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Difficulty: starter

Content

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Learning Objectives

After reading this article, you’ll be able to:

  • Use standard/ advanced search and properly use all filter operators.

  • Save filter values for easy access.

Info

Running a standard search, generally only open objects (this can be changed in your personal settings) are searched. When using advanced search, usually all objects are included (unless configured otherwise).

How to search on a search(view) page?

  1. Type a keyword.

  2. Click on ‘Search’ or press <enter>.

  3. You can also specify/ change the standard search to:

    1. include closed objects (only open = no);

    2. change the find method;

    3. change the search method.

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Advanced search

Advanced search is used to filter on specific fields. You can open the advanced search option by clicking on the drop-down arrow to the right of the standard keyword search box.

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An advanced filter page could for example look like this.

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Search operators explained

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Regular search

When navigating to a module, a search page can be presented to the user. This search page works with keywords. By default objects can be searched via fields like the reference or the name of the object. Depending on the object, other information can also be entered via the keywords search.

For example, a building can be searched via the name ‘Spacewell Arnhem' or the reference 'PRP-00001’.

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By default this search is executed on objects, which are not yet closed. For example, reservations already ended or requests already handled and closed will not be found by default. Via a toggle, it can be determined if closed objects also need to be included in the search. If the option 'Only open' is set to No, also closed objects can be found by searching on a keyword.

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Info

It is possible to change the default value of the 'Only open' filter when searching on user level. This way searching for closed objects can be enabled by default, without having to toggle the option, every time the user searches. The default behavior of the filter can be changed via the users settings.

The user can enter the desired keyword and hit ‘Enter' or click on 'Search’ to execute the search and wait for the results to be found.

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Advanced search

Next to a keywords search, it is also possible to do an advanced search. With advanced search, search criteria can be combined and it is possible to search for specific fields. For example, search for reservations created by 'Test User' between 01-11-2024 and 31-12-2024.

Click on the downwards facing arrow next to the ‘Search' button to open the drop-down. Select 'Advanced search’.

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The advanced search page shows all relevant fields the user can search on.

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The default search operator for each field is used initially. The user has the option to change the search operator for most fields in advanced search to get the correct results the user desires.

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Below a lost of the most common search operators:

Method/operator

Description

=

equal to

= (exact)

equal to, excluding child objects 1

<>

unequal to

<

smaller than

<=

smaller or equal to

>

larger than

>=

larger or equal to

Contains

...

the field contains

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the searched value

Not contains

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the field

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does not contain the searched value

Starts

...

the field starts

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with the searched text value

Ends

...

the field end with the searched text value

Matches

an exact match on the searched text value

Empty

search for objects where the

...

field

...

is empty

Not empty

search for objects where the

...

field

...

is not empty (

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filled in)

  1. Using this operator is only relevant for fields/ objects that have a hierarchy. For example: problem types have a hierarchical structure. When using the operator ‘=’ the results for the sub problem types are also includes. When using the operator '=(exact)' only the results of the selected problem type are includes in the search result.

Save

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When you often use the same filter values these can be saved for easy access. Created filters are only visible for the user that created it.

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Expand
titleLearn how to create your personal filter here

Use filter

  1. You can access you personal filter by clicking on the drop-down arrow to the right of the standard keyword search box.

  2. Click on the filter you want to use.

Create new filter

  1. Open the advanced search option by clicking on the drop-down arrow to the right of the standard keyword search box.

  2. In the advanced search screen set the desired filter values.

  3. Press “Save filter values“.

  4. Press the “Create new filter” button.

  5. Choose a name for your filter and press “Save and return“.

  6. Select the filter you just create by pressing somewhere in that line (don’t press the hyperlink in the ‘name’column).

  7. Press “Ok'.

Change/ update existing filter

  1. Open the advanced search option by clicking on the drop-down arrow to the right of the standard keyword search box.

  2. Press the “Use previously saved filter” button.

  3. Select the filter you want to change by pressing somewhere in that line (don’t press the hyperlink).

  4. Press “OK” so the current filter values are now displayed on the advanced search page.

  5. Update the filter values.

  6. Press “Save filter values“.

  7. Now instead of creating a new filter, select the already existing filter by pressing somewhere in that line (don’t press the hyperlink).

  8. Press “OK'.

Delete filter

  1. Open the advanced search option by clicking on the drop-down arrow to the right of the standard keyword search box.

  2. Press the “Use previously saved filter” button.

  3. Open the filter by clicking the hyperlink in the column ‘Name’.

  4. Press the 'Delete' function button on the top right.

Search results

After executing a search, you end up on a result page. The handy tips & tricks below apply for all result pages: e.g. standard search, advances search, report results, includes, and dashboards.

A hyperlink allows you to open an object. Hyperlinks can easily be recognized as they will often have a deviating color. Also, when hovering over it, it will get underlined.

Filter box

In some cases a filter box is available on the top right of the result page (see blue box in the screenshot). This can be used to quickly search the results.

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Expand
titleWhy is the filter box is not always available?

In the basis the filter in available on all list pages. However, under certain conditions the filter is not available:

  • On hierarchy pages

  • Script report

  • When the page contain subtotals

  • When the list page is build up server side

    • Most common case when this will happens is when more than 1000 results are returned.

Sorting and switching columns

  • You can press a column header to resort the results from A-Z or 1-9. Pressing it a second time will reverse the order.

  • By dragging- and dropping a column you can change the display order of the results.

Changes made will NOT be remember the next time you navigate to the page.

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Summary

Rw ui textbox macro
  • Standard search is used for quick keyword search.

  • Advanced search is used for searching specific fields. Operators are used to further specify the advanced search.

  • On the result page you have several options to resort the results and apply additional filtering.

Exercise

  •  Use the advanced search to find your own contact.
  •  Drag- and drop the columns to change the display order of the columns.

Search

Live Search

filters

On some advanced search pages it is possible to save pre defined search criteria. If a user needs to perform an advanced search a lot of times, the search criteria can be saved and can be used via a single push of a button.

Via the filter icon on the advanced search page, the saved filter overview can be opened. Via this overview a new filter can be created or search criteria can be assigned to an already created filter.

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A new filter can be created with an identifiable name:

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The user can now go back to the advanced search page and enter the desired search criteria and select the filter to save the search criteria in.

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From now on the filter is directly accessible from the regular search page:

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After the search criteria is assigned to a filter, the saved filter can be opened and the search criteria can be consulted for future references:

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Info

Saved filters are user specific. The saved filters can only be seen by the user who created the filters.

Search results

After a regular or advanced search, the search results are shown. The search results are shown in a list or in a hierarchy. A hierarchy is used if there is a parent/child relation applicable (e.g. a site with multiple (sub) buildings).

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Individual objects in the results can be opened via the hyperlink (the 'Reference' column in the screenshot above). Each of the columns can be sorted A-Z and Z-A by clicking on the column header. The Filter option within the results can be used to filter more.

The filter option in the results is not visible if:

  • The results are shown in a hierarchy

  • The results has subtotals

  • Too many results

  • The list is from a script report

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