Eclipse Search Menus disabled randomly

Question

I use Eclipse 3.3 in my daily work, and have also used Eclipse 3.2 extensively as well. In both versions, sometimes the Search options (Java Search, File Search, etc) in the menu get disabled, seemingly at random times. However, with Ctrl+H, I am able to access the search functionality. Does anyone know why this happens? Has it been fixed in Eclipse 3.4?

Popularize

Have you checked the eclipse bug database? – Charest

I just checked, now that you mentioned it, and didn't find anything... I'd report it as a bug, but it so inconsistently happens that just saying it happens isn't going to help them track it down and fix it. I was wondering if anyone else had this problem. – Popularize

Same issue for me in Gannymede. Thanks for the Ctrl+H pro tip. – Dicrotic

It is year 2013. Eclipse Juno is out and is still rampant with this senseless bug. – Salmagundi

There's a lot more bugs in Juno than just that...Doesn't Eclipse have any regression tests?! – Popularize

Answer 1

I don't have an exact answer. I will recommend that you try to correlate the disablement with which perspective is active. Likewise, which view is active. I have been using 3.4 and not experienced this issue.

Austine

I have not experienced this issue since I upgraded to Eclipse 3.4. I guess they fixed it! – Popularize

Nope - not fixed in 3.4.2 at least. I've tried changing perspective, refreshing the projects. It seems to come and go. Restarting eclipse does fix the issue, or you can do the ctrl-H stuff. – Germano

reproduces with eclipse 3.5 on all perspectives – Laminitis

Reproduces with eclipse 4.2 on all perspectives. I can't believe the state of computing has become so lousy that a bug like this persists for so long. Fortunately, the workaround suggested by @Isahella works, but this is ugly ugly ugly... Microsoft's Visual Studio is so much predictable and professional. – Existential

Answer 2

window > close all perspective works for me.

Isahella

This did it. Easier than restarting with '-clean'. Thankyou! I hadn't seen this problem in a long time, and it came back today (the bug seemed to be triggered by reopening a very old project, I think). – Becca

This did it. Thank you! See what I think of Eclipse here. The king is naked! – Existential

- No effect here (kepler). it reverts all perspectives to defaults (darn). Only close/open eclipse works. – Canossa

on my kepler. it does not work closing all perspective neither closing eclipse works – Aaren

Answer 3

Using Eclipse 4.3(!) this happened to me after doing a case-sensitive search.

Window -> Close All Perspectives didn't fix it and neither did restarting Eclipse using -clean. While messing with the search box, I discovered that simply clicking to a previous search entry allowed me to edit it and search again! Clicking back to the case-sensitive search grayed the option out again.

So before you reset anything in your workspace, try pulling up an older search entry using the Down Arrow.

Nonbelligerent

(Answer added because this is the first result for a Google search of "Eclipse search grayed/greyed out") – Nonbelligerent

Only answer that worked for me. This needs more votes, I guess! – Etherege

Answer 4

I think this answer is what you all need to solve the issue on all versions.

I am using RAD 8 and I have also faced this problem than I removed org.eclipse.search directory in (workspace currently using) workspace/metadata/plugins folder then restart the eclipse.

That's all.

Gravimeter

Answer 5

Darn! I have that problem too -- in Eclipse 3.4.2.

Seems to be related to Navigator and Project Explorer views: - Switch to Debug perspective: Search menu items are there. - Switch to Java or Java EE perspective: Search menu items still there. - Click on a project in Navigator or Project Explorer: Search menu items all DISABLED.

(Curse! I use search in Selected Resources a lot! )-:

Hmmm... It may slso depend on the file type currently open in the editor. (Like Java vs xml.)

Anisometropia

Answer 6

Still present in Eclipse 3.5.2 -- and for the first time really sticky.

I checked out the "close all opened files and open any other file afterwards" answer and that brought back the Search menu items. Additionally, if you were lucky and have the Search result view open, than indeed there is this little link "Open search dialog".

By the way, additionally lots of other project-related menu items seem to be greyed out also together with this, and they did not reanimate :-( But I did not really check out if these are only items for which it is useful and planned to be greyed out in this situation.

Droughty

Answer 7

I'm using RAD 7.5.1 which runs on Eclipse 3.4 and I get this problem frustratingly often. It doesn't matter which perspective or view I'm in, or which editor I have open.

Restarting RAD usually clears it up, but because that's such a colossal pain, I found that you can get around it in the Search View, there is a link; "Start a search from the search dialog" which will bring up the search dialog.

This isn't a great workaround because the link only shows if you have no search history. To do another search, you'll have to clear your search history in the view.

Baccy

Answer 8

A late comment for anyone getting bitten by this, but I found "eclipse -clean" fixed it => this does a cleanup of the workspace before starting

Thanks http://letsgetdugg.com/2009/04/19/recovering-a-corrupt-eclipse-workspace/ for the tip, after I guessed my workspace might be corrupt.

Cerous

Answer 9

Before search, check you may choose scope in empty Working set. Most Search menu disables Search button when you choose it. And mine, too :)

Apologize

Answer 10

window > close all perspectives worked for me too.

But if you are just looking for a text search in the project you could press Ctrl+Alt+G on a marked text

Jigger

Answer 11

I have this problem with MyEclipse 7 (eclipse 3.4) under Debian Lenny. Perspective doesn't seem to matter. I get around it with the shortcut Ctrl+H but I was hoping for a better way.

Producer

Answer 12

I couldn't get it to work even when restarting Eclipse.

Here's what worked for me: Closing all open files and opening a different file. The different file happened to be .java, but not sure if that had anything to do with it.

Anastaciaanastas

Answer 13

I get this problem from time to time.

In the past I've fixed by starting eclipse with the -clean option.

Once when that didn't work I created a new workspace.

I followed these instructions for those two solutions.

The clean option didn't work for me today and I found this thread because I didn't want to create a new workspace. The closing all files and reopening one file did work however.

Ashford

Answer 14

I had this issue also in eclipse 3.6.2: Helios Service Release 1.

Closed all the editor windows, and the search has been enabled.

Kattie

Answer 15

Switching to another perspective, then back, works quickly for me.

Werbel

Answer 16

I've faced similar issue in Ctrl+H "File Search" tab. The "Search" and "Replace" button was grayed out (disabled). The solution is fill the "File name patterns" text box (for eg, *.py). May be this is by design!

Amylo

Answer 17

Just had this problem in Eclipse Neon 3. It is a very common problem in RAD. I could find using in the console, then switch back to the source and search. RAD would disable the find/search options per source file open. This is very frustrating.

Choirmaster

Answer 18

I had this problem too. It appeared when I installed the m2eclipse plugin.

I had not found a solution, but you can use Ctrl+H shortcut instead. And you can navigate between tabs with Ctrl+PgDown or Ctrl+PgUp keys.

I've uninstalled the following pluings and it worked.

• Maven integration
• PMD
• eclipse checkstyle plugin
• EclEmma (coverage)

I don't know which of those cause the problem. To uninstall a plugin: Help -> Software Updates...-> "Installed Software" tab.

Holmic