Allow navigating to sub by exact name

[Foxtrek64]

Sometimes, a particular subreddit will not show up in search results. This can be particularly frustrating, especially when you know the exact name and would be otherwise able to get there. This proposal will add a fallback, a way to go somewhere directly by name, all while reusing as much of the existing UI as possible.

I would like to propose a new meta element in search - if you type a value in the search bar and are looking at the subreddits search results, there should be an entry at the top that matches the exact text you provided. When you tap this entry, it would attempt to navigate directly to that subreddit.

There are a few conditions here that would need to be addressed:

1. The name must match the format for valid subreddit names. This can be done with a simple REGEX query without issue, and if it doesn't match then this meta result should simply be hidden.
2. The searched for subreddit exists in the search results (exact name match). In this case, just hide the meta result. For example, if someone searches "cats," the search entry for r/cats should take priority over the generic entry for "go directly to r/cats" as the search entry will have better UX anyways (including the subreddit image and subscriber count).
3. NSFW Subreddits - sometimes, a subreddit will not show up in the search results because it is flagged as NSFW. If the user has NSFW enabled, this should just continue through without an issue. If not, a warning banner should appear to inform the user that the sub the user searched for requires NSFW to be enabled with options to either go to settings or to cancel. If NSFW was permanently disabled, I'm unsure whether to display a similar warning without the option to enable or to just pretend like the sub was not found.
4. Subreddit not found - This also requires an error informing the user the searched for subreddit does not exist. It should include helpful text such as a note that the sub may have been deleted or banned, and if banned, the reason why. If Infinity ever gets the ability to create subreddits, this could be a good way to facilitate this option, as it naturally avoids frustrations with name collisions.
5. Temporary network issues - same as for regular search results. Sometimes timeouts or 500 errors may be returned from the API. Standard error handling should be able to cover these cases but testing should be included in order to ensure this is handled properly.

Appearance

As far as how this meta entry should look, I imagine it should appear in the same form as the other entries. The subreddit icon should be either a simplified Infinity or Reddit logo and the sub title should be "Go directly to r/[search]...", perhaps italicized so the entry stands out more. As for the line that normally shows the subscriber count, I propose this line either be left blank or some witty text be provided, though I'm unsure exactly what our options are here based on how the UI is built.

[us3rname101]

As far as I can tell, this feature already exists. Long press the FAB (the plus button in the feed) and it should show a selection of actions and one of them is "Go to subreddit". You can a type a sub name and press OK and it'll go there.

[KaKi87]

how else would you distinguish from the buttons two mods, post creation and menu list for action?

In no other way : the current way is fine, I'm just saying that there would be no need to use search features from there thanks to OP's suggestion.

About the user match, the search bar is getting kinda crowded

OP's suggestion is not to add a button next to the input, but to display a result item that points to the user's exact input.

it already shows the correct sub in the search list, right?

This feature request is precisely for when it isn't, as OP's first sentence states.

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Infinity doesn't suck, it is awesome, I can't use Reddit without it, and I recommend it everytime I have an opportunity.

But, here, there's an oppportunity to improve (i.e. to be even more awesome), so I'm asking for it to be taken.

Thanks

[us3rname101]

OP's wishes was answered and they were fine it.

[KaKi87]

they were fine

How do you know ?

[us3rname101]

They would have replied.

[KaKi87]

Turns out RedReader, which I discovered today, does that very well, although inferior to Infinity on almost every other aspect.

[Wladefant]

As @us3rname101 said this feature already exists, but we will definitely look at your suggestions