Live-Update Package Search While Typing

[elsiehupp]

Suggestion type

Both

What is your idea about?

Currently, after opening Packages > Install Packages..., if the user starts typing into the field labeled "Search for packages..." the modal popover does not start showing results until the user presses Enter or clicks "Search".

This behavior is contrary to the norm for search fields in macOS, particularly search fields with the magnifying-glass icon, for instance in the Finder toolbar.

While this is obviously a bit of a nitpick, it's something that did momentarily confuse me.

Also, initiating the search temporarily replaces the modal popover with a different modal popover reading "Searching for [string]...".

If it's practical to do so, the modal popover should initiate a non-modal search each time the user modifies the string in the search text-entry box, though possibly after a very short delay of a fraction of a second so a search is only initiated if the user momentarily stops typing.

If for whatever reason it's impractical to update the results pane in real time like this, the "Search" button could be relocated to vertically aligned with the search text-entry box (to the right of it with left-to-right languages and to the left of it with right-to-left languages) as a visual cue to the user that the search will not initiate automatically.

Additionally, the spinner animation and the message reading "Searching for [string]..." should appear non-modally within the existing popover, either temporarily within the results pane or perhaps just the spinner animation appearing within the search text-entry field itself (with the results pane retaining the previous list of results until it is ready to be replaced). Locking up an application's user interface while something happens in the background can be disconcerting for the end user and at worst can make the application unresponsive if the background process fails.

Why should this be added?

Making the search happen automatically after the user pauses typing would bring the behavior of this search box inline with the behavior of other search boxes on macOS, such as the search box in the Finder toolbar, and providing a visual cue to the contrary would help the user understand if this particular search box behaves differently.

Making the spinner animation non-modal would make the application feel more responsive, and it would avoid disconcerting the user by unnecessarily locking up the user interface.

I will admit this does feel like a fairly trivial set of suggestions. 😬

Keeping it real

• Adding suggestion idea is realistic

[modeezie]

Concur. It did confuse me at first and thought the app was unable to find more packages than those initially shown (until I hit enter). Also, keeping this entry as a template for myself to make suggestions going forward. Very thorough.