how to search for an app that's on the desktop per file explorer but can't see it any fence

If you have a rule set up, then the destination Fence is known.

If you manually sorted the icon to a Fence, then look for it by subject (i.e. utility, download, music, etc.) or Fence by Fence. Perhaps, if you organize your Fences by subject, i.e. Music, Graphics, Skins, Desktop Wallpapers, Utilities, etc. searches (when you have to perform them) will be shorter. 

If you look under Rules in the Fences config, you'll see some ideas about how to organize your apps and folders.

If you're asking about an app you put in a Fence but  can no longer find it in any Fence, then you might have inadvertently activated a Desktop Page. Go into the Fences Config app and then to Desktop Pages and disable Desktop pages. If the app doesn't appear this way, increase the desktop resolution (if you've beenchanging that, the app might be "off" the visible desktop. If that doesn't do the trick, then check your auto-capture rules...it could be being moved silently that way.

Finally, if none of the above worked, try to use the Fences rebuild feature from a snapshot.

that helped. was about to change resolution, and instead went to most likely fence and expanded it.

is there a way to auto expand all or selected fences?

I do think Fences tried to adjust it size according as you change your display when you increase or decrease your Windows scale, but not sure if it will do the same on resolution changes.

What you can do is to backup your current layout, change resolution and adjust your Fences accordingly, save your layout again for that resolution and use these saved layout as you change resolution.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Hi lenraphael, we're considering adding ability to just start typing while on the desktop and having it jump to the items on the desktop that match, or even, hilighting and/or filtering live.

Wondering if you would have self-discovered this or not.

One note is that this much more difficult to pull off for folder portals, so that's a component as well.

Likewise, accidental triggers, if filtering. People may hit a key, and icons will disappear, and that's not good. So, working on how we'd want this to play out. But a simple version is, just type, and it would go to that item.

i'd only try typing in a file or icon name if i were viewing a list

Got it. Any other way you might expect to discover this functionality, in a natural way (without seeing it in the config UI that it was available etc), if it were there? Instinctual stuff.