Find Text in a Product
Our reader provides full-text search across PDF and EPUB products. Readers type a query, browse contextual result snippets, and jump directly to any match. Matching words are highlighted in the document on arrival.
Use this feature when a reader wants to locate a specific term, passage, or name anywhere in the product without scrolling or paging through manually.
Prerequisites
- The reader must be online. Search relies on server-side text processing and is unavailable in offline mode.
- The product must be a PDF or EPUB. Audiobooks do not support text search.
The search icon is disabled when the reader is offline. See Read Without an Internet Connection for which features remain available without a connection.
Input Rules
We enforce input constraints to keep search results relevant and server load predictable.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum characters | 4 |
| Maximum characters | 128 |
| Debounce delay | 1 second |
The reader sees feedback as they type:
| Input state | Feedback shown |
|---|---|
| Below minimum | "Keep typing" |
| Searching | Loading spinner |
| No results | "No results found" |
Search Results
Results appear in a scrollable list. Each result shows a context snippet with the matching term highlighted.
The list header differs by product type:
| Element | EPUB | |
|---|---|---|
| Group label | Page number (uppercase) | Hidden |
| Snippet | Context text with match highlighted | Context text with match highlighted |
Navigating to a Result
When the reader clicks a result, our system:
- Navigates to the page or chapter that contains the match.
- Highlights all matching words in the document.
- Closes the search panel automatically.
Text Highlight Behavior
Matches are highlighted directly on the reading surface when the reader arrives at a result.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Color | Green (#0fff13) |
| Opacity | 30% |
| Match type | Partial word matches |
Highlights clear when the reader closes the search panel.
Search History
Our reader stores the reader's recent searches locally so they can re-run a query without retyping.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum entries | 5 |
| Storage | Browser localStorage |
| Persistence | Across sessions |
History is visible when the search input is empty. Clicking a history entry re-runs that search immediately.
Keyboard Navigation
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl / Cmd + F | Open search panel |
Arrow Down | Move to next result |
Arrow Up | Move to previous result |
Enter | Jump to highlighted result |
Escape | Close panel or clear selection |
Limitations
- Search is not available on audiobooks.
- The search panel does not support Boolean operators, phrase search with quotes, or wildcard characters. Queries match on partial words.
- History is stored in the browser's localStorage. Clearing browser data removes the history. History does not sync across devices or sessions on different browsers.
Related Documentation
- Read Without an Internet Connection - Which features are available without a connection
- Reader Feature Overview - Full feature catalog with platform availability