With the new version of Chrome 22.0.1229.79 m the developer tools is not
showing up the search field. Screenshot:  http://screencast.com/t/DwFxDGs2E
I've searched on settings a way to bring it back but I haven't found
anything. Maybe now it's like an optional feature...

Please advice :/

yes i do know the ctrl f brings up a search field but I don't want that,
before there was a search field 'Search Element' which was located in the
upper right corner of the toolbox. That's the one I want and its not
showing up.

Within the Developer Tools, pressing Ctrl + F is the way to bring up that
search field now. I also think it is weird.

☆*PhistucK*

Command+F on Mac. It works but it is annoying. I hope they will bring back
the regular search box soon. It is not like it was occupying a space that
is now used for something more important...

I think this new search field sucks - it doesn't even show the number of
matches.

Thank you for your report.
I have filed https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=153753 for
the number of matches issue.

I have the same issue and I really think it is annoying. Why did they
remove the search box in the first place? it should have been better to
have it optional feature.

OMG that is indeed annoying. Why should I press Ctrl F for something which
should be there always! damn it.

You should not need to undock anything - if you have focus in the devtools,
it'll just work. We'd like to have more real estate in the toolbar for the
dock-to-right mode where toolbar elements overflow otherwise. Most of the
IDEs / tools / browsers have shortcut-controlled search capabilities, so we
hope it works well for the users. We'll try to make it more discoverable
though.

Thank you for your feedback

Pavel

If that is the reason, could you maybe consider showing the search box when
the devtools are wide enough and then hiding it when they get narrower?

—Zachary “Gamer_Z.” Yaro
On Oct 10, 2012 11:38 AM, "Pavel Feldman" <pfeld...@chromium.org> wrote:

I'm really frustrated by this change as well.

A few more bugs for the way it works now.

1. If you are searching for string, and need to perform the same task on
multiple page, say in the network tab for a file that's consistent from
page to page, and you have a search term entered that will identify that
file when you move to a new url, your search term will still be there, with
the counts the same as the search on the previous page. It does not
automatically re-search the current content like it used to. You need to
delete your term and search again.

2. Pressing ctrl f after the console is open will often times open the find
for the standard browser window, not the console, it's difficult to tell if
the console is focused.

Why the hell was this changed?!
I can't think of a single good reason.

I had to go back to FF, it was so frustrating.

have to agree - its terrible - using FF now also

This used to work also but no longer :

  search term and press enter, code jumps to first match
  click to add breakpoint, focus would remain on search term so i could
press enter again to find my next match and add another breakpoint,
  now, when i add breakpoint, focus switces to the code, pressing enter
deletes the matched text from the code editor , code alteration means the
runtime debugger stops functioning, have to re-open it , start again....

.. so frustrating... please put permanent search box back or add config
option to permanently keep it.

Guys our application has 20,000 lines of javascript with many dynamically
generated classnames and id's (ie I can't grep the code). The *only* way I
can find certain things is the search bar; I use it all the time and what
you have (arbitrarily) done is unnecessarily frustrating to use.

I seriously cannot see what you have gained by eliminating it. It was clear
and beautifully easy to use. How is 'ctrl + shift + f' even remotely close
to using the search bar? Who can possibly say that that is user friendly?
To be honest the debugging interface in general has gone backwards and not
forwards in the last few months - the sources tab is an unnecessary and
unfriendly mess with, sometimes, my own sources not even showing up.

Could you not, at the very least, make the search bar an option? What
possible difference is it going to make?

James Drummond

ps. Ctrl + shift + f does not even work. Let alone that it does not show
how many matches there are and seamlessly navigate to them but, as far as I
can tell, it just plain doesn't work.

pps. Ohhh... I get it! It does work but it doesn't show anything if you've
got the console window open. You have to close the console window then
press ctrl + shift + f *again* and there are your results!!

Seriously what a joke.

Did you try Ctrl+F?

Thanks for your reply.

ctrl + f searches the current document in sort of the same way that the old
search worked (although it's a lot easier to just focus on an input box
than pressing 'ctrl + f' - just saying).

But, like I say, I search thousands of lines of code from many files.

You had it right before guys. It just worked and worked well.

Cheers, James.

Wait, the only thing that has changed was that we freed up some space in
the toolbar and now we show the search field upon Ctrl+F. No semantic
changes took place, just the field being hidden by default.

[this is a conversation between me and Pavel who got back to me regarding
the search bar] I appreciate Pavel getting back to me but I just think that
the reasons for making this change should be out in the open since it
affects many people.

Ok I certainly am not trying to be the person who kicks up a fuss because
something has changed and now I need to get use to the new way of doing
things...

But :-) . The functionality is *not* the same.

*Before:*

Step 1: focus on input box, start typing. At this point I am immediately,
as I type, being told how many matches there are and my matches are being
simultaneously highlighted in the code. I then press the up / down arrows
to navigate through the code. What could be easier than that?

*Now*:

Step 1: Open document.

Step 2: Press ctrl + f

Step 3: Start typing. No feedback, no number of matches, no nothing. I'm
trying this whilst I type and actually I can't even get it to work. I'm
pressing enter, clicking the search icon and nothing is happening.

Step 4: See your results. I can't actually get this far at the moment.

Also, from a usability point of view, you make the assumption that everyone
knows to open and focus on a document and then press ctrl + f - there is
nothing anywhere telling anyone that this is what they need to do. You
avoided all these problems before by just having an input box in plain view
and the label 'search' next to it. What could be easier or more intuitive
than that?

I just think that every developer needs to navigate their code all the time
and the quickest way to do that is start typing a keyword - word to search
for in the code. You've introduced at least two new steps before anyone can
do that and the results are not nearly as good as they were.

Just my two cents but it would be nice (and fair) to have this as an
option. I was not aware at all of any real estate issues in the top bar -
now there is just a blank space where the very useful search bar used to be.

Thanks, James.

Going back to steps, the only change that was made was that Ctrl+F became
necessary for search field to show up. If you are seeing anything else,
please let us know. The new behavior matches all the IDEs and editors,
pretty much all the browsers do it that way. The reasons behind the change
were that we saw more and more people adopting the dock-to-right mode and
having the search field visible at all times was making all of them
miserable (Console tab was getting off the screen). Furthermore, we are
currently working on another visual toolbar redesign that makes search
field there simply impossible due to lack of space.

Not accompanying the change with the announcement was a clear oversight
from our side. We are fixing it now. From the other hand, flexibility like
that makes us iterate more quickly and bring even more good features to you.

Regards
Pavel

--
Thank you,
Vsevolod Vlasov (vse...@google.com)

I totally get you James, that's the reason of my complain. Ctrl+F does NOT
work the same way the old search box did. Could you please add the
functionality that shows you the number of matches at least?

There is an empty space where the old search was so I dont see the point in
making the 'new' search optional because when you bring it up it takes
space.

I am running Version 23.0.1271.64 m and some of the functionality has been
restored. You can see number of matches and use the arrows to cycle through
them. However I still see some usability issues with this.

One of the things I like about Chrome is the efficient use of space and
this latest change does not seem to follow suit. The old search box fit
nicely on the bar which is now just blank area. The new search creates a
whole new bar which limits your view of code.

When I am working I frequently interact with the main page and then check
things in the developer panel. If the developer panel does not have focus
Ctrl + f brings up the page search and not the search in the developer
panel. Causing the users to click into the search box forces focus into the
right area, where as pushing Ctrl + f will bring up the wrong search box if
the web page has focus.

Ctrl +f is a universal search command however the old bar allowed me to
work faster. Could you have focus given to the old search bar from that
command? That way you preserve Ctrl + f functionality but have a visible
search bar.