I’m about two hours into a text-only website, (no page numbers) and I want to know if I can search for a specific word, phrase, name or partial word within the page?
I can select the text normally?
Do I need to copy the entire text into my Reading List or Notes? Convert to PDF?
That wouldn’t be ideal because I’m usually switching between two tabs to compare info and I’m not interested in editing it or altering it. I just want to find and refer back to a name or term I read an hour ago.
What I’ve tried: I watched your video re Keyboard as Trackpad for iOS 9, but that deals with editable text in Notes, not text on a web page.
I tried to get my keyboard to appear, tried a few searches including Apple. Would an external keyboard solve this?
Thanks in advance. M.
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Marie
To search text inside a page on the iPad, go up to the address bar. Then type the search phrase. I know this is counter-intuitive, as it is the same thing you would do to leave the page and search for another, but this is where you do it. Then, before pressing Search on the virtual keyboard, look at the search suggestions that appear below the address field. You can swipe up on those to go to the bottom of this list and you'll find "on this page" listed there.
As far as selecting, you just tap and hold on a piece of text on the page and you should get a blue selection area with handles at either end. You can drag those handles up and down and use the black Copy button to copy that text.
Try this on a page at some site you know it works, like Wikipedia first. Then try it at the page you are dealing with. There is a way for web designers to disable text selection and copying, so it could be that this is being done on that page if you can't seem to get it to work.
Brilliant. Thanks. Is there a way to control which instance of the word is found? Or to go to the next instance of the same word?
Yes. Once you select the On This Page word at the bottom, it goes to the first instance. Then look at the bottom of the screen and you'll see a new search field with up and down arrows, a "1 out of X matches" indicator and a Done button. You can even search for. new word with the field there.