diff --git a/openide.awt/apichanges.xml b/openide.awt/apichanges.xml
--- a/openide.awt/apichanges.xml
+++ b/openide.awt/apichanges.xml
@@ -50,6 +50,20 @@
 <apidef name="awt">AWT API</apidef>
 </apidefs>
 <changes>
+    <change id="QuickSearch.alwaysShown">
+      <api name="awt"/>
+      <summary>QuickSearch allows to customize of whether the quick search field should always be shown, or not.</summary>
+      <version major="7" minor="49"/>
+      <date day="1" month="8" year="2012"/>
+      <author login="theofanis"/>
+      <compatibility addition="yes" binary="compatible" source="compatible" deprecation="no" semantic="compatible" modification="no" deletion="no"/>
+      <description>
+          QuickSearch.isAlwaysShown() and QuickSearch.setAlwaysShown(boolean) methods are added.
+          They can be used to change the default behavior of not showing the quick search field until something is typed.
+      </description>
+      <class package="org.openide.awt" name="QuickSearch"/>
+        <issue number="215833"/>
+    </change>
     <change id="CheckForUpdatesProvider">
         <api name="awt"/>
         <summary>Support for Check for Updates feature</summary>
diff --git a/openide.awt/manifest.mf b/openide.awt/manifest.mf
--- a/openide.awt/manifest.mf
+++ b/openide.awt/manifest.mf
@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@
 OpenIDE-Module: org.openide.awt
 OpenIDE-Module-Localizing-Bundle: org/openide/awt/Bundle.properties
 AutoUpdate-Essential-Module: true
-OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version: 7.47
+OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version: 7.48
 
diff --git a/openide.awt/src/org/openide/awt/QuickSearch.java b/openide.awt/src/org/openide/awt/QuickSearch.java
--- a/openide.awt/src/org/openide/awt/QuickSearch.java
+++ b/openide.awt/src/org/openide/awt/QuickSearch.java
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@
     private final RequestProcessor rp;
     private static enum QS_FIRE { UPDATE, NEXT, MAX }
     private AnimationTimer animationTimer;
+    private boolean alwaysShown = false;
     
     private QuickSearch(JComponent component, Object constraints,
                         Callback callback, boolean asynchronous, JMenu popupMenu) {
@@ -200,6 +201,30 @@
         setEnabled(false);
         component.putClientProperty(CLIENT_PROPERTY_KEY, null);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Test whether the quick search field is always shown. 
+     * This is <code>false</code> by default.
+     * @return <code>true</code> when the search field is always shown,
+     *                           <code>false</code> otherwise.
+     * @since 7.48
+     */
+    public boolean isAlwaysShown() {
+        return alwaysShown;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set whether the quick search field should always be shown.
+     * @param alwaysShown <code>true</code> to always show the search field,
+     *                           <code>false</code> otherwise.
+     * @since 7.48
+     */
+    public void setAlwaysShown(boolean alwaysShown) {
+        this.alwaysShown = alwaysShown;
+        if(alwaysShown) {
+            displaySearchField();
+        }
+    }
     
     /**
      * Test whether the quick search is enabled. This is <code>true</code>
@@ -322,7 +347,9 @@
         searchTextField.addKeyListener(searchFieldListener);
         searchTextField.addFocusListener(searchFieldListener);
         searchTextField.getDocument().addDocumentListener(searchFieldListener);
-        
+        if(isAlwaysShown()) {
+            displaySearchField();
+        }
     }
     
     private void displaySearchField() {
@@ -354,6 +381,7 @@
             animationTimer = null;
         }
         searchPanel.setLayout(new BoxLayout(searchPanel, BoxLayout.X_AXIS));
+        searchPanel.setBackground(component.getBackground());
         searchPanel.add(lbl);
         searchPanel.add(searchTextField);
         lbl.setLabelFor(searchTextField);
@@ -373,6 +401,10 @@
     }
     
     private void removeSearchField() {
+        if (isAlwaysShown()) {
+            searchTextField.setText("");
+            return;
+        }
         if (searchPanel == null) {
             return;
         }
@@ -710,7 +742,9 @@
 
         @Override
         public void focusLost(FocusEvent e) {
-            if (e.isTemporary()) return ;
+            if (e.isTemporary() || isAlwaysShown()) {
+                return ;
+            }
             Component oppositeComponent = e.getOppositeComponent();
             if (e.getSource() != searchTextField) {
                 ((Component) e.getSource()).removeFocusListener(this);