---
title: Search
---
# Search
!!! note
Start this with `cadmus search`
## What does it do
This starts a search dialog with a preview of the note on the side.
## How Do I use it
!!! warning
This requires [recoll](https://www.lesbonscomptes.com/recoll/) set up to index your notes directory.
After running the command type in a query just like you would with *Google*, matches will be presented with an instant preview to the side.
Press Ctrl+Q to toggle search inside the note for a string (there will **not** be highlighting) [^9]
[^9]: The distinction between this and find is essentially the distinction between `grep` and a search engine.
Pressing Enter on a note will open it in the default app, [^1] if you want to do something else with it copy the path to the clipboard with Alt+w as described below in [Keyboard Shortcuts](#keyboard-shortcuts).
[^1]: `xdg-open` / `open` on Linux/Mac respectively
### Keyboard Shortcuts
| Keys | Description |
| --- | --- |
| PgUp / PgDn | Scroll Preview |
| Ctrl-w | Copy Absolute path to note [^2] |
| Alt-w | Copy Relative path to note |
| Ctrl-o | Open the note in the default app without exiting |
| Alt-y | Copy File Contents to Clipboard [^3] |
[^2]: TODO: this only works on Xorg at the moment
[^3]: This is really good for *Zulip* / *Discord*
## When Would This Be Used
Imagine you're sitting at your desk and this time you need to, solve a linear recurrence relation, you're solution is `cadmus search` and then type something like `linear recursion` then Ctrl-Q `math mod`.
### Example
## How does it Work
So essentially this just uses ~skim~ and ~bat~ to filter/preview the notes, the interactive command is used with ~ripgrep~ and piping (that took me forever to figure out!!) to highlight the match in the preview.[^4] This is the code that achieves it:
```bash
sk -m -i -c 'recoll -b -t -q "ext:md" {} |\
cut -c 8- | sed s/^/realpath\ \"/ |\
sed s+\$+\"\ --relative-to\ \"./\"+ | bash' \
--bind pgup:preview-page-up,pgdn:preview-page-down \
--preview "bat --color=always --line-range :500 \
--terminal-width 80 --theme=TwoDark {+} \
--italic-text=always \
--decorations=always" \
--color=fg:#f8f8f2,bg:-1,matched:#6272a4,current_fg:#50fa7b,current_bg:#381070,border:#ff79c6,prompt:#bd93f9,query:#bd93f9,marker:#f1fa8c,header:#f1fa8c
```
[^4]: This highlighting works with both ~bat~ and *MDCat*, I prefer *MDCat* but there is a bug with footnotes preventing me from being able to use it right at the moment.