Finding Saved Materials

The Pieces Web Extension view provides search options for locating saved materials within the Pieces Drive.

Once a material is located, you can edit the saved code or text, share it, use it as context for pieces Copilot chats, and more.

Here are a few different ways to locate Pieces Drive materials with the Pieces Web Extension:

via Pieces Sidebar

To locate your snippets, use the Pieces Web Extension sidebar:

Open the Pieces Web Extension from your browser’s extension section. On top of the extension, select the dropdown menu, choose Pieces Drive, and then select the `Saved Materials` tab. 
<Image src="https://storage.googleapis.com/hashnode_product_documentation_assets/web_extension/pieces_drive/search_reuse/hovering_pieces_copilot.png" alt="" align="center" fullwidth="true" />
Click on a snippet to view its content, related details, and quick actions. 
<Image src="https://storage.googleapis.com/hashnode_product_documentation_assets/web_extension/pieces_drive/search_reuse/material_open.png" alt="" align="center" fullwidth="true" />

via Search Feature

If you know exactly what you’re looking for, you can search for specific snippets:

Open the search bar at the top of the Pieces Web Extension sidebar. Type your search query. Scroll through the results or use the arrow keys to find your desired snippet. Click on the snippet to open it and view its content, associated metadata, and quick actions. 
<Image src="https://storage.googleapis.com/hashnode_product_documentation_assets/web_extension/pieces_drive/search_reuse/search_for_snippet.gif" alt="" align="center" fullwidth="true" />
To narrow down your search, you can use tags, descriptions, names, types, or even languages themselves.

Adding Filters to Your Search

Saved snippets being viewed in the Pieces Web Extension sidebar can be sorted and filtered to narrow down your search results.

Filtering Snippets

Filter for saved materials that meet specific criteria if you have too many results to sift through manually.

Open the Pieces Web Extension, change to `Pieces Drive`, select the `Saved Materials` tab, and click on the search bar at the top of the extension. Apply quick filters such as `Titles`, `Annotations`, or `Content` that appear below the search bar. Enter specific tags or keywords in the search bar to narrow down the snippets displayed. 
<Image src="https://storage.googleapis.com/hashnode_product_documentation_assets/web_extension/pieces_drive/search_reuse/filtering_a_snippet.gif" alt="" align="center" fullwidth="true" />

Sorting Saved Materials

Once you have a list of saved materials in view, you can sort through them according to various criteria to locate the material you need.

Click the icon at the top of the extension(e.g., the `clock` icon for *Recent*). The icon changes based on the selected sorting method. Select your preferred sorting order, such as `Recent`, `Suggested`, `Alphabetical`, or `Language`. 
<Image src="https://storage.googleapis.com/hashnode_product_documentation_assets/web_extension/pieces_drive/search_reuse/sorting_snippets.gif" alt="" align="center" fullwidth="true" />

Viewing and Reusing Saved Snippets

Saved snippets can be viewed with their metadata by opening them directly from the Pieces Web Extension. Just click on them in the Pieces Drive once you've found them.

From this view, you can use Quick Actions or copy the snippet in your browser. You can also click on the snippet for a quick overview.

From this view, use the Pieces Actions button at the bottom of the snippet to copy, edit, update annotations, generate a shareable link, toggle the visibility of the Pieces Actions buttons, or highlight and right-click to copy.

You can press `⌘+c` (macOS) or `ctrl+c` (Windows/Linux) to copy to your clipboard.

via Pieces Sidebar

You can view saved materials by opening Pieces Drive in your browser.

Click the Pieces icon in the extension list, click the dropdown menu at the top left of the extension, and select Pieces Drive.

Once in the snippet, you can copy a snippet from Pieces Drive and use that material anywhere you’d like.

Previewing Saved Snippets

When using the Pieces Drive within the Pieces Web Extension, you can click on the three vertical dots on a saved code snippet to delete it, or select from 6 additional options:

View Preview Start Copilot Chat Copy to Clipboard
Insert at cursor Generate Shareable Link Open Markdown Preview

Real-Time Snippet Streaming

Every product within the Pieces Suite utilizes PiecesOS to gather information regarding the context of your snippets.

When you modify a snippet in the Pieces Desktop App—like changing its name or description, tags, or any other metadata—those updates are automatically shown in your Pieces Web Extension without the need for refreshing.

If your snippets aren’t updating immediately, refer to the [troubleshooting guide](/products/web-extension/troubleshooting) for instructions on refreshing your snippet list.