Search docs conflate search and filtering
In GitLab, we have two very closely related features that are nevertheless quite different.
- Search is using the search box in the top right. This can search lots of different types of objects (projects, groups, issues, etc.). It can use Elasticsearch in Starter and up.
- Filtering is done on the issue an MR lists at the group and project level.
Now, you can add a search query to a filter page. But those don't use the same underlying code, and will behave differently (sometimes due to bugs, like https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/47395).
Our docs at https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/search/ pretty much only talk about filtering. However, at the end, they link to https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/search/advanced_global_search.html and https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/search/advanced_search_syntax.html, both of which refer to searching.
I think that ideally, in the long-term, this difference wouldn't exist. But it does exist, so maybe we could try to clarify that in the docs instead?
Actions
From https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/48112#note_85089324 and https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/48112#note_85452441
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Improve the "Search through GitLab" doc to reflect what you pointed out on https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/48112#note_84981622 -
Improve the "Advanced Global Search" doc to clarify what is this about, what it is useful for, and how to use it. -
Improve the "Advanced Syntax Search" doc to clarify what's the difference between this and the "Advanced Global Search" feature, and explain how to use it in GitLab - its doc links to the Elasticsearch 3rd-party doc without explaining how can one use it in GitLab (where is the search field that one should use for it, and where is the tool searching for the query - the whole instance? a project? a file?...) -
Reorganize the page, in which we would have one H1 and two H2: # Searching and filtering through GitLab ## Searching ## Filtering