# Searching for nodes - not seeing them all

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/searching-for-nodes-not-seeing-them-all/55172>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [14 December 2021 12:48 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/searching-for-nodes-not-seeing-them-all/55172 "2021-12-14T12:48:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [14 December 2021 12:48 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/searching-for-nodes-not-seeing-them-all/55172/1 "2021-12-14T12:48:46Z")

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I am sorry folks.  
(Lots of pictures in this story)

I am not having a good day with things.

Ok, so the `search` in the menu.

I want to search for a specific node by searching for it's real name.

In light of something that just happened I wanted to check how many times I had _shot myself in the foot_.

So I searched for the node by name:

This is what I entered:

 ![Screenshot from 2021-12-14 23-40-57](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/c/6/c6fe5954e48d0a8db340293f7051ee0808143292.png)

Notice how many of these nodes are shown: **2**

This is when I look around the flow on that machine.  
(And this isn't saying I got to all of them!)

1:

 ![Screenshot from 2021-12-14 23-36-03](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/4/d/4d3e0fadf7cb36081398786b9ab17a56c2c918be.png)

2:

 ![Screenshot from 2021-12-14 23-39-27](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/3/8/38c4242fff2e124b005d464d11cc50eac714001b.png)

3:

 ![Screenshot from 2021-12-14 23-36-17](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/4/b/4b782ebe0c83cdf3dbe8e835a5f3565a9a151078.png)

4:

 ![Screenshot from 2021-12-14 23-34-47](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/0/0/006e881291cc64cec8b108d3433f2c36605e5060.png)

That's **5**. Not **2**.  
I'm not understanding something. Because I thought if I searched for them by their _real name_ that would see past/through any name I gave them.

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**Author:** ![knolleary](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/knolleary/32/3_2.png) [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)\
**Post date:** [14 December 2021 12:56 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/searching-for-nodes-not-seeing-them-all/55172/2 "2021-12-14T12:56:47Z")

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That is a bug we should fix.

If you searched for 'file' you would find them all as that is the underlying node type.

In 2.1.0 we added palette labels to the file/file in nodes so they get labelled as 'Read File' and 'Write File' in the UI to help users distinguish between them.

However, as you have just identified, the search functionality doesn't take the palette label property into account.

We will fix that.

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**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [14 December 2021 12:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/searching-for-nodes-not-seeing-them-all/55172/3 "2021-12-14T12:58:54Z")

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The actual name is shown in the hover box:

![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/5/6/563fef2886b1c9da1c2d094007f3bad1669b9ef0.png)

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**Author:** ![knolleary](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/knolleary/32/3_2.png) [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)\
**Post date:** [14 December 2021 13:00 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/searching-for-nodes-not-seeing-them-all/55172/4 "2021-12-14T13:00:19Z")

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Issue raised: [Search function doesn't take paletteLabel property into account · Issue #3297 · node-red/node-red · GitHub](https://github.com/node-red/node-red/issues/3297)

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**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [14 December 2021 13:01 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/searching-for-nodes-not-seeing-them-all/55172/5 "2021-12-14T13:01:22Z")

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Yes, thanks.

But searching only for `file` opens a big can of _worms_ on the machine.  
If I am looking for the node that writes to files, a specific name would help.

But anyway..... Seems that mistake I just mentioned was (luckily for me) a _one off_.  
I have (since) found a heap more of that node and they are all correctly connected to a `function` node that builds the message correctly for setting the file name.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [14 December 2021 13:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/searching-for-nodes-not-seeing-them-all/55172/6 "2021-12-14T13:02:29Z")

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> [@Trying\_to\_learn](#):
>
> But searching only for `file` opens a big can of _worms_ on the machine.  
> If I am looking for the node that writes to files, a specific name would help.

😀

Thankfully Nick is on the case.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [14 December 2021 13:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/searching-for-nodes-not-seeing-them-all/55172/7 "2021-12-14T13:04:28Z")

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I guess sometimes it is good to be stupid and find _faults_.

Ya gotta play the cards you are dealt. No good fretting and wanting to be what you aren't.

(Now just got to get the CPU load down from 99% on this machine and get the python script working)

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [12 February 2022 13:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/searching-for-nodes-not-seeing-them-all/55172/8 "2022-02-12T13:04:43Z")

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