Desktop search in KDE -- Baloo configuration, tweaking, functionality, docs?

[René J.V. Bertin]

On Tuesday April 14 2020 01:27:46 Mark Rousell wrote:

Hi,

>In particular at the moment, my requirements/expectations are:
>(1) Dynamic indexing of new file content and changed file content. I'd
>expect this to be almost instant on a freshly installed system with only
>a few files.
>(2) Search of arbitrary files types from the GUI.

I can't help you much other than stating that
- I have gotten the impression that baloo is a bit of abandonware, or that it's victim of a kind of collaborative babel effect where everyone wants something different. Have you checked if there's a more appropriate ML to ask your questions? This particular list sees very little activity.
- I still run a Plasma4 desktop myself (with most components updated to the latest 4.14 versions from git), and baloo works there though I usually suspend it because I have no particular need for it and it definitely burns too much CPU for that. I use an advanced KCM (https://gitlab.com/ericlnu/baloo-kcmadv) to control it more finely - but that one has never been updated to KF5 as far as I can tell ... maybe a nice challenge for you? For searching I use the milou (https://cgit.kde.org/milou.git) thingy, and that one *has* been updated for KF5. It gives me an interface (under Plasma4) that is reminiscent of the Spotlight interface in OS X ... no idea how it has evolved under Plasma5 (or devolved: there's a reason I've been sticking to Plasma4).

...

>The desktop search system I currently use is Windows Search on Windows
>10 and Windows server: It is extremely fast in both indexing (virtually
>instant for new/changed files with no noticeable effect on system speed)
>and search. Also the GUI integration is outstanding (available from the
>start menu and all file manager windows, and accessible from apps via
>API). 

Irrelevant, but:
Then you must have a very fast machine. I've never seen Win10 be anything but slow as molasses. As usual, the only desktop integrated indexing system I have experience with that does not degrade system performance unjustifiably is Apple's Spotlight (which also gives you a backdoor to control what's being indexed because it's plugin-based).

R.