Improved fuzzy searching

We’ve improved the fuzzy searching used throughout Church Social, including in search inputs across the app and in the global search (available via Command + K on macOS and Ctrl + K on Windows).

Previously, we relied on a third-party fuzzy search library that often returned too many results, making it harder to find exactly what you were looking for. We’ve replaced this with a new custom search matcher that behaves in a much more predictable and intuitive way.

The new search matches from the beginning of each word, while allowing name parts to be entered in any order. This means you can type the first few letters of any part of a name, however you naturally think of it. For example, when searching for “John & Beth Calvin”:

• jc or cj — first initials, in any order
• bc or cb — matching Beth instead of John
• beth calvin — full second name + last name
• calvinj — last name first
• jocalvin — partial first name + full last name
• cal — just the start of one name

This approach avoids matches from the middle of words, reduces false positives, and better reflects how people actually search.

Overall, searching in Church Social should now feel faster, smarter, and easier to use.