Open Radar

 
Summary:
Spotlight gives easy access to complex boolean searches in GUI form, by option-clicking the + button to add indented subsets of query elements ("Any/All/None of the following are true"). However, while the Mail interface for building a query for a Smart Mailbox seems similar in appearance, these complex boolean searches are not permitted. I often need to perform these types of searches of my email (see attached screenshot), and would love to be able to create a Smart Mailbox with this functionality, since this type of Spotlight search does not give smooth integration with the Mail interface (I can't see grouped email threads, easily reply, select multiple search results and apply a color or flag, etc.).

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open Mail
2. Create a new Smart Mailbox
3. Try to Option-click a + button while building a Smart Mailbox query to add a nested subset of query elements.

Expected Results:
Expected it would function the same as a Spotlight search, since they look similar, and my superficial understanding is that the Spotlight engine powers all Mail search.

Actual Results:
Another query item is added on the same top level as all of the others. Nesting grouped subsets of query elements does not seem to be possible.

Version:
Mail Version 7.2 (1874)
OS X Version 10.9.2 (13C64)

Notes:
Vaguely related to rdar://16202230 where I note that even text-based boolean searches are not possible to be saved in Smart Mailboxes.

Configuration:
Occurs in Mail on all known versions of Mavericks, on several machines.