Search Projects and Symbols

This chapter searches text across an active Project, repeats the captured query, opens a provider-neutral symbol index, searches the symbol at point, and moves through each active location source with the same navigation commands.

Before You Begin

If you enter this chapter directly, first complete Prepare the User Guide Exercises.

Complete Navigate Result Sets. Project search requires an active Project. Restore the kit-supplied Project identity and source tree, then open its root:

"$HOME/odra-guide/kit/bin/odra-guide" reset workspace-state
odra ~/odra-guide/work/projects/forecast-engine

Select main.odin from the file candidate surface. The Files, Projects, and Workspaces part explains this lifecycle in depth; here the restored Project supplies a bounded search scope.

Search Project Text

Run M-x project-search-text. Enter:

Market Square

Odra searches the admitted files below the active Project root and opens the common result surface. Rows are grouped by file and show a path, aligned line-and-column fields, and nearby source text.

Filter and move with the same keys used for active-buffer results. Press Enter on one row to open or reuse its file and visit the checked match. Press M-g M-n or M-g M-p from the editor to continue through the Project result source.

Project search excludes hidden, ignored, and binary files under its current policy. It does not require a repository or external search executable.

Search a Project with an Expression

Run M-x project-search-text-regexp and enter:

(Observation|Summary)

The result surface uses the same navigation and refresh behavior. Project results are read-only: e reports that the selected provider does not admit result editing.

Press q, then run M-x project-search-repeat. Odra applies the newest Project query and policies to the current active Project. If Project identity, membership, or a source fingerprint has changed, stale authority is reported without moving point or replacing a newer valid result generation.

Search the Symbol at Point

Open:

~/odra-guide/work/projects/forecast-engine/src/forecast/summary.odin

Move point onto observations and press M-s .. Odra resolves the symbol under or adjacent to point and starts an ordinary forward search with symbol boundaries enabled. Repeat with C-s, accept with Enter, or cancel and restore the origin with C-g.

The current language or syntax provider supplies symbol boundaries when available. Generic Unicode symbol rules provide the fallback.

Open the Symbol Navigator

Run M-x symbol-navigator. The common result surface lists the active buffer's symbols with provider-neutral kind and containing-scope annotations. Type summarize to filter the rows, then press Enter to visit that declaration.

Open the navigator again. Use Up, Down, M-p, M-n, <, and > for result movement. Press g to rebuild the index against the current buffer revision, or q to close it and return to the source.

Odra prefers a revision-current language provider with symbol support. The maintained Odin provider derives its index from the current syntax tree; when no provider index is available, a bounded language-independent token index is the fallback. Provider choice changes available detail, not the public command or result navigation model.

Use the Active Location Source

Active-buffer matches, Project matches, symbols, diagnostics, and other ordered locations publish through the common location model. The most recently activated compatible source owns M-g M-n and M-g M-p.

These commands move the source's checked selection and visit its target. They do not guess among several providers from rendered text. Closing a result set releases its location authority; a stale or unavailable target preserves the current editor location.

Recover from Provider Problems

• Project search requires one current active Project and fails plainly in an ordinary Dir or file-only session.
• A refreshed Project invalidates result authority from the prior membership generation.
• Changed files are fingerprint-checked before Project-result navigation.
• A stale language observation cannot publish a symbol index for a newer buffer revision.
• Bounded providers report incomplete work rather than presenting partial results as complete.
• C-g cancels an active query or closes a clean result interaction without changing source text.

Verify the Result

You have completed this chapter when a literal Project query finds multiple files, an expression query remains read-only, repeat uses the newest Project query, M-s . searches one resolved symbol, the symbol navigator filters and visits declarations, and M-g M-n or M-g M-p follows the active location source from the editor.

Continue with Files, Projects, and Workspaces.

Previous: Navigate Result Sets · User Guide · Next: Files, Projects, and Workspaces