search improvements

_locales/de/messages.json

@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@
         "message": "Funktionen suchen..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "Beginne zu tippen, um deine Module und Aufgaben zu durchsuchen. Verwende @kursname, um einen bestimmten Kurs zu durchsuchen, oder @grades, um die Notenseite eines Kurses zu öffnen, oder @home, um zu deinem Dashboard zu springen."
+        "message": "Tippe, um deine Module und Aufgaben zu durchsuchen.\n@coursename (z. B. @chemistry chapter 5 test) sucht einen bestimmten Kurs oder seine Startseite\n@grades öffnet die Notenseite eines Kurses\n@home springt zu deinem Dashboard"
     },
     "search_navigate": {
         "message": "navigieren"

_locales/en/messages.json

@@ -1440,7 +1440,7 @@
         "message": "Search features..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "Start typing to search your modules and assignments. Use @coursename to search a specific course, or @grades to open a course's grades page, or @home to jump to your dashboard."
+        "message": "Start typing to search your modules and assignments.\n@coursename (like @chemistry chapter 5 test) to search a specific course or its homepage\n@grades to open a course's grades page\n@home to jump to your dashboard"
     },
     "search_index_count": {
         "message": "{{COUNT}} items"

_locales/es/messages.json

@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@
         "message": "Buscar funciones..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "Empieza a escribir para buscar en tus módulos y tareas. Usa @coursename para buscar un curso concreto, o @grades para abrir la página de notas de un curso, o @home para ir a tu panel."
+        "message": "Empieza a escribir para buscar en tus módulos y tareas.\n@coursename (como @chemistry chapter 5 test) busca un curso concreto o su página principal\n@grades abre la página de calificaciones de un curso\n@home va a tu panel"
     },
     "search_navigate": {
         "message": "navegar"

_locales/fr/messages.json

@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@
         "message": "Rechercher des fonctionnalités..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "Commencez à taper pour rechercher vos modules et devoirs. Utilisez @nomducours pour chercher un cours précis, ou @grades pour ouvrir la page des notes d'un cours, ou @home pour aller à votre tableau de bord."
+        "message": "Commencez à taper pour chercher dans vos modules et devoirs.\n@coursename (comme @chemistry chapter 5 test) cherche un cours précis ou sa page d'accueil\n@grades ouvre la page des notes d'un cours\n@home vous amène à votre tableau de bord"
     },
     "search_navigate": {
         "message": "naviguer"

_locales/it/messages.json

@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@
         "message": "Cerca funzioni..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "Inizia a digitare per cercare moduli e consegne. Usa @corsonome per cercare un corso specifico o @grades per aprire la pagina dei voti di un corso, oppure @home per andare alla tua dashboard."
+        "message": "Inizia a digitare per cercare nei tuoi moduli e compiti.\n@coursename (come @chemistry chapter 5 test) cerca un corso specifico o la sua home\n@grades apre la pagina dei voti di un corso\n@home ti porta alla tua dashboard"
     },
     "search_navigate": {
         "message": "naviga"

_locales/ja/messages.json

@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@
         "message": "機能を検索..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "モジュールや課題を検索するには入力してください。@コース名で特定のコースを検索、@gradesでコースの成績ページを開けます、または @home でダッシュボードに移動できます。"
+        "message": "入力してモジュールと課題を検索します。\n@コース名（例: @chemistry chapter 5 test）で特定のコースまたはそのホームページを検索\n@grades でコースの成績ページを開く\n@home でダッシュボードに移動"
     },
     "search_navigate": {
         "message": "移動"

_locales/pt_PT/messages.json

@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@
         "message": "Pesquisar funcionalidades..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "Começa a escrever para procurar módulos e trabalhos. Usa @nomedocurso para procurar num curso específico, ou @grades para abrir a página de notas de um curso, ou @home para ires para o teu painel."
+        "message": "Começa a escrever para procurar nos teus módulos e trabalhos.\n@coursename (como @chemistry chapter 5 test) procura uma disciplina específica ou a sua página inicial\n@grades abre a página de notas de uma disciplina\n@home leva-te ao teu painel"
     },
     "search_navigate": {
         "message": "navegar"

_locales/ru/messages.json

@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@
         "message": "Поиск функций..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "Начните вводить текст, чтобы искать модули и задания. Используйте @названиекурса для поиска по конкретному курсу или @grades, чтобы открыть страницу оценок курса, или @home, чтобы перейти на главную."
+        "message": "Начните вводить текст, чтобы искать по модулям и заданиям.\n@coursename (например, @chemistry chapter 5 test) ищет конкретный курс или его главную страницу\n@grades открывает страницу оценок курса\n@home переходит на главную"
     },
     "search_navigate": {
         "message": "перемещение"

_locales/sv/messages.json

@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@
         "message": "Sök funktioner..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "Börja skriva för att söka bland moduler och uppgifter. Använd @kursnamn för att söka i en viss kurs, eller @grades för att öppna en kurs betygssida, eller @home för att gå till din översikt."
+        "message": "Börja skriva för att söka i dina moduler och uppgifter.\n@coursename (till exempel @chemistry chapter 5 test) söker en viss kurs eller dess startsida\n@grades öppnar en kurs resultatsida\n@home tar dig till din översikt"
     },
     "search_navigate": {
         "message": "navigera"

_locales/zh_CN/messages.json

@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@
         "message": "搜索功能..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "开始输入以搜索你的模块和作业。使用 @课程名 搜索特定课程，或使用 @grades 打开课程的成绩页面，或输入 @home 跳转到你的仪表板。"
+        "message": "开始输入以搜索你的模块和作业。\n@课程名（例如 @chemistry chapter 5 test）可搜索特定课程或其主页\n@grades 打开课程的成绩页面\n@home 跳转到你的仪表板"
     },
     "search_navigate": {
         "message": "导航"

_locales/zh_TW/messages.json

@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@
         "message": "搜尋功能..."
     },
     "search_hint": {
-        "message": "開始輸入以搜尋你的課程模組和作業。使用 @課程名稱 搜尋特定課程，或使用 @grades 開啟課程的成績頁面，或輸入 @home 前往你的儀表板。"
+        "message": "開始輸入以搜尋你的模組和作業。\n@課程名稱（例如 @chemistry chapter 5 test）可搜尋特定課程或其首頁\n@grades 開啟課程的成績頁面\n@home 前往你的儀表板"
     },
     "search_navigate": {
         "message": "瀏覽"

css/content.css

@@ -339,6 +339,8 @@
 .canvasrefined-gs-results { flex: 1; overflow-y: auto; padding: 6px; }
 .canvasrefined-gs-hint, .canvasrefined-gs-loading {
     padding: 18px 14px; text-align: center; color: var(--bctext-2, #9aa3ab); font-size: 14px;
+    /* the shortcut hint is one tip per line */
+    white-space: pre-line; line-height: 1.6;
 }
 .canvasrefined-gs-row {
     display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 10px; padding: 9px 12px; border-radius: 8px;

js/content.js

@@ -10225,7 +10225,7 @@ function openGlobalSearchModal() {
     requestAnimationFrame(() => input.focus());
     ensureGlobalSearchIndex();
     gsUpdateStatus(true);
-    resultsEl.innerHTML = `<div class="canvasrefined-gs-hint">${getMsg("search_hint", "Start typing to search your modules and assignments. Use @coursename to search a specific course, or @grades to open a course's grades page.")}</div>`;
+    resultsEl.innerHTML = `<div class="canvasrefined-gs-hint">${getMsg("search_hint", "Start typing to search your modules and assignments.\n@coursename (like @chemistry chapter 5 test) to search a specific course or its homepage\n@grades to open a course's grades page\n@home to jump to your dashboard")}</div>`;
 }
 
 function closeGlobalSearchModal() {
@@ -11000,7 +11000,7 @@ async function runGlobalSearch(query, resultsEl) {
     const indexing = gsIsIndexing();
 
     if (!query) {
-        resultsEl.innerHTML = `<div class="canvasrefined-gs-hint">${getMsg("search_hint", "Start typing to search your modules and assignments. Use @coursename to search a specific course, or @grades to open a course's grades page.")}</div>`;
+        resultsEl.innerHTML = `<div class="canvasrefined-gs-hint">${getMsg("search_hint", "Start typing to search your modules and assignments.\n@coursename (like @chemistry chapter 5 test) to search a specific course or its homepage\n@grades to open a course's grades page\n@home to jump to your dashboard")}</div>`;
         return [];
     }
 
@@ -11087,6 +11087,12 @@ async function runGlobalSearch(query, resultsEl) {
         if (at === 0) score = 100;
         else if (at > 0) score = 60 - at;
         else if (item._c.includes(q)) score = 20;
+        // Nothing literal? fall back to a fuzzy hit, capped so it never outranks a
+        // real substring match.
+        if (score < 0) {
+            const fuzzy = gsFuzzyScore(item._t, q);
+            if (fuzzy >= 0) score = Math.max(1, Math.min(19, Math.round(fuzzy / 3)));
+        }
         if (score >= 0) {
             if (item.kind === "course" && at === 0) score += 40;
             item._score = score + (item._t === q ? 50 : 0);
@@ -11123,6 +11129,36 @@ function escapeGlobalSearchAttr(s) {
     return escapeGlobalSearchHtml(s).replace(/`/g, "&#96;");
 }
 
+// Fuzzy (subsequence) match: every query character appears in the text, in order,
+// gaps allowed — "alg2hw" finds "Algebra 2 Homework 5". Word starts and runs of
+// adjacent characters score best, skipped characters cost, so tighter matches win.
+// Returns -1 when the text does not contain the query as a subsequence.
+const GS_FUZZY_MIN_LEN = 3;
+function gsFuzzyScore(text, q) {
+    if (!text || q.length < GS_FUZZY_MIN_LEN || q.length > text.length) return -1;
+    let from = 0;
+    let score = 0;
+    let prev = -2;
+    let streak = 0;
+    for (let qi = 0; qi < q.length; qi++) {
+        const ch = q[qi];
+        let hit = -1;
+        for (let i = from; i < text.length; i++) {
+            if (text[i] === ch) { hit = i; break; }
+        }
+        if (hit < 0) return -1;
+        const before = hit === 0 ? " " : text[hit - 1];
+        // word starts are the strongest signal a human would pick
+        score += " -_/.:(".includes(before) ? 6 : 1;
+        streak = hit === prev + 1 ? streak + 1 : 0;
+        score += Math.min(streak, 5) * 2;
+        score -= Math.min(12, hit - from);
+        prev = hit;
+        from = hit + 1;
+    }
+    return score;
+}
+
 function changeGradientCards() {
     // Inline per-hero gradient rather than index-based CSS: it always uses that
     // hero's current color, so it survives reordering and recoloring.