# Project Search bar

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362>\
**Category:** Feature requests\
**Created:** [December 16, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362 "2023-12-16T17:21:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Debcherk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/debcherk/32/18872_2.png) [@Debcherk](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Debcherk)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/1 "2023-12-16T17:21:57Z")

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I have requested this several times, so I know it’s not new, but I think it’s worth mentioning again because it is the one feature that I have needed since I started using the software.

We need the ability to be able to search for a project using title or Keyword. The folders have helped manage projects a bit, but even then it sometimes difficult to find a specific project.

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**Author:** ![Bob3DPO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@Bob3DPO](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Bob3DPO)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/2 "2023-12-16T19:07:07Z")

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Searching would be great, and would definitely help workflow!! Besides searching the project name, I would like to be able to search in the projects view for a **named item** in a design…. Essentially, “Show me the projects that have [search text],” and get the list of projects that may have some design elements that I want to reuse.

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**Author:** ![Debcherk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/debcherk/32/18872_2.png) [@Debcherk](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Debcherk)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 11:47pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/3 "2023-12-16T23:47:45Z")

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It’s not the proper forum but want to ask…how do you reuse design elements? I haven’t been able to figure out how to copy pieces of a project to another project. Is that what you mean?

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**Author:** ![Bob3DPO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@Bob3DPO](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Bob3DPO)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2023, 2:12am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/4 "2023-12-17T02:12:31Z")

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Hi Deb,  
Yes, you have my meaning correct. Often I want to reuse things like cutouts for switches, hole patterns for motors or screws with nuts attached (with tolerances) for 3D printing. I will keep these in a special “library” folder in the cloud. When I know I will be reusing frequently, I’ll make my design just of that piece. That makes it easy to export in x\_t format for reuse.

When I’m not as diligent about making parts for the library, I will create them while making an assembly. This happens a lot for me with electronics boards. I don’t know that I’ll ever use that LM-1234 board again; so I just measure and design for that part.

Depending on how I have done my design it can be relatively easy to pull this piece out to send to the “library.” If I am after one or more bodies, it is easy. Isolate those bodies and export in x\_t format. (To clean up the library file, I will often create a new project, import the x\_t, remove the folder hierarchy from the item panel and position the part(s) to the origin, then export again.)

When the part(s) I want to reuse are integrated into a design, it is a little more work… but not a lot. First thing is to duplicate the project. (I name mine eraseme\_after\_library). Then hide as much as possible in the Items panel. Then I will split the body(s) and delete anything that is not important to what I want to save. I might end up with several parts that need to be put on a thin rectangular solid and union-ed to one piece. Then rename the bodies with their “library name” and export. Then delete the project file.

It is not as simple as copy and paste, but it does not take very much time and usually quicker than recreating the design, and can keep tolerances with the item.

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**Author:** ![Debcherk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/debcherk/32/18872_2.png) [@Debcherk](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Debcherk)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2023, 2:54am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/5 "2023-12-17T02:54:46Z")

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Thanks for the excellent explanation (a little alliteration for you). I’ve been doing it just as you’ve explained. I thought there was some magical way I could just copy something from a project and paste it into another project. Maybe we’ll get lucky and that will come someday but for now I guess we export and import.

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**Author:** ![Laci\_K](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/laci_k/32/8196_2.png) [@Laci\_K](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Laci_K)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 8:54am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/6 "2023-12-18T08:54:18Z")

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Hi Deb,

Project search is on our mid term roadmap, coming next year. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Bob3DPO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@Bob3DPO](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Bob3DPO)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 3:37pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/7 "2023-12-18T15:37:43Z")

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I hope it will include searching for named items! 😉

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**Author:** ![Debcherk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/debcherk/32/18872_2.png) [@Debcherk](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Debcherk)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/8 "2023-12-18T22:59:36Z")

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I was told that I would have it in 2nd quarter 2023 as a promise before I renewed my subscription for the year. Now you’re telling me next year. That’s not cool.

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**Author:** ![Laci\_K](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/laci_k/32/8196_2.png) [@Laci\_K](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Laci_K)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 9:57am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/9 "2023-12-19T09:57:13Z")

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There are lots of competing features, and sometimes proprieties have to shift depending on the resources available, that’s why we rarely promise anything with exact dates.

We still think Search is an important and necessary function, but for the majority of the users, Folders and Sort already work well enough for now. We will continue to build features for the dashboard and folders in the upcoming months, not only Search.

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**Author:** ![altimac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@altimac](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/altimac)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2024, 8:34am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/10 "2024-03-21T08:34:46Z")

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Yes please add “project search” feature (mainly by name/keywords in the name).

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**Author:** ![maxs](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/maxs/32/28236_2.png) [@maxs](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/maxs)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 10:15pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/project-search-bar/29362/11 "2024-10-10T22:15:17Z")

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Is project search still planned for 2024? I have a LOT of projects and spend way too much time scrolling to look for them. Thanks