Removing search highlights on mobile not obvious

[runiq]

(New issue as per #884 (comment))

At the moment, search result highlights can be either removed by editing the page URL or pressing Esc. This is a papercut especially (but not only) on mobile:

1. there is no Esc key
2. editing the URL is even more fiddly than it is on a desktop

Besides, I had only found out about removing highlights with Esc after searching online and stumbling upon #884.

Adding a UI element to clear the highlights seems like the most straightforward solution.

[runiq]

Some 'prior art' I have ready at my fingertips:

• GitBook uses a sidebar when searching, on both mobile and desktop. Terms are only highlighted in the sidebar, not in the page itself.
• Current Sphinx only highlights on the search page itself, on desktop and mobile.
• The Qt docs use Google search without highlighting.
• The Java SE docs also only highlight on the search page, on desktop and mobile.
• The Discource version on URLO highlights when searching in the topic itself, but there's no way to clear the highlight AFAICS. (E.g. search for "interesting" in this thread I picked at random—I think there's no way to link to a search result directly).

[runiq]

So it appears that this could be a unique selling point! :)

As for UI ideas: How about repurposing the search/magnifying glass button for clearing search highlights? Like this: If something is highlighted on the page, "highlight" the MG as well (i.e. have its background be the same color as a search highlight) so it stands out, and cross the icon out or something. When you click/touch the MG, all highlights are removed, and the MG returns to its original form.

A disadvantage of this method would be that users would need to click/touch the MG twice for performing a new search after the first one (once for clearing the highlights, and once again for bringing up the search UI).

I'd try my hands at a mockup, but I'm at work and a shitty designer. :-/

[ehuss]

I'm not sure if there is anything to do here. The highlight can be removed by tapping the highlighted term. Perhaps that isn't obvious enough, though.

[runiq]

That's definitely useful knowledge, thanks for making me aware of it. <3

[Zalathar]

There still aren't any discoverable ways to dismiss the highlighting.

Expecting users to experiment with random unrelated UI gestures (or search for GitHub issues) just to be able to read a documentation page isn't a great experience

And there are other “obvious” UI gestures (like clicking on headings) that don't dismiss the unsolicited highlights.

(Personally I'd be happy if I could just turn them off completely; I've always found them to be an obstacle and never helpful.)

[Skepfyr]

I've always been bothered by these highlights and always took the route of editing the url to get rid of them. I just now got annoyed enough to see how hard adding a button to dismiss the highlighting would be and discovered this issue and the fact that I could click the highlighted word!

I don't think that's discoverable enough although admittedly am happy using it from now on. I agree that I've never actually found the highlighting useful but can see that it would be in some cases (a rare word on a long page). @ehuss Are you against someone adding an icon to the top bar to clear the highlighting or would you accept a PR that did that?