I'd have expected no results, given "2" seems to be considered a special character based on the default list that populates when the setting is on??]

I turned on the setting ("0;1;2" etc populated in the new field automatically), generated and searched for "2". Results returned. [The behaviour in this scenario wasn't any different from with the setting off.]

I added a - (hyphen) to the list, generated and searched for "2". Results returned.

I added a * (asterisk to the list, generated and searched for "2". No results returned.

 

I can't find any explanation of the setting in the help for the frameless preset. So I think either it doesn't work, or it's not doing what we think it should. I think this may need to go to Adobe for an explanation of the field, unless Peter has further information.

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