[Feature Request] Enhanced Message Search with Advanced Filtering Capabilities

[Riya-chandra]

Problem Statement
The current search functionality in Rocket.Chat lacks granular filtering options, making it difficult for users to efficiently locate specific messages in high-volume channels. Based on user feedback and community discussions, search results often return irrelevant matches, and there's no way to narrow down results by common criteria such as date ranges, file types, or specific users.
This limitation becomes particularly problematic in:

Enterprise environments with thousands of messages daily
Support channels where historical context is critical
Teams collaborating across multiple time zones

Proposed Solution
Implement an advanced search system with the following capabilities:

1. Filter Options:

Date range selection (from/to)
Search by specific user/sender
Filter by content type (text, files, links, code snippets)
File type filtering (images, PDFs, documents)
Channel/Room-specific search scope

2. User Experience Improvements:

Real-time search with optimized debouncing
Syntax highlighting for matched terms in results
Message context preview (surrounding messages)
Search history persistence (last 10 queries)
Keyboard shortcuts for power users

3. Performance Optimizations:

Backend: Implement efficient MongoDB text indexes
API: Paginated search results with lazy loading
Frontend: Virtual scrolling for large result sets
Caching layer for frequently accessed searches

Technical Approach
Backend Changes:

- Enhance existing `/api/v1/chat.search` endpoint
- Add query parameters for filters (dateFrom, dateTo, userId, fileType, etc.)
- Optimize MongoDB aggregation pipeline
- Implement proper indexing strategy on messages collection

Frontend Changes:

- Create new SearchModal component with filter UI
- Implement debounced search hook (300ms delay)
- Add search result highlighting utility
- LocalStorage for search history management

Database:
- Add compound indexes: { msg: "text", ts: -1, u._id: 1 }

Would like to work on this feature.

Suggested Labels: feature-request, enhancement, gsoc

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🔗 Related PRs

RocketChat/Rocket.Chat#36861 - feat: Search rooms by cyrillic characters in channel names [merged]
RocketChat/Rocket.Chat#37717 - fix: Global Search "Jump to message" failing due to incorrect URL generation [merged]
RocketChat/Rocket.Chat#37896 - chore: add contact filter to call history endpoint [merged]

👤 Suggested Assignees

• yash-rajpal
• abhinavkrin
• pierre-lehnen-rc

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[sameera0602]

Hi! I'm a frontend developer and new contributor. I’d like to work on this issue. Could you please assign it to me or guide me how to start?

[Riya-chandra]

@sameera0602 This Issue is raised by me to work on..........if you are new to open source then start with the good first issues..........
If any guidance is required then i m open to help you out.

[sameera0602]

@Riya-chandra Thanks for clarifying! I appreciate you being open to helping.
I’m still getting started with open source, so I’ll look into good first issues as you suggested.
Will reach out if I need any guidance. Thanks again 🙂

[Devnil434]

can I work in this issue

[smirk-dev]

Excellent feature request! Enhanced search with advanced filtering will significantly improve user experience. Here's my comprehensive implementation approach:

Phase 1: Backend Enhancement

1. Extend Chat API:

   • Add filter parameters to /api/v1/channels.files endpoint
   • Support dateFrom, dateTo, userId, contentType filters
   • Implement MongoDB aggregation pipeline for efficient filtering

2. Database Optimization:

   • Create compound indexes on msg collection: {ts: 1, u._id: 1, type: 1}
   • Add full-text search indexes for content
   • Cache frequently accessed search results with TTL

Phase 2: Frontend Components

1. Search Filter Panel:

   • Create FilterPanel component with multiple filter options
   • Date range picker (from/to dates)
   • User dropdown selector
   • Content type checkboxes
   • Real-time preview of search results

2. Implementation Details:

   • Use React hooks for state management
   • Implement debounced search (300ms) to prevent API overload
   • Add loading states and error handling

Phase 3: UX Improvements

1. Search Results Enhancement:

   • Highlight matching keywords in results
   • Show context (surrounding messages)
   • Display file previews for document results
   • Search history persistence using localStorage

2. Keyboard Shortcuts:

   • Cmd+K or Ctrl+K to open advanced search
   • Arrow keys to navigate results
   • Enter to open message context

Phase 4: Performance & Testing

1. Optimization:

   • Implement virtual scrolling for large result sets
   • Lazy load file previews
   • Cache search results for identical queries

2. Testing Coverage:

   • Unit tests for filter logic
   • Integration tests for API calls
   • E2E tests for user workflows
   • Performance benchmarks for large datasets

Development Timeline:

• Phase 1 (Backend): 2-3 weeks
• Phase 2 (Frontend UI): 2-3 weeks
• Phase 3 (UX Polish): 1-2 weeks
• Phase 4 (Testing): 1 week

I'm ready to start with the backend implementation and coordinate with the team on design requirements!

[AbhijeetShk]

is this issue up for contribution or someone working?

[Ayushbunkar]

Hi! I’d like to work on this issue.
I’m able to reproduce the problem locally and I believe the fix will involve updating the relevant UI logic and adding proper validation.
I’ll share a PR once I have a fix ready. Thanks!