When creating Custom Fields the option Is this Field Searchable? is disabled by default and as a result any new Custom Field is not searchable. This is frustrating since there is rarely a case when you would not want a field to be available in search. For end users the experience of adding a Custom Field in CiviCRM is like this:

1. Add the Custom Field
2. Add some data to CiviCRM using the new Custom Field
3. Open Search and try to search using the new Custom Field, it is not shown
4. Confusion about why it is not shown in Search
5. Finally, navigate back to the Custom Field and enable the option, Is this Field Searchable?
6. Return to Search and bingo! There it is.
7. Repeat steps for every Custom Field created.

Proposed Change

The Is this Field Searchable? option should be enabled by default, making new Custom Fields available in Search when created - reducing potential confusion as noted above. The user would then have to explicitly disable this option to remove from search.

Agileware Ref: CIVICRM-964